#i don't say people from other countries/backgrounds don't do that but it's always a damn yankee

[aragarna]

Zorro Vive

And vive bien!

So, I've finished Season 1 of the new Zorro show (available through Amazon in the US and most Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries), and I really enjoyed it!

Without spoilers, I'd say that its main qualities are that it's fun and earnest and more cosmopolite in its retailing of the old story. It doesn't take itself too seriously, there's plenty of little homages to previous adaptations. There's many interesting and well-developed characters - of all genders and ethnicities.

It's (literally) colorful, with a comic/pulp feel that suits it well. There's been a true care brought to the action scenes, and OMG the night scenes are damn well lit. It's rare enough nowadays so points for that. Generally, the show is quite beautiful.

More spoilery thoughts under the cut.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from a new show. It's always hard to bring new canon to something so established and so iconic. And even though the Disney show is *not* the original canon, for a lot of people, it is.

But as a principle, same as for book adaptations or remakes, I'm not opposed to variations or changes. As long as they're good changes.

And I have to say, the vast majority of the changes in the new Zorro show, to me, were actually good changes, or necessary improvements for today's audience.

The most obvious is giving back a real voice to the Natives and not sugarcoating the colonization aspect. There's tension there. Natives are angry. But as years passed, people born there consider themselves "true Californians". Natives aren't just background characters or peons anymore. They're a driving plot force. They're shown in their own environment, with their own rites (I don't know enough about Natives of this area to know how accurate it is, but it felt a lot more authentic and respectful to me than other versions).

I do like the idea that the Zorro character comes from the Native culture, and that it's been passed on from one person to the next. Though it also brings my one big issue with the show: Diego becoming Zorro reads a lot like "a white dude steals a Native heritage." And yes, it's symbolic, and yes the fox spirit chose him, Diego didn't pick him, but still. Given that the audience is meant to support Diego (who really is a sweet guy!), that the narrative keeps showing us that Nah-Lin is wrong and should accept it, given the colonization context of that story, it's sitting a bit wrong with me.

This aside, I do like the exploration of revenge vs. justice, violence vs. a more measured response, in the face of adversity. When a few months back, the tagline "revenge is personal, justice is for all" appeared on the first poster, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't like revenge-driven characters. It's cliché and wrong. But the fact that the show precisely explored that, both with Diego and Nah-Lin, was actually quite interesting.

Diego, as I said, is a decent guy. A sweet boy really, vaguely immature originally but having to mature really fast, as the death of his father, the business of the rancho, the Zorro thing and Lolita's wedding are all dropping on him at once. Miguel Bernardeau is a clear departure from most of the previous Zorros, who were played by older actors, giving a more "adult" vibe to the character, but given he's supposed to be fresh out of college and out of his element, Bernardeau's more juvenile features fit the character well.

Nah-Lin is a lot angrier, and while in the context of the story, she's shown to be going at it the wrong way, all that anger *is* justified, and not something that can just be brushed off. Peace can't come easy when you anger people that way.

And you know who else I really liked? That damn Capitan Monasterio! Who would have thought LOL No, but seriously. Not sure why they named him that way. He was actually more of a Sergeant Garcia (or Mendoza from the 1990 show) than a Monastario. Obviously without the comic relief and cutely incompetent side of the character, but as the character who is a decent guy stuck between a rock and a hard place, serving a tyrannic boss and chasing a heroic outlaw that he may not hate that much.

I also really liked what they did with Lolita. An opinionated young lady that throws away all the corseting conventions of her time is always very relatable to me. Also, I just love her fashion sense. I wasn't sure what they were going to do with that impossible love triangle (I thought for a long time the wedding wouldn't actually happen). I wouldn't have thought they'd have Lolita figure it out, but I'm glad she did.

I'm glad they kept Bernardo, the mute confident. And I love Mei, too. The dynamic between the three of them (with Diego) is great!

Also, it's great to finally have a Spanish-speaking production, and have the characters speaking in Spanish, instead of having American actors put on fake accents.

I may have a couple of minor complains: namely that I didn't care about Samael nor Alejandro's first love. Not sure planting so early something that they're keeping for S2 is a right move. Feels like a waste of screentime. Also, I'm not particularly found of secret societies trying to rule the world, but it seems to be mandatory to any Zorro story... And the finale episode didn't actually wrap up that many plotlines - every major villain escaped! So that kinda made it look like Zorro didn't accomplish much, apart from breaking Lolita's heart, and his. But none of this prevented me from having a good time watching the show. I just really hope there'll be a S2 cause it'd be a shame to leave things there!

How about you guys? What did you think of it?

[littleweowmeow]

I just love people who shout about the villainous deeds of Zuko that he committed sometime before our era (as if this cancels his redemption arc and the fact that he is a hero in the end lol). And they do it with such pathos of great enlighteners, the only ones who see the truth while the "gray mass" is blinded by their love for the "colonizer". It is impossible to look at this without laughing. It's like smart thoughts were chasing people, but people were faster.

Like I always say that Zuko is a villain at the beginning of his journey and that's what makes his arc so impressive. He has the potential to become like Ozai or Azula and he is already on the way to it. But he stops and doesn't do the same thing. Although he may also thinked, namely, "well, if it hurt me, then I have the right to hurt others," and I do not claim that he has never resorted to such rhetoric. He fucking stopped and went in the exact opposite direction and damn it it's so important! It's as if we're talking about a character who turned away from an entire political system that brainwashed people and from his disgusting family, which drove him into a psychological trap for a long time and breaks the cycle of violence because he doesn't grow into an abuser. The plot itself holds him accountable both for his actions and for what was done by his ancestors. He wanders around the Earth Kingdom and feels all the damage done to the world by his country on his own skin, he cannot escape from his past and the past of his people, so despite the fact that he saves the villagers, they drive him away with horror and hatred. In the finale, Zuko literally becomes the Fire Lord, pledging to atone for the sins of his entire people over a hundred years of war. But come on. What if Zuko was the one who didn't want to continue the violence from the very beginning?

Agni Kai with Admiral Zhao. Zuko, in a position of power, can do whatever he wants with his opponent. An opponent who smiled when his face was burned, an opponent who reveled in power over him right before the duel, an opponent who would definitely not show mercy. And what does Zuko do? Shows mercy. Although he remembers exactly what Ozai did when Zuko himself ended up on the floor. He refuses to act like his main tyrant when he can do it but doesn't. It is also interesting that Zhao calls Zuko a coward for showing mercy and then, when the duel is over, hits him in the back. Yes, Zuko is definitely definitely an evil and incorrigible guy.

And now my favorite:

Anon : You understand that the Blue Spirit literally robbed people, the same refugees because in his opinion these people owe him? He's still a disgusting racist and colonizer!

I'm : I am aware of this and I do not shut myself off from the inconvenient truth. And in the subsequent series, he literally saves the village of such "peasants" from people who abuse power over peaceful and defenseless residents, although he was more than inclined not to do so. Oh yes, no one tells him what to do, there is no one around and Zuko is alone. He chooses what to do and his choice is to save the inhabitants of the enemy village from the oppressors. (A very villainous act of a real colonizer) Zuko does not get mad at the inhabitants when they drive him away because he did not save them in order to get laurels. He just walks away. Not taking revenge for ingratitude or anything else. (Very villainous, but okay).

Anon : ...

I'm : ...This is called personal growth.

Anon : * piss with boiling water *

I don't even need to do brain gymnastics to justify him. He changes himself and accepts responsibility for his actions, faces their consequences. Zuko doesn't make excuses for himself and the plot doesn't do the same for him. Unlike many, he has a real redemption arc. There is a group of fans in the fandom who justify the villain in every possible way and humiliate other characters so that they seem worse against the background of their "poor meow meow", these are those people who cannot stand criticism of their favorite and want their favorite not to face the consequences of his actions. Oh yes, this character does not have a redemption arc. I didn't mention their names, but you all know who I mean. Zuko stans doesn't need to babysit him and justify everything he does. Because Zuko accepts responsibility himself. Because Zuko is no longer a villain. Cope with it.

[nayialovecat]

The Ink Demonth 2022 - Day 24 Exaggeration

Sammy has a great tendency to exaggeration. And a very powerful complex on his point. Namely - he is sincerely convinced that everyone (except Bendy, their kids and a few of his close friends) hates him. This thread so far appears in two chapters - and I hesitated for a long time from which one to take quote for this theme. In the end, I chose a chronologically earlier one. Sammy found out about the existence of a saying that runs through the first volume and many times in the second, or "as Sammy says". While the saying is used respectfully to emphasize something important or a universal truth, its origins were such that the group of survivors who returned to the Workshop makes fun of Sammy's pomposity. Here we have a scene not long after Sammy learned this genesis...

This Sammy trait (paranoidly thinking that others are talking badly about him and mocking him) is another trait that SATIM Sammy received from me. I have a hard time to trust others - and when someone does something nice for me, I always search the trick or wonder what they really mean/what they want in return. Such a trait makes it very difficult to function in society, but at least it doesn't hurt that much when someone actually stabs you in the back... metaphorical. Which has happened to me a few times... eh...

I was wondering if priests should have some clothes (John Dot is against clothes, as he says himself, he did not go back to inky form to have to wear clothes). But I had no idea how is they style, so I gave up.

Honestly - I'm quite dissatisfied with this art. Virtually everything except the priest holding the mask in his hand required some adjustments in the computer - and not small changes, like a curved line: Sammy's legs were too long, John Dot was too short, the priest in the mask had too small a mask... even that damn chair one leg was longer and the other was shorter. That's why I gave up the background and I don't want to do shading. Terrible picture.

The plot of "Samdy Kids" takes place after Joey's death and the release of all the people from the Workshop. Bendy, together with his children and all the toons (Borises, members of the Butcher Gang), are forced to stay in the Workshop - which, however, doesn't turn out to be a bad thing, when Sammy returns to his family and begins to build New Workshop, an utopian underground country where everyone can live peacefully and happily.

Link to rules of the Ink Demonth.

[blackrosesfanfic]

Chapter 246

Rollie

I cut my eyes at Lexi. I just noticed that she was sitting there reading the Bible. Not like you would think a 7 year old would read a Bible. She was at the front of it concentrating on it. What the fuck is wrong with this little girl? I sit across from her watching her. She doesn't look away from the Bible. I call my mama.

"Is everything okay?" Gwen snaps.

"Why your background so loud?"

She sucks her teeth. "I'm at a gospel festival with April. You okay? You called me?"

"Nice to hear from you too, Sweetheart."

"Oh shut up." She chuckles.

"Naw, I just wanted to invite you to a movie premiere. My name gonna be in the credits."

It gets quite. "A movie premiere you say?"

"Yeah. My name gonna be in the credits. It's not nothing big but..."

"When is it? Can I bring my women's group?"

I chuckle. "You serious? No it's personal. You don't invite groups of people."

She sucks her teeth. "Fine."

"5 people. Can you narrow it down to five people?"

"5? I can do that."

"It's not a Christian movie though."

"Everyone thinks I'm a square head. It's a group for Mother's with adult children that wasn't started at church."

I huff. "Calm that down. Don't be getting too hot in the bottoms."

She sucks her teeth. "Lane, Honey, don't pull her hair. Come here. Stand right here. I am so sorry. Boys."

I laugh. She sounded so embarrassed. The noise comes back after a few more seconds.

"April the next time you are taking him to the bathroom. I'm trying to wash my hands and he is pulling some stranger's hair. The little girl was so shocked."

"He did what?" April asks.

I laugh. "I'll text you the information."

"Okay, Baby. Thank you for inviting me."

"Yeah."

"Love you." She says then hangs up.

I look up at Lexi. She was still focused on reading the Bible. I didn't want to interrupt her but I'm just so fucking curious. I clear my throat.

"Lexi?"

"Yes." She looks up.

I point to the Bible. "Are you really reading that?"

She closes the Bible then takes some headphones out her ears. "It's an audio book that Dad bought. It reads it to me."

"Even weirder, kid. Why you reading the Bible?"

"I wanna be a good person. So I can go to heaven."

I nod. Damn that's deep. I shouldn't have fucking asked this genius.

"Why don't you read the short kid's version?"

"Cause I won't always be a kid."

I nod yet again. Okay. "Are you understanding it?"

"Yes." She shrugs. "It's gonna take me a year to finish. If I read it for an hour each day."

"Wow kid."

Jordan skips into the room. "You done?"

"Yeah." Lexi runs over to her.

"So what you find out? Did she have a baby?"

Lexi giggles. "Her servant had the dangon baby for her."

"What?" Jordan says jumping up. "You lying?"

"Nope then her sister had more babies and she had her servant have another baby."

I sit up. "You reading this from the bible?"

Lexi nods her head. "Yeah but then Leah had her own baby."

"Daddy, Jacob wasn't even in love with Leah but she had to get married first."

"I might have read a different Bible." I rub my head.

Jordan laughs. "It's too long so Lexi gonna just tell me what happens."

Lexi agrees. "Rachel stole her daddy stuff and sat on it."

"Why she do that?" She retorts as they walk out.

I'm starting to question this girl reading the Bible with those fucking stories. But then again she fucking reading the Bible. How can I argue with that? Teaching it to my daughter. Maybe she will read it and want to be a good girl. I ain't fucking saying shit then.

"Jordan!" Leah says coming into the room.

"What you need?"

She looks at me. "Obviously Jordan."

"They doing Bible study. I can help you."

"Wash the dishes?"

I stand up slowly. "It's the Bible."

She rubs her stomach. "You should have said Aaliyah wait 4 years for me to get my shit together. I would have been more patient."

"You think my shit together?"

"Am I traveling around the country with you and your sister stuck in hotel after hotel while you party and fuck other girls?"

I pull her into me until her stomach is pressed against me. The baby kicks me. I chuckle then look at her face. She doesn't say anything like she really wanted an answer. I kiss her cheek. She doesn't really want an answer.

"Aaliyah, Baby wait for..."

"Oh no. Ain't no waiting on nothing." She pushes me away from her stomach then she walks away. "Jord... oh."

Jordan runs into the kitchen. "Ma, Rachel died giving birth to her baby."

"Rollie washing the dishes."

"You for real?" Jordan snaps.

I nod. She bounces back out the kitchen then she comes back.

"Ma, can you die from having a baby? Is that real?"

"Yes it is."

She makes a sad face. "Imma pray for you, Mommy."

Leah just stares off into space. She turns to me. "What?"

"Why you got that little girl here?" I ask ignoring her confusion. I told her.

"They needed a babysitter. She is simple so I agreed."

I walk to the sink. "This hand soap?"

"Rollie." She says moving the soap and handing me the Dawn. "You better do it right or you will be doing it twice."

I hit her ass. "That's what you always say."

"You a lie cause I never had a problem with that."

"But then you complaining about your back."

She giggles. "Wash those dishes, Hulk."

Chris

"Yo, Cammie!" I yell through the house.

"Chris."

I walk into the second living room. "Tell your friend she not that far along."

Cammie throws a diaper at the wall. "She is just worried about how her life is about to change. Have you been supportive?"

I shrug. "How haven't I?"

"By being happy. By not making yourself available to go talk to her parents."

"See I know I shouldn't have asked you shit."

She lifts Caden in the air. "Chris you wanna watch him while I take a nap? I'm exhausted. He not sleeping just eating constantly. I didn't know how much Trey helped."

"Yeah." I say taking him from her.

"But for real Chris her life bout to change. She bout to be Chris Brown's baby mama forever. Are you even thinking bout that?"

I take Caden's blanket and lay it over Caden. He turns his head looking for Cammie. He knows she trying to get some rest. She sighs as he starts whining. I'll just take him out of here. I walk him around the house showing him the pictures that they had up. Most of them were painting not family pictures. They need to have more of those types of pictures. Make it look more like a family home. Caden was going to sleep as I stared at the photo of the cows. Cows? They didn't decorate this shit.

"Christopher."

"Hey, Bae."

She stretches. "Is it 2 already?"

"2?"

She looks at the phone then sucks her teeth. "You don't listen. I told you I was taking a nap until 2."

I look at the time on the phone. "Oh, I'll call you at 2 then."

"Okay." She says.

"Love you, Sneezy."

She gets closer to the phone. "You at Bae's house. I know you not."

"I forgot to hide my background. It ain't what you think."

"Whatever." She hangs up.

I look at Caden. He is eating his blanket looking at the cows still. I take him into his room and look through his closet for a super fly outfit so I can put him on my Snap. He reaches for everything that comes into his reach. Just to put it to his mouth. I change his clothes then take the picture.

"Caden?"

He stops eating the head of his rubber duck. Damn, I'm so shocked he knows his name. That's amazing. I pick him up. He sure enough wasn't trying to go to sleep. I take him to the recording room that Trey has. I prop him up on the console. He starts to move. Catch him.

"Stay still so I can take this picture." I say putting the headphones on his lap.

"Aaa." He yells grabbing them and trying to lift them to his mouth. They too heavy for him.

"Caden."

He looks at me long enough for me to snap a picture. I post it. He leans over falling into the headphones and chewing on them. I take that picture then grab him. Maybe I should have asked before putting up a picture of him. Damn. Do they post the kids online? I go to Trey's Instagram. First thing I see is Lane sleep in Trey's arms. Okay. So I'm good. I turn on the board then play some of Trey's music. Caden turns around the room. I think he finally realizes it's music and not Trey here.

"Yeah." I say answering my phone.

"Where Cammie?" Trey asks.

I shrug. "She handed me Cad as soon as I walked in the door. Said she was going to sleep."

"You ain't go over there to babysit." Trey chuckles.

"I didn't. I ain't even plan on staying. I told you I couldn't stay but I got bitched. She looked tired."

"So you a bitch. Nat. Nat, I'm going home."

I look at Caden. He was starting to whine. I show him Trey on the phone. He was still pouting.

"He hungry." Trey says. "Cammie should have milk that says Caden's milk."

"He not crying. I thought they cried."

Trey clears his throat. "Not Caden. Hey, Caden!"

Caden looks up then looks around. I hold the phone in front of his face. He snatches it from me. What the hell? He holds it looking at Trey. Trey starts talking to him about coming home and going to see the cloud outside. Caden listens.

"Aye you think he understands you?"

"He understands something. Maybe he likes watching me. He knows his name."

I take the milk out the fridge. Caden drops the phone trying to get to the bottle. I put it in the hot water like Trey says. Caden was wiggling and getting more impatient with me. I give it to him. He tries to bite on it but he couldn't lift it up to his mouth. We go into the living room. Cammie wasn't in there. I lay him down and hold his bottle up for him.

"Trey call Ma and tell her to bring JJ and King here. I ain't got time to pick them up."

"CiCi." Trey says. "Tell Joyce to take the kids to my house. Aye, when you going to meet with Amber people?"

I blow. "I called earlier to set it up."

"They didn't agree... who you called?"

"I called Amber."

Trey shakes his head. "Surprise her with a dinner. That's more romantic. You didn't include them in the proposal. Now you bout to tell them she pregnant."

I sigh. "I been avoiding them."

"Cause they feel how Sevyn feels. She worked so hard to make a name for herself but the one that's gonna stick has your name in it."

"Damn, Trey."

He laughs. "Cammie. Same shit she said to me."

"I'll make it special." I say texting my assistant.

"Imma make sure you do this shit right. We gotta do it right." Trey says nodding.

There's a loud bang on the front door. Caden jumps out of his sleep. Damn.

"I ain't thought about how bad they gonna be." I say getting up.

"Put them in the play room and close the gate. They'll stay in there for a little while without being too loud."

I glance back at Caden holding his bottle with his eyes wide open. Damn I had him going to sleep. I open the door. JJ runs into the house.

"Uncle? Uncle where Lane?"

"He not here."

JJ runs to Caden. "Hey, Baby."

"JJ?" Trey snaps. "Cammie sleeping. Keep on doing all that yelling."

"We go play?" JJ asks. "Shh..."

King drags himself behind JJ. He must have been sleep.

"Chris, I'm going to Virginia." Joyce says poking at Caden. "Hey, Big boy. Look at you holding your bottle. Chris?"

"Okay, Ma. I'm going to Amber's family."

She smiles kissing my cheek. "Oh good. Behave yourself."

"He will." Trey says.

"Okay, thank you, Baby." She leaves.

I hang up on Trey. Caden pops the bottle out his mouth staring at me in disbelief. I quickly call Trey back.

"Aye, Dawgs, stay on the phone. Chuckie was bout to kill me for hanging up."

"As long as I can."

"Imma go check on these boys."

"Naw!" Trey yells.

I come back to the couch. "Huh?"

"Take Caden to his crib, nigga. He might jump off the couch."

I look at Caden. "But I mean... he don't move."

"Cammie thinks differently. Don't leave him there."

"Okay." I say picking him up and taking him to his room. "Now leave him?"

"Yeah." Trey says looking away. "Caden."

Caden is done with the bottle. He watches Trey. This baby shit is something serious. Damn. I go close the older boys up in the play room. They were climbing the wall. They got a fucking rock climbing wall in the playroom. It doesn't go all the way to the ceiling but tall enough to make them think they doing something. Genius idea. I got to keep up with the Neversons.

[prettypastelpetals]

Rant

I don't understand why everything in fandoms has to be "washed" in some way. Like did we watch the same show/movie or even read the same books?

There's a difference between your own vision of a character from a book that doesn't get much description and a character that has a fully canon description from the author. Like, theres a difference between a fancanon and what is actually canon.

Like, why is completely changing any character to another race/ethinicity/color ok when its a white-skinned character, but if they were anything else its wrong to make them white????

I'm sick of seeing it, especially for Harry Potter fanart, because they all make Harry Indian and super dark skinned and Hermione black. Like did we read the same books??? Almost all other character they draw look like the books or the movie actors but those two????

"Well Hermione has curly hair, so obv she's black!" ......Sooo only black people have curly hair???? Or "Harry's tan from playing quidditch".....did ya'll miss the character description of how he's practically snow white in the first book???? Harry has his mothers pale as hell skin, undoubtedly, from how damned sunburned he says he gets in the summer. (I do also have problems with the movies making Blaize Zabini black when he's Italian.....whats with everyone implying you can only be black if your tanned??? Italians have some beautiful olive tone skin, and sure every country has black people, but being "dark skinned" does not immediatly equate to being either indian or black???)(also, being white doesn't immediatly make you American or smth guys, caucasians are white my guys, they exist literally everywhere too.)

Don't even get me started on The Percy Jackson Tv Show, literally none of the characters are book accurate, its infuriating. "There's not enough diversity or inclusivity..." Then make new characters or bring in background ones and make them important too, don't just completely wipe away the characters many know and like that have important features that were numerously stated in the books.

I think to me, as a blonde haired girl who constantly only see's media where the blondes are dumb and airheaded, not ever get to see annabeth in her glory on the screen is devastating. I'm always the subject of dumb blonde jokes and it gets old really quick. do you know how many ACTUAL blondes are on screen? Not many. Annabeth was THE character for that, that was one of her strong points in the books. It was always referenced how smart she was, and how she fought to get rid of the dumb blonde stereotype. And Apparently that makes me racist, but I was also upset at the movies for making her brunette....... I've had people tell me that black women have terrible stereotypes and I agree, they do! But to completely change a character and rewrite them entirely doesn't help that community, it just makes people more angry and prone to rejecting the media.

There is NOTHING inclsuive about forcing diversity onto already established characters. Grow up and create new ones that can and will become just as loved by people for being a natural addition, not a massive change to an already beloved character.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate new characters into Tv shows and movies, even books! or even just bring in background characters, make them relevant and useful! I think the Percy Jackson TV show was wrong when they said it didn't have any diversity. Maybe it didn't in the first set of books, but thats like saying Piper, Reyna, Leo, Hazel, and Frank aren't good enough representations. It feels to me like they are saying those characters aren't good enough to count. each and everyone of those characters are unique and important, well loved and appreciated.

Please stop changing well known characters to fit political and societal agenda's, all it does is stir the pot and make people angry and it causes what could be good shows/movies to flop because it isn't faithful to the source material. and 9/10 times that piece of media will get dropped and probably never remade because its seen as not being popular enough.

Again, if you got down this far, i'm not hating these characters because their colored. I'm hating them because they have been changed from their source material, and they no longer feel like the character they are supposed to be because they look nothing like the character.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.....

[whywoulditho]

a bunch of haikyuu headcanons i can't stop thinking about

i can't find the time to finish the manga so it lives in my head 24/7. *sigh* bear with my silly thoughts about these gay volleyball dorks

W: brief mentions of mental illnesses and eating disorders

Atsumu is dyslexic. (Bad at academics, gets the worst score in every test. Teachers usually understand so he doesn't fail his classes but he knows that volleyball's the only thing he's actually good at. So he tries his damn best all the time -to show that he's not so useless after all, he's good at one thing, at least. And yet, his brother is better than him at that thing too. I like the angst.)

Kiyoomi has OCD. (I'm actually just projecting myself but it's not my fault it fits him perfectly.) He was diagnosed when he was very little and has been going to therapy for as long as he can remember. I've seen a couple of articles about how in some Asian countries such illnesses have to be said in CV and resumes and people can face discrimination in employment because of them. Which made me wonder, could Kiyoomi have had a hard time getting into an official volleyball team? Could his long history with this incurable mental illness have gotten in the way of his career despite his talent? I think maybe his parents wanted him to get a college degree in case his volleyball career doesn't work out just because of this. And I think he was really scared too.)

Yamaguchi had an eating disorder in middle school and recovered throughout his high school years. (Tsukki might be stupid in many things but he's careful with this one. He reads about it online and tries to help. When Yamaguchi's parents are out for the night he invites him over to dinner to make sure he eats something. Yamaguchi says it's okay, he doesn't have to worry about it so much. Tsukki says shut up, he means I like spending time with you. He's getting there.)

Atsumu and Kiyoomi were married in the 2021 Olympics. Ushijima and Kageyama didn't know for like a week. (that's when they decided Kiyoomi would change the name on his Jersey lol)

After a whole year of travelling the world by himself, Nishinoya started feeling lonely —and scared, when he realised the world was bigger than he thought. If Asahi hadn't tagged along he would have given up and gone back home. But when he did, Nishinoya started enjoying travelling again. They stuck together since then,

Asahi proposed in Paris because they're silly and sappy and in love like that.

Suna and Komori are gossip besties. They talk shit about everyone in the V. Leauge. Osamu joins sometimes. Kiyoomi sells info.

Hinata is allergic to many things.

Atsumu claims he hates his brother but he takes all his teammates to eat dinner at Onigiri Miya three times a week.

Yamaguchi brings lunch to the museum for Tsukki. All the other staff there ADORE him. They're all surprised someone so nice like Yamaguchi is friends with Tsukishima Do Not Interrupt Me While I'm Lecturing About Tyrannosauruses Kei.

Kiyoomi is terrified of insects. (Atsumu wants to make fun of him for it but he's equally scared. Meian rolls his eyes and curses all his life choices as he mumbles "ok you can get off the table now, i threw the spider out" for the fifth time that week.)

Bokuto gives the best hugs. (He spins people around too, to Akaashi's horror. —"Please stop doing that in front of my coworkers, Bokuto-san, I have a reputation.")

Kuroo always interrupts Kenma's livestreams, unintentionally. It starts with a hand that slides a plate for him every five hours. Then there's a whisper yelling of "Eat your vegetables too, I made them with love, Kyanma, have some respect and eat your vegetables." which Kenma only responds with clearing his throat. There's distant chuckles coming from the background or Kenma yelling mid-game "Kuroo get off the net my connection's lagging!" Things like that. They don't say it to public but they don't try to hide that they live together either. (Kodzuken fans started a tag #thatguykodzuliveswith on twitter and they ship the two. Kuroo thinks it's hilarious.)

(This one's a bit sad) Iwaizumi and Oikawa were dating in high school. They were disgustingly in love, too. In their senior year, Oikawa applied for a bunch of teams but got rejected. Since he never made it to Nationals, his resume seemed dull and teams didn't want a rookie setter with no visible success. Among the teams that did accept him, the best one was Club Atletico San Juan, in Argentina. But as uncharacteristically as it may seem, Oikawa was hesitating. Over thinking about what would happen to their relationship, could they really make it work? Was it worth it? Iwaizumi saw right through him, of course he did, and he didn't want to hold him back from achieving his dreams. And like the dramatic idiot he is, he broke up with Oikawa. And did his best to break his heart, too. Oikawa boarded his plane and went to the other side of the world with nothing but anger in his heart for Iwaizumi. Iwa cried a lot, but he was sure that this was the best thing he could do for Oikawa, letting him go. (The next time they saw each other was in the Olympics. After the Japan vs. Argentina match Iwaizumi found him in the locker rooms. Oikawa punched him. They got back together. Or maybe they didn't. I don't know. I like breaking their hearts I like the angst.)

Kiyoomi pretends to hate kids but he gets along with them. (as long as they don't touch him so much they're pretty cool little humans) kids like him a lot. He's surprised too. (I'm projecting—)

Miyas' grandma loves Suna better than both of the twins.

Tendou dragged Ushijima to Disneyland and forced him to do all the stupid things there was with him. (He thought he was forcing him while Ushijima was actually enjoying the trip a lot.) (Also, the moment Tendou saw Ushi with Mickey ears and face paint was the moment he knew.)

Korai and Hirugami have been dating since their last year in high school, but they haven't told their families about it. Years later in Schweiden Adlers, Hirugami's older brother Fukuro is Korai's team captain. And Korai feels so guilty for secretly dating his brother that he can't even look at Fukuro in the eye. They hesitate whether they should tell him or not, and Korai is stressed tf out™ all the time thinking that soon captain's gonna find out and they'll kick him out of the team. And then, one day in a team dinner Fukuro turns to Korai and says, "This place's fish is great, you should take Sachiro on a date here someday, he'll love it." ...He's known the whole time.

Everyone is asexual because I am and I say so.

Atsumu and Kiyoomi are dog parents.

Kenma and Kuroo are cat parents.

Yamaguchi and Tsukki are bird parents.

Suga and Daichi are plant parents.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[bad4amficideas]

I'm the Bat?! (Earth 1T8) - The Court of Owls

More like WHY THE COURT? Feats Talon-Ric-Dick

Note: English is not my language, so I hope you will be understanding of any flaws you find.

NO, I'M THE BAT?! IS NOT A Yandere!Talon!Dick x Bat!Reader, IT'S JUST THE MOOD THIS MONTH, OKAY?

Because they are NOT crazy. And because I read Isekai Villainess things... and because 2nd option was League of Assasins and I didn't know how to put Damian in and it seemed like a must if I did 😅 Must betareadthis

Among the villains of Gotham, it's irremediable for our Bats (if they knows anything about lore) to empathize with a large part of them. Even if not, Gotham and Batman, compared to other heroes /antiheroes/vigilantes has always been known for villains who not only have the standard sad background or in which an outside observer could project themselves, but also had mental affections.

The Court of Owls however is made up of sane, greedy, ambitious, determined people among many things. And paraphrasing a sage from here Tumblr; there are few ways to make a perfect assassination, but many to scam the state without being detected.

The danger of the Court of Owls for our Bat!Reader, and I think of Batman is that they're an enemy that, if they were led by a head or council as intelligent as the members of the Batfam are (which IS THE CASE IN EARTH 1T8) and willwork accordingly; they has the potential to do the same things as President Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, and Batman.

After all they're many rich and influential families united, even if individually they aren't close to the Wayne or Luthor.

So, here is Reader, with an opponent who, just think about it, doesn't oppose him illegally but by the damned and badly written law, using it, and among public resources and the population itself. And we all know and have seen how humanity works as a conglomerate, as a herd. And how hateful legal procedure is and change it for the better (there's a reason Bruce put on the cape to begin with!) They would be an enemy that Reader couldn't overthrow without taking the city, or even the country, with them, as long as the Court knows how to play their cards (btw I don't understand how, having been in Gotham so long, were they so "easily" destroyed without the city resenting it).

After all, Bruce doesn't put all of his eggs in one basket that's why Batman is there, so why should the Court?

But rest assured, our Bats even if isn't a genius from birth, is a genius of hard work, has educated themselves, has bled, sweated and cried to get to where it is and has a precognitive advantage.

Them, this would equalize and "nullify" them. It kinda would make Gotham City something similar to other cities, an unknown blessing to its inhabitants.

And it would also serve to cover the "weird hobby" part of the Bat!Reader, maintaining an annoyance and activity to occupy the mind, without oversaturating it.

TALON OR OWLMAN

"Y/N Wayne... The Court of Owls has sentenced you to..."

In Earth 1T8, this whole not-so-hypothetical situation occurred after the annexation of Dick Grayson to the Court of Owls; they had to put someone smart in the lead to keep up with him, or at least someone with... balls to got him as we could say.

This Dick wasn't totally reprogrammed for various reasons, among others than the Court intention of "breeding" the perfect Talon acted as a double-edged sword. But, damn if he still did not learned the best-worst that he could.

And when his yandere tendencies towards Reader started to erupt, this learning obviously included being more cunning and how to get away getting the ONLY thing he wanted given that between his grandfather and Bats the issues of his parents were well settled.

As I mention before, Dick has various masks going in this AU but, although he may even pretend confusing them (more like, Dick and Talon actually) for his "parents", the truth is that he has very clear who is who. And Reader has the bad habit of getting the Dick in him... mainly because something else wouldn't be credible for our Bat.

He's increasingly tempted by the idea of giving a coup in the Court to stop having bosses and not being "spurred" by his weakness (electrum), not that he needs to use it as often as the rest of Talons for obvious reasons.

Definitely for him his grandfather has ceased to be a family and a teacher and has become a roof and a chain, so it's the first ballast that will fall so that he can spread his wings and fly away with you.

Of course, no one knows that Talon is obsessed with Bats, only that Ric is fixated on Wayne, but this isn't to say that an observer searching it cannot notice. Talon enjoys more than is allowed to lose in one way or another all his weapons to enter melee with the Bat, for example. And if he's not sent on a mission related to you... he just kills another Talon, puts himself in their place, and after the encounter, lets the body seems as if went through as the most convenient death in the ensuing melee. Of course, losing the opportunity is NOT an option.

Sadly, it's because of so many masks that Dick can't afford to kidnap you just yet and do his ways to makes sure to grab all your attention he can in any mask he has. Ric gaslight artistically everyone he catches on his way to you, metaphorically pulling as many people out of many windows as necessary.

And when he "gots" you, the blue of his eyes darkens, highlighting the gold that has corrupted them. But, when you gots Dick, his smile and his eyes are the most damaging of his weapons.

"...come with me".

[musicallisto]

🍨 for now you see me? I'm an ENFP-T, Gryffindor Pukwudgie, 9w8, and neutral good. I'm a perfectionist with no motivation, I'm pretty selfish but I'm always there to help others. I've got fairly messed up humor and I get angry easily. I have too much to say and I'm very competitive. I'm always tired. The gender for this ship is male please. I play Minecraft a lot and I like to listen to music alone so I don't have to worry about my music being to loud if people talk to me. Congrats on 800! :)

sorry for the shadow & bone spam, I lost all decency when the trailer dropped. anyhow, I’m back on my requests - here’s your vanilla milkshake, but keep a close watch on it, or daniel atlas might just make it disappear...

You met Daniel through your brother Jack when they started working together as the Horsemen

And when you learned that your brother would be working with him, you made it a point to irritate your brother by saying that you were such a fan of the incredible and mesmerizing Daniel Atlas, and that his tricks weren’t mere pickpocket cons

When you actually met Daniel in person, though... Let’s just say things were a little bit different, and that he was... Not exactly like the person you saw on TV

To speak plainly, he somehow managed to push all your buttons and be one of the most irritable people you’d ever met, all while being weirdly charming and endearing

You were driven mad by his smug grins and his cockiness, as though he were the leader of the entire world and not just of his team of magicians

You reminded him often, in pretty heated quarrels, that you didn’t care if he wanted to boss his associates around, but you were not one of his back-up dancers and even less one of his groupies, and he had zero business in dictating what you ought to do

And you two could get seriously intense, so when you argued the other Horsemen exchanged concerned glances and looks that made it clear that they wished they were anywhere but there... but were lowkey kind of enjoying the drama unfold

Cue then Merritt, probably the one who took the greatest pleasure in this literally groundbreaking argument, who would ask for a time out, look at the both of you successively, then smirk - you could practically see him relishing in the interpersonal chaos he was about to cause with his words

“It’s pretty obvious that you two have unresolved tension that neither of you want to admit. Danny bosses you around because he understands you won’t be as easy to charm as the others, and it’s the only way he can pretend you’re his. And Y/N, you could just as easily ignore him, but you always pick up the fight, and for some reason insist on spending time with us despite knowing damn well Danny will be here: seems like no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you hate him, you don’t, you’re actually very attracted to him, and only argue to save face. I suggest you two sort it out like civilized adults so we don’t have to suffer through all of this every other morning.”

A very, very long silence ensues. Absurdly long. You look at Daniel and he looks at you, and then you both look at Merritt, with anger and horror and something else in your eyes.

“That’s bullshit”

You, Daniel, and Jack all spoke at the same time, but Merritt doesn’t lose his grin

He knows he’s right. He’s always right. After all, he can read minds.

Still, despite your reluctance to admit anything he’s said is true, after the altercation your relationship is more and more cordial

He does card tricks for you and you ask him to do them again and again and again until you can finally figure out the trick, his tell, a giveaway, anything

You even find yourself laughing at some of his jokes, even when they’re terribly bad

Until finally he confesses, uncharacteristically bashful

“Hey, remember what Merritt said? About us? Yeah... he kind of, what was right. On certain things.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“So I suppose we should... sort it out.”

“I guess.”

Exchanged followed by the longest (and best) makeout session you’ve ever had

Jack is a little bit wary of your relationship at first. It’s not that he disapproves of it (he understands you’re a grown-up and can make your own decisions perfectly), but he knows who Daniel is and how unstable he can be, whether that be in his whole demeanor or his feelings for someone

Besides, dating in the situation that they’re in... hunt down by the FBI and Interpol, wanted in every corner of the world, having to travel from country to country every now and then for their shows... they may always be a step ahead of the police, but it’s still risky and he doesn’t want you getting hurt

But Daniel assures him that in the event of you not being able to take care of yourself (which is more than unlikely, but a concerned brother is concerned about everything), he’ll be there for you and won’t let any harm befall you, because you’re the real deal to him

Daniel is also often tired, from working all the time on his shows, performing in front of thousands of people, but also running away from the law and plotting his next moves, so sometimes he just wants to crash, and your arms are the best place to do that

You cuddle often on the sofa, with some random movie you’re not even paying attention to playing in the background, talking about anything and everything until you both fall asleep

And you even let him listen to your favorite music, which he understands is the ultimate demonstration of love for you

You definitely teach him how to play Minecraft, and he’s frustrated at first because he can’t figure out how the game works (he gets blown up by a creeper then dies of hunger in his first two tries), so he’ll pretend he hates the game, but later on he’ll sneak onto the computer and open a creative mode save - and have a blast

“Look, babe, I made our house”

“But it has no roof?”

“Who cares about a roof? It’s got a jukebox wall!”

When he’s carefree and unbothered like that, he almost reminds you of your brother

All in all, despite everything, you’re really glad you met Daniel, because he became your closest friend, confidant, and partner in everything

800 follower sleepover

[alirhi]

This is oddly fun lol

Let's see how many of these I can churn out before I get distracted or need a break! (pff. like I need an excuse to watch the show again. Despite its flaws, I really, really love TFATWS, guys)

Without further ado, let's get down to it!

Episode 2: The Star-Spangled Man

I'm pretty sure I'm on record when it comes to my undying hate for John Walker, yes? So obviously, Bucky's grumpiness 100% stays 😂

I'm not really a fan of how much emphasis they put on the shield. I can see it as a catalyst for Bucky to go confront Sam, yes, but he wouldn't keep going "shield shield shield" like a broken record. Bucky has consistently been shown to be an empathetic man. I can't believe for a second that he'd be barking at Sam about having no right to give up the shield; he'd ask why. Sam's got shit to do, so he'd get impatient and not answer.

"Why'd you give up so easily? If you were overwhelmed, I could've helped you-" "You've been ignoring me. Like now, how you're ignoring me walking away from you." "Well, you weren't texting me about this." "You think I needed your permission?!" "No, but I was right there with Steve while he was learning what it meant to be Cap. I wouldn't mind helping you get used to-" "Then go teach him." A vague gesture toward the "Cap is back" posters. Bucky makes a face. "Steve passed the mantle to you. You fought with him. You earned it. That little shit didn't." "What do you want me to do about it?" "Just tell me why, Sam. I mean it. I just wanna understand." "Not now, Buck. I've got shit to do. You see me heading for a plane right now, right?" "This is important!" "So is this." Sam tells him about the Flag Smashers, we get our silly Big Three/Gandalf conversation.

I'm sorry, but that whole jumping from the plane scene is funny as hell, and I love all the nods they added in to jokes from the press tours that brought us this show in the first place (like ripping the sleeve off his jacket lol). I don't think I'd change a single thing from the Big Three convo to Bucky joining Sam in the warehouse.

"You're doing the staring thing again." "You're staring at your watch," Bucky points out. He knows it's linked to Redwing, he's just pointing out how dumb that line is in that situation. They're there for recon lol. They're meant to be looking around.

I don't...particularly care about the other common gripe here? Meaning, "Bucky's a civilian, so why is he allowed to randomly jump in on a military mission?" Bucky's also known in this universe as an Avenger, just like Sam, so I don't think anyone would really bat an eye at him joining. Also, I have my own agenda related to Bucky's apparent freedom to walk in and out of military/government things.

What does bug me (as funny as it is) is Bucky's animosity toward Redwing. Again... Bucky is a certified nerd. Always has been. If anything, he'd be fascinated by Redwing and Sam would constantly have to slap him away because he's leaning in too close trying to see the tiny watch monitor. "I don't trust Redwing" is just old man griping "I don't trust your newfangled technology" and that... that's not Bucky.

And that "we're not assassins" dig, and then laughing when Bucky gets upset? That's not Sam. Both of these men have shown a remarkable amount of empathy, and Sam has a background in helping traumatized vets. If he cared enough about Bucky to be texting him after Steve left, he'd care enough not to make callous jokes about his time as The Winter Soldier, whether he knows the full story or not.

The fight on top of moving trucks looks cool, but makes no logical sense. I keep trying to think of a way to explain this from a story perspective, rather than a lazy "it looks cool!" filmmaking one, and I'm coming up blank. Anyone with half a brain would have pulled over, had the fight, and then taken off. It was a fun sequence, though... Eh. I'll leave it.

When Karli breaks Redwing, Bucky doesn't say "I always wanted to do that." Again, it's funny - I love the jabs about that stupid robo bird XD - but not Bucky. In my version, he smirks and says "You're so gonna regret that."

"You were kinda getting your asses kicked before we got there." Is immediately followed by Bucky staring him down and asking, "And... how did that fight end for you?" Sam adds, "I don't see them in custody. Are-are they following in a van?" He looks around, sarcastically searching for another vehicle. Walker and Hoskins grimace at each other, grudgingly conceding that point.

credit to @dailycelebs

Seeing Walker, and having to listen to his stupid pro-government rhetoric, makes Bucky think about Steve. When we cut from the Flag Smashers back to Bucky and Sam and the closeup of Bucky's pensive face, we hear 1940s Steve angrily telling 1940s Bucky about how the higher ups in the army had already written off the POWs and were going to leave them to die. "I love our country, Buck," he laments, "but what do I do when I'm not too sure anymore about the people who run it?"

"What you always do," is young Bucky's answer, "stand for what's right, not who's in power."

Perfect lead-in to the conversation about handling things themselves.

When Sam meets Isaiah, and hears his story, not only is he horrified and heartsick for him, but he also begins to see Bucky in a new light. He's seeing Bucky's face, the way he tries to hide his emotions and not make this conversation about him, and he's putting things together. He's still upset at being out of the loop, but he's seeing more of the situation than just "omg black super soldier". When Bucky says "he'd already been through enough," Sam asks quietly, "like you?"

The racist cop comes back before Bucky can answer, to arrest him for missing his appointment with Raynor.

ngl guys, I was so moved by the difference in how that cop treated Sam (before knowing he's Important) vs how he treated Bucky (knowing that the government views him as a violent, if pardoned, criminal). He approaches Sam with his hand on his gun, eager to defend Bucky; "is this guy bothering you?" Just because they're having a heated conversation. Then, when he sees that there's a warrant for Bucky, he approaches timidly, apologizes, treats him gently and politely. By "moved," btw, I don't mean "it was so sweet." I mean "this is fucking sick, and very, very realistic." White cops see a white guy and treat him with respect regardless of his actual criminal record, while being openly hostile towards an innocent black man without even knowing who he is, just because he's black. Moments like this made me applaud Spellman.

"You, too, Sam - That wasn't a request" is Sam's first sign that there's something off about Raynor.

Look, again... The couples therapy banter is funny because Sebastian and Anthony are funny, but that scene, from a storytelling and a mental health standpoint, is atrocious. Without some underlying reason behind her actions, Raynor is just a pointlessly terrible therapist.

Rather than insulting Bucky from the outset, Sam is angry with Raynor for violating Bucky's privacy by not only introducing herself as his therapist, but forcing a "couples" session without her patient's consent. With his background pre-Avenging, he knows this shit shouldn't fly. He immediately points out how unprofessional she's being.

Raynor doesn't bother listening - the fuck does she care, really? She shrugs and casually admits it's "slightly unprofessional" but proceeds anyway.

"Whatever's eating at him?" Sam scoffs. "Did you really just say that to a WWII veteran and the world's longest-serving POW with complex PTSD? Did I hear that right? I've had, maybe, like five conversations with this man since we met, and even I know he's been through some shit and-" "Sam," Bucky tries to interrupt, looking uncomfortable. With his crushing guilt, he has an easier time dealing with insults than someone coming to his defense. "No," Sam snaps. "If the HIPAA Slayer over here wants to drag me into this, she's damn well gonna hear what I have to say!" He turns back to Raynor and demands, "Is this how you've been treating him this whole time? Downplaying what he's been through and making a grown-ass man sound like a sulking teenager?" Raynor keeps her cool, but barely. Visibly frustrated and annoyed, she ignores Sam's tirade and tries to force the conversation back onto the track she wants it on. Bucky's embarrassed and doesn't know how to react to any of this, so he still makes that little "he would talk less" jab. Sam, seeing that he's not going to get anywhere with him until they're away from this bitch, glowers and plays along. We get our silly/angry banter.

After their argument with Walker, Sam finally confronts Bucky about what really happened to him.

"He meant HYDRA; HYDRA used to be my people." "Were they?" Sam asks, stopping him and looking him in the eye, not letting him look away or deflect. "Steve was under the impression that they were your captors. I was under the impression that the Wakandans spent two years deprogramming you so no one could use you the way HYDRA did ever again." "I-" Startled, not expecting that, Bucky stutters a little and admits, "Yeah, I... That's true, I guess." "You guess?" "Does it matter? Sam rolls his eyes. "I dunno, does it matter that you were a slave for most of the 20th century?" "I doubt it matters much to my victims." "HYDRA's victims," Sam corrects firmly. "Just like you." Bucky fidgets; he doesn't know what to do or say. No one since Steve has even so much as insinuated that Bucky wasn't 100% culpable for what he did while under HYDRA control. "Look," Sam sighs, "I don't particularly like you. I don't hate you, but I'm not your biggest fan." "...Thanks?" "I just need you to know where I stand-" "Yeah, got it-" "-So you know I'm not biased like Steve when I say you had no choice. I don't know your story, but I know no one flips on a dime from docile and plagued with guilt to an unstoppable killing machine and back without some serious psychological damage behind that. I'm not saying you're an innocent little bunny, but I don't think you're a monster." "Thanks," Bucky croaks, more sincerely this time, and a bit choked up. He clears his throat and looks distinctly uncomfortable as he grumbles, "but to catch these guys, we may need to talk to a monster." Sam cringes. "I was afraid you'd say that."

[merlinmyrddin]

Hello!

Can you recommend me some very underatted gay movies? (I prefer comdey or happy ones if it's possible)

I recently came to realize i am a 23 man who happens to be gay. I don't know what took me so long.

Hello! I am sorry for the time it took me to answer you, but your ask has been playing constantly in my head now for weeks and I had to go down nostalgia lane film-wise...!

I'm also sorry for how long this answer is, I got carried away!!!

So first of all, I am damn proud if you. I know it sounds like empty words but whether you're 13, 23, or 45, being able to say you have found your inner truth is always something to be proud of! And what took you so long? It didn't. We are living in times where people want you to believe you are meant to have your sexuality and/or gender figured out by 18 when in reality, I know more people doing their coming out in their 20's/30's. Because when it comes to being gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer : this last decade has seen some major changes. But it's ok for people born late 80's and 90's to come out "just" now. We grew up in a time where homosexuality was still taboo in most places. And when I say taboo, I mean that "homosexual" was barely pronounced, sometimes only whispered. A time where "gay panic" was a legitimate defense in court. (Talking from a Western European point of view here again. Many places in the world, including the USA still consider the murder of an homosexual or transgender victim as a legitimate act. And these last years has proven that there was not only the "gay/trans panic" crippling our streets, but also a "black panic" and more recently, an "Asian panic". Short aparte here : "gay panic" doesnt mean "omg, that person is making me question my identity!?" nor is it a term used when thirsty over an actor/actress when openly gay such as "[actor name] oh wow...*gay panic intensifies*... this term is a serious concept a murderer can use in court as a defense when taking the life of someone from the community. This is the law enabling hate crimes.)

To any younger people reading this right now : gay marriage has been legal in France since 2013, in the UK since 2014 and, allegedly, in the US since 2015. This is recent history. People who are mid-20's are historically closer to the HIV/AIDs crisis than of the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

As such, we are made to believe than coming out in our twenties or thirties is doing a late coming out. No, it's not. We are a generation who suffered through systemic homophobia in our formative teenage years. When we were trying to figure who we were, people were marching in the streets calling us names, and trying to defend the idea we did not deserve basic humans rights. (As a side note, I am not implying that such issues are not currently happening. This is mostly western European centred again as I am, well, European. This is also targeted towards sexuality orientations, excluding any gender talks as this is still currently a very real societal issue for which the fight has only just begun. Double side note : I'm not yet fully caffeinated. But hopefully you get the general idea despite my flagrant lack of eloquence on this fine morning.)

Alright, let's move on to films then!

I searched for a long time for happy / comedic films but then I realised I was definitly not the right person to answer that. On a general basis, I enjoy dramas. That's my thing.

So instead, I thought I would list you the first LGBTQ+ Films I ever watched, hoping they'll find you well.

-Stonewall (1995). Not my favourite film, but as a kid, it was great first jump into lgbtq+ history. Sad note : The director of this film died of AIDS shortly after.

-Another country (1984) Based in the 1930's in a public school. Starring Rupert Everett (who just a few years ago came to direct "The Happy Prince", a great take on Oscar Wilde and Alfred Douglas, casting himself as Wilde, and Colin Morgan as Bosie...fantastic film, highly recommand), and starring Colin Firth. Teenagers discovering themselves, from homosexuality to politics. (The parralele made is quite interesting as both young men are misfits...one for being gay, one for being Marxist.) Great watch, but a heavy one.

-Maurice. (1987) God, I love this film. It explores not only coming to term with your sexuality but also what it means to be homosexual for the people around you and the impact it can have on your life, depending on your social background. Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves, this is an other drama which leaves you feeling almost raw. I always had an affinity for British film because of how...real they feel. Best example would probably be Danny Boyle himself. You know what I mean... you grow attached and you feel for these characters. And Maurice does just that. Memorable quote : I am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort. (And you might think : "Oscar Wilde? Again??" And oh boy, yes. Oscar Wilde again. Yes, he is one of the most well known author, mostly because of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but he is also a major part of Queer history. After all, "queer" has been used as a derogatory term for homosexuals for the time...directed at Wilde during his trial for posing as a somdomite. (No typo there.) Being an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort is an other one of the euphemism like "being a friend of Dorothy") And talking about Wilde...

-Wilde (1997). Biopic, Stephen Fry as Oscar, Jude law as Oscar's lover : Bosie. Incredible. Superb film. I can not find words.

-An Englishman in New-York (not the Sting song. Actually yes, kinda the Sting song. Because both the film and the song are about the same man : Quentin Crisp). Biopic. An artist, writer, actor, Quentin Crisp has always bothered. Painting his nails, wearing make up, criticising the royal family. He was a character. John hurt is magnificent as Crisp, who he had already played in 1975 in The Naked Civil Servant, an other great watch.

- A Single Man (2009). With Nicholas Hoult and Colin Firth. This film was a slap in my face. And it has, in my opinion, one of the greatest speech of all time, during a scene in the classroom :

"[...]Let's leave the Jews out of this just for a moment. Let's think of another minority. One that... One that can go unnoticed if it needs to. There are all sorts of minorities, blondes for example... Or people with freckles. But a minority is only thought of as one when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority. A real threat or an imagined one. And therein lies the fear. If the minority is somehow invisible, then the fear is much greater. That fear is why the minority is persecuted. So, you see there always is a cause. The cause is fear. Minorities are just people. People like us."

-Pride (2014). [TRAILER] Bloody hell, that film. When we talk about lgbtq+ history, we often thing about the pink triangle and the holocaust, Reagan, Stonewall, AIDS and... fucking Maggie. Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady. Again, funny how the past is closer than we think, as I still have friends of mine talking to me about that period in British history that they lived through. The minors strike. The poverty, the crisis of the working class and the HIV crisis. But if you are looking for a film full of hope, from tears to laughter, this is the one. Bread and Roses. Bread, and Roses. And a message, which I believe is the essence of our community to this day : solidarity forever. After all...there is power in a union.

If anybody has other films to add, you are more than welcome to do so.

Love you all xx

[phoebe-delia]

Hi Phoebe! ☺️

23, 28 and 36 for the asks please, if you feel like it 🤍

El, I quite literally always feel like it. Especially from my talented and amazing friends. Thank you for this 💛💛💛💛💛

23. Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

Dialogue, every damn day of the week; my description is easy when I'm describing emotions/emotional experiences. I deal in feelings.

Describing stuff is SO hard for me, usually. It's not that my description itself is bad, it's usually just incomplete. I don't want to deal with it, to bother with it. I get impatient; I don't want to write about where they are or what they're wearing or body language.

One thing (of many) that Lyssa is particularly good at when she's my beta/alpha is that she points out places where I could use more description. She's right, always, and then I can usually come up with a description that works well.

I also love writing dialogue!! I love writing snarky banter. I love writing confessions and thinking about what they're saying and what they're not saying. But left to my own devices, I will write a first-person, schmaltzy, emo ficlet based on a Taylor Swift song and it will be self-indulgent as fuck.

Part of the reason for this is, I think, because of how I was exposed to music growing up. My dad played me country music, and my mom showed me musicals. Both genres are about telling stories through song, and while other genres can definitely do the same, country and show tunes both have linear stories and actual plots in them. My dad and I would sit in the car and he'd play some song by Tim McGraw or Alan Jackson or Martina McBride (and sometimes 70s/80s music from people like Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles, Meatloaf, Bob Seger, etc.) and he'd say "listen to the words," and if at the end, I hadn't really paid attention, he'd start it over again. I grew up paying more attention to the words than the background music/melody. (Is it any wonder I write songfics today?)

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

Okay, so. You know the saying "write what you know?"

I fucking LOVE that advice, because it can be applied to pretty much anything you write about.

For example, if you want to write a sci-fi space AU, think about the aspects of space you know/that interest you, or think about the factor that's motivating you to write it in the first place, and start there.

If you're feeling that itch to write but you don't know where to start, write about your feelings, your experiences. If you want to write a longer fic and you're stuck, put yourself in your character's shoes. Even if your character is SO OPPOSITE to you, at least you can use your own opinions/beliefs/POV as a launching off point to see where you diverge and where you're the same.

I do the same as a journalist. Almost every time I write an article, I get a little panicky, like "omg how do I write an article? how does journalistic writing work? I remember nothing." And then I calm down, look at my notes, listen to my interviews, and I start by literally writing down what I know about the article. And the rest is easier.

No one is going to write the same story as you. One of the coolest things I've seen in reading microfics is that everyone has their own take on the prompts—and even if two people have the same plot ideas, it's still different and unique to that person. Your story has inherent value just because it's yours and your words.

Also: don't compare yourself to others; learn from them, be inspired, but don't compare in such a way that it diminishes your own work. If every fic writer let their insecurities stop them from writing, so many of our favorite stories wouldn't exist.

Some people are like: "I have x and x favorite tropes, but they're just like in y fix, and I don't want to write the same thing!" 1. you won't; unless you copy-paste and use the SAME EXACT plot and, like, purposefully plagiarize, you won't. and 2. There are entire reclists organized by tropes. It would be a sad world if there was only one bonding fic, or one "only one bed" fic or only one party games or 8th year fic, etc. Reclists would be very, very short.

And who among us doesn't like to read different interpretations of the same trope?

When you can't figure out where to go, just take a breath and write what you know.

(yes that rhymed on purpose.)

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What’s the one you’re most proud of?

I usually just use song lyrics or titles. If it's not a songfic, I have a harder time. It honestly used to be easier, in the beginning when I didn't rely on the lyrics to give me a title. But I will say, my favorite title I ever came up with is "Gaydars of the Lost Heart (Or: Draco Malfoy and the Costume of Doom)" which is my fic where Harry dresses up as Indiana Jones and Draco loses his shit 😂

💛💛💛💛

ask me a question from this list

[croatian-nt]

Badelj podcast

For @lovren-la-vida-luka who wanted to see why everyone likes Badelj 

Host: *asks first question about the club and the second is immediately "how is Pjaca?"

Badelj: Pjaca is well. He is getting back into shape after that injury. I am sorry he isn't with the nt right now

Host: every kid that plays football dreams of playing in the nt. Tell me, at what point in your life did you realize "oh, I am someone who can play in Dinamo and in the nt" and was the support from people around you important in that?

Badelj: well, I don't think I ever thought that. Don't get me wrong-I didn't doubt myself. But when you watch TV and you see people playing for big clubs or for the nt...you don't know how that works. What's going on in their heads. I think people around me believed that I could do it more than i did, to be quite honest

Host: do know anyone who you expected to make a great career in football but didn't, for whatever reason?

Badelj: from my generation? I thought Tomecak would go out of the country and make a big career there. There was also Lovren. You see, the rest of us went step by step in our career but Loki skipped steps, climbing higher. I think he made international career first from all of us. But yes, I expected Tomecak to do so as well

Badelj: *explaining how while he was in Lokomotiva they were second in second league *

Badelj: I think the club that was first was called...Mladost Suhopolje? I think? Is that possible?

Domo: *yelling something from the background *

Host: Vida says that's not possible

Domo: it doesn't exist anymore!

Badelj: but it didn't exist. I am talking about something 12 years ago

Other host from the background: there was a club called Mladost from Suhopolje

Badelj: so I wasn't wrong

Saša(a doctor, second podcast guest): *quietly* damn

Badelj: you want me to be wrong don't you? You are just waiting for it

Sasa: maybe

Host: Could you name what other 4 players except for you transfered first from Dinamo to Lokomotva?

Badelj: Oh, I can, but you see, you are wrong, First transfer from Dinamo to Lokomotiva happened 4 years before ours, and it included 10 players. But, second transfer you think of was ours. *proceeds to number the other 4 guys*

Host: you came to Dinamo as a replacement for Luka Modric, but you played a bit with him before that, right?

Badelj: yes, in 2008, for about 5 months before he transferred

Host: could you have guessed back then that he would be such a well known player?

Badelj: I personally don't think you can tell those things. He always had that something. That quality, that kind of special talent you don't forget. But for a player to win all the awards that he did you need your cards to fit just right. And lots of media exposure. The fact that he won all that, that's incredible

Host: could you tell us some things you remember from your time in Dinamo?

Badelj: in Dinamo? Well the problem is that I remember everything from my time in Dinamo. But to sum it up, the first and the last game. The first, in which we played against Rijeka and I scored a goal. I'll never forget that. I remember thinking I was on top of the world back then. And the last, against Maribor, where in first half I gave autogol and the fans booed me as I exited the pitch, and second half, where I scored a winning goal for us. I think that last game sums up my time in Dinamo very well. Ups and downs

Host: okay, first card break. Please take your cards

Sasa: *reaches out and turns one card *

Badelj: you turned them! Why did you already turn them?

Sasa: I only turned one

Badelj: we are supposed to wait until he tells us to turn them and read

Sasa: well, I did have a habit of cheating on my exams

Badelj: Well, I for one am glad for cards break. I was starting to think my friend Vida will fall asleep

*Domo yelling something from the background *

Sasa: quiet. I don't want to choose hard questions

Host: okay, okay. Miki, read it for doctor

Badelj: oh I am reading it to him? *smiles * see? You fucked up

Badelj: extra time or penalties?

Sasa: *pause * penalities?

Badelj: in football, you know?

Sasa: of course I-

*everyone laughs, Vida's laugh is literally echoing *

Badelj: okay, okay. I am just saying, because questions are mean. It could have been a metaphor. So in football. Extra time or penalties

Sasa: penalties

Sasa: popcorn or chips?

Badelj: chip

Sasa: of course, that was easy. I would have answered the same

Badelj: I am sure you would. Besides, I saw the question beforehand when you turned it on the table

Sasa: okay, I definitely already know your answer to this but anyway-

Badelj: no, wait. Don't read the question, tell me what I'd answer and I'll guess what the question is

Sasa: Beer

Badelj: Wine or beer?

Sasa: ...yes

Badelj: I know your answer to this one too

Sasa: tell me the answer then, I'll guess the question

Badelj: cat

Sasa: cat or a dog?

Badelj: yes

Sasa: hmmm. A dog

Host: I think Milan won this round guys

Sasa: wait-

Domo: *laughs again *

Sasa: why did he win? When I am a dog?

Badelj: I didn't ask if you'd rather be a dog or a cat. I meant what would you rather have

Domo: *laughs harder *

Sasa: yes. A DOG

Badelj: oh. A dog? But if I ask what kind-

Sasa: a small one

Badelj: ah. So you want a cat. Next!

Badelj: prosciutto or kulen?

Sasa: joooj

Host: careful, careful what you say

Sasa: Vida is here but- prosciutto

Vida: Then I won't send anything to your house!

Badelj: at least you know who not to send it to. Send it to me

Sasa: except if it's from black pig

Vida: yeah, yeah, now. It's over now. No more deliveries to your address

Host: so, I want to hear a bit about towns you lived in. Firenze specifically, as one of centers of culture

Badelj: well it isn't only cultural but also gastronomic center and general hedonistic city and region. You can really enjoy yourself there. People are also interesting...I am afraid Domo is falling asleep

Host: I am sure he finds that interesting as well

Badelj: well, I don't know. I tried to get him to visit me while I was there but he never did. As a manager I failed

Host: speaking of travelling, Iva told me she almost didn't manage to contact you for WC in Brazil

Badelj: well that isn't my fault. Whenever she can locate me or not is her issue. I was...located. The fact is I was in an plane while we played our first game in Brazil. I am sorry Iva, I know this isn't a very good advertisement for you-seriously she is amazing and she usually plans everything ahead and I think without her at least one person would get lost on a airport before every game. But the fact is, that time I didn't play the first game because I was in an airplane

Host: so tell me, did you ever get an offer from Milan? And if you did how close you were to signing. And the most importantly if you have signed, would you have "Milan" or "Badelj" on your jersey?

Badelj: definitely Badelj

Host: is there more pressure to do an operation on a professional football player than let's say, your neighbor?

Sasa: of course. I mean, their whole career depends on that. If I operate my neighbor and it isn't as good as it can be he can just stop playing football in his free time. If I tell Badelj he can't play football anymore-

Badelj: don't drag me into this mess. I don't want to imagine that

Host: it seems only charmers come from Gajnice. I mean, football wise(charmer isn't exactly the right word but...I can't think of a better one to fit)

Badelj: yes. We bully the strong ones out of football. They can do athletics

Host: the most memorable part about you for me actually isn't your career, but the speech you held at your teammate, Astori's funeral. How did you manage to do that? To hold yourself together and make such a speech?

Badelj: well I. You have to understand, outside of Croatia, he was my best friend. We were captain and vice captain so it began as a duty to keep the team together at first. And during that time...when he died, there was lots of new, young player in Florentina and they looked up to us for guidence. So...so it made sense for me to hold that speech. One thing that made it easier that I had period of 3 days before the speech after he died. Three days of crying and suffering but at least you get some of that grief out. I wasn't empty of it when I held the speech but I wasn't overflowing either

Host: alright, next card break

Sasa: who has the best free kick?

Badelj: oh man, there are quite a few. Brozo, Orša and Bruno is good as well. If Srna was here I'd say him. Or if Raketa was here. Perisic is also good. He can shoot with both legs too. Not in the same time though

Badelj: who eats the most?

Sasa: well-

Badelj: and not on your table. Our table. But how would he know, he doesn't eat with us

Domo: why not from his table? It says who in the team as a whole!

Badelj: but that isn't fun! How about who in the history of the team?

Sasa: hmmmm. Let me think. Who would it-

*voices overlapping, Domo laughing *

Badelj: you are really mean. Really mean

Domo: I didn't say anything

Badelj: but you thought of it. Few times

Sasa: who takes the most to get ready? I even know that one

Badelj: Peri always comes in last. But I don't think he takes that long to get ready. But he does come in last

Badelj: best sense of humor?

Sasa: oh there are a lot of players with a good sense of humor. Hmm

Badelj: it doesn't have to be a player

Sasa: it doesn't?

Host: well it's more fun if it is, but it's okay if it isn't

Sasa: hm Someone off the camera: Miki!

Badelj: I am not funny. He likes to talk to me but I am not funny

Sasa: well you can be funny. Sometimes. But Vida I guess. He really cheered me up this morning

Badelj: what did he tell you?

Sasa: oh he was pestering me

Badelj: and you love when people pester you?

*everyone burst out laughing *

Sasa: no! That's not-it was just funny!

Host: so, there has been a question in our podcasts, who would you choose as a partner in Potjera and 90% of our guests said Miki Badelj. What kind of cheating did you use to get that kind of reputation?

Badelj: I have no idea. You'll have to ask them that

Host: if you weren't in football, what fields would you be interested in?

Badelj: I'd still be in sport. Even if I didn't end up as a football player I'd do something with sport. That always interested me, even as a subject itself

Host: would you be a sport doctor like Sasa?

Badelj: god no

Sasa: no huh?

Badelj: I really don't think I am the type for that

Sasa: favorite subject?

Badelj: Geography

Sasa: same! I guess we really are friends for a reason. Favorite movie?

Badelj: it was brave heart for a long while but not anymore-

Sasa: it was my favorite too!

Badelj: you know you don't have to answer this question right? I also liked Interstellar for awhile but I watched it too many times

Sasa: Interstellar is too long for me

Badelj: and Brave Heart wasn't??

Sasa: favorite female or male singer?(we have different words for each)

Badelj: female singer

*all laugh *

Badelj: Alright, alright. Nina Badric

Sasa: as a singer or...?

 Host: so tell me, who doesn't complain a lot about...well, everything?

Sasa: well, Luka, Vida, Miki...older players generally complain less than younger ones. *Looks up, sees Livi *And Livi of course! But none of goalies complain, really

Host: a lot of players from bronze generation became coaches. 14 of them, actually. If we say hypothetically 14 of silver generation will do the same, who do you think would become a coach? You can switch on saying names

Sasa: Miki

Badelj: hah. Sasa

Sasa: you can't choose me!

Badelj: fine, fine. Carli then. He already is but it still counts, right?

Sasa: I think Lovren would want to be a coach

Badelj: hmmmm *looking at Vida * would you want to be a coach? Vida!

Sasa: Luka would probably want to be one

Host: that's five

Badelj: hmmm. Piva

Host: okay, we won't go to 14 since it would probably be hard to get to that number. Next card break

Sasa: who would you choose as a co-driver in rallying?

Badelj: Vida. Yes, yes, Vida

Domo: you sure about that?

Badelj: it's because Vida has that sort of personality that in last seconds, when that kind of character is important, he makes a step forward. Because you can't stay in place. Either you make a step forward or a step back. And he'd take a step forward

Badelj: who would you choose to score a penalty if your life depended on him scoring?

Sasa: uff

Badelj: remember, your life depends on it!

Sasa: Kramaric

*uhhhing and ahhhing from the background *

Vida, barely audible: not bad

Sasa: as a partner for tennis?

Badelj: oh god. I have no idea how anyone plays

Sasa: *streching *

Badelj: is that you volonteering or...?

Sasa: no!

*Domo laughs *

Sasa: besides, you have to choose a player, not me

Badelj: hmmm. Brozo. He can run a lot. A lot more than me. *laughs * so it wouldn't be so bad

Badelj: to choose a movie for you?

Sasa: hmmm, not you, you'd choose something too serious. I'd choose Vida, he'd pick something funny

Domo: *says something

Sasa: you don't watch them either? Miki do you watch them?

Badelj: I do, but I wouldn't know what to recommend

Domo: Livi!

Sasa: Livi is young still. He didn't watch a lot of movies

Livi says something it sort of sounds like: Oh com'on!

Sasa: I don't know who I'd pick, really

Badelj: can he say I don't know?

Host: yeah, I guess so

 Sasa: but I said you first!

Badelj: no, you said I'd pick something too serious. You said Domo would pick something funny first

Domo: But I don't watch movies!

Sasa: fine, then Livi, if I must

Badelj: if I must do you hear that Livi? How do you feel about that?

Host: he looks truly honored

 Badelj: who would you choose to help you cheat on a test?

Sasa: you

Badelj: and I'd be already cheating by reading someone else'd answer so that's a good idea *laughs *

Sasa: who would you choose as a partner in a fight?

Badelj: Vida

Host: As a doctor would you explain to us how during WC in 2018 there wasn't a single game where one of the players couldn't play because of an injury? What is the secret?

Sasa: well, motivation mostly. Everyone wanted to play. Even if someone had some issue-and we had them, they would push through it and play anyway. I'll be honest. There were some players I thought wouldn't be able to get through the game but not only did they manage it but they manage to play until the end of the WC

Badelj: yeah, Šime

Sasa: yes, it was Šime. I didn't want to use the names but it was him. I didn't expect him to play after the game against Russia but he did and he played the England and the France one. I-I really don't know how to explain what he did

Host: so when we made pairs that will come to the studio I'll admit I was really looking forward to interviewing the two of you-

Badelj: now you are just talking shit. You say that to everyone

Sasa: Vida did he say the same thing to everyone?

Badelj: you should have written it on the cards "I looked forward to talking the two of you the most"

Host: -and you fulfilled my expectations despite the fact that Miki obviousy isn't funny-

Badelj: I am not! But I recommend bad, too serious movies. Serious and boring ones

Sasa: I only said serious ones!

Host, turning to the camera: Thank you for watching our newest podcast! Watch us tomorrow as well!

[hxneydreamers]

Hello dear ! I have read your blogs. You are amazing !!!! (10000x 💞 for you ). I wanted to ask a question . Neville goddard said that time doesn't really exist in manifesting . So actually my sp who is celebrity is very very older than me . Like we have a age gap of 12 years. 😥 as said i am minor. I decided to manifest him when i am 18 . But sometimes i get impatient but then i feel a bit upset and it's not legal to date a minor. Plus he lives in korea . As i have indian parents they never will allow me to even fly to korea. And even if we get in a relationship . They will never like him. Tho my mother is into the group (he is in a group ) she won't ever. As being in india , india is pathetic country with bs Trash . They ( the group is seen as bunch of gays) and most hurting thing is lgbtq is not accepted in this fuking country . Ppl tread them as trash not human. They get so much discrimination ( most of them are transgender ) and hate . Like they have to live together because thier parents disown them and stuff. Makeup is gender less. But in this country men have to be men. like all the fking indian celebrity don't ever wear makeup (males) . (Not gonna lie they all don't even have clear skin like korean ) Skin care is not menly . Men shouldn't do it. The mentally in this country is fucked up.

Now back to the topic.

- how my parents will judge him ? (Most my papa because mom knows a lot about korean cultural but she won't stand with me including some mfs relatives who judgemental af . Relatives ohh my these bishs are hella judgement (most the old one) doesn't matter how they themselves look or personality )

- is he gay ? Why he so feminine ? He is uses makeup damn sure he is gay or somthing he is a girl for sure !!

Doesn't matter how successfully he is and his personality . Doesn't matter how much more he is successful more than you. (Relatives and parent) don't matter if loves your beautiful daughter. doesn't fuken matter if he is caring and financial stable.

- as i minor they won't let me go to even study in korea !

- tbh my plans are to skip 12 or 10 grade (i am in 8 th grade now) and study in korean university as it's one of my dream. Then work as cosmologist here . I want to to have family here.

But but but

My parents hahah never i even asked them they even made fun of my dreams and they said it's gonna take 20 years to reach there .

I am extremely discouraged .

Then on the other hand i also want to desire body before everything happens . Like going to korea and stuff.

I suck at affirming and visualizing . I habe never got results from scripting.

Plus i got my school too. Omg also learning korean too.

Omg i am so done !! 😭 please help me and guide me. And advice me ! i am extremely sorry for my bad english . I am not a native.

Everything is so hard

Hey! Thank you so so so much for reaching out to me! I really appreciate you coming to me for advice! Don’t worry, your English was fine!

*I'm going to begin this post by clarifying that whilst it is possible for you to manifest anything in your reality, I do not encourage you manifesting this person if you are underage and they are much older. You have said in your question that you will not manifest them until you are 18, which is good, however I will just make it clear that this post is to help you manifest the other circumstances in your reality, and not the person or the age gap.*

Let me start by telling you I obviously haven’t experienced this as intensely as you have as I live in a country where people are much more open-minded about sexuality and ideas of masculinity, but I have stories to share with you from my own life that are very similar to what you want to manifest! They might encourage you! (PS, these following stories all took place from when I was at the age of 19 and up.)

(This story is before I knew about manifesting). My parents are very strict and traditional and I always wanted to go overseas to study in a specific country for at least a few months. My parents forbid it and I never would have been allowed to go, but I wanted it so badly that it was all I thought about and dreamed about! I started watching a TV show set in that country every single day. I even learned the language for fun. I somehow manifested it, because the next year, I took a semester off university and I went to that country for 3 months to live. So no matter what your parents say, you can 100% manifest this.

I had a celebrity crush in that country and I wanted to meet him and be with him SO BADLY! I didn’t know about manifesting until afterwards unfortunately, but guess what? I manifested seeing him MULTIPLE TIMES on the street, because I constantly thought about seeing him there and bumping into him! I even messaged him once and he responded. I also had one of his best friends on snapchat because I met him when I was there lol. I never got the celebrity crush because I focused too much on negative things. If I knew about manifesting, I would have gotten what I wanted.

My (specific person) SP who I am currently dating is actually someone who my parents also didn’t approve of for a long time because of sexuality and he is not stereotypically masculine! They also kept telling me negative things. The good news is that now my parents accept him and are happy for us!

Thank you for giving me the background information on your circumstances, it helps me understand your situation much better, and it also shows me how you’re thinking about the situation as well, which is the most important thing.

The beliefs you have are these:

Parents and other people not approving of the kind of people you are interested in.

You don’t think you can go to Korea for a long time

I’m happy to tell you that YOU CAN CHANGE THIS SITUATION!

As I said in the beginning, the age gap is illegal and should not be manifested. So as a result, you should begin with your beliefs about your family's negative opinions and your ability to travel in the future.

You need to stop mentally reacting to what they say when it’s negative about men who are not stereotypically masculine etc, and also when they say negative things about you ever traveling. They are only saying these things because in your mind you believe this to be true. Reality is an illusion and you need to know that if you really push through and persist, even if it feels extremely difficult, you can change this!

You should start by affirming your self-concept, something like this (you can also affirm in your own language if you prefer so it's natural to you :) whatever is comfortable for you!)

I am capable of anything!

I am a master at manifesting!

I always get what I want easily and effortlessly!

Everything always works out how I want!

Then I want you to affirm for your circumstances:

My family is always extremely accepting and encouraging!

I’m so happy that I’m going to Korea!

If you find it hard to visualise you can just affirm. I know you may feel like you’re bad at it, but if you practice it will get easier. Set a timer for 5 minutes and say your affirmations over and over! Make sure you don’t have any distractions. Focus on them. Do this several times a day, every day.

Also, if you can get the app ‘ThinkUp’ record yourself saying your strongest affirmations, and listen to them at night when you sleep. Start with your self-concept affirmations only for maybe 2 weeks! Then you can add your other affirmations.

Your goal is to change the way you feel and think about yourself and what you are able to do, your surroundings and your family’s opinions. Start with these things. Really persist in them.

I hope this helps in some way! If you ever need to reach out to anyone, so many people on Tumblr in the manifesting community are here to listen! We all want each other to succeed and I know that if you put the work in to do this, you will too!!

I also recommend you start binge-watching one of these youtube channels:

Sammy Ingram

Manifesting With Kimberly

Manifesting Secrets

Dylan James

Create Your Future

YOU CAN DO THIS <3

[msilwrites]

(A 3AM Short Story) - (SHORT 1/2) - The Dark Knight

A/N: Hi guys, I have a lot of drafts I've been editing inside the draft folder of my Tumblr page. Sorry that I have not published them, I'm aware I make a lot of grammar mistakes, therefore, just I want them to be written properly, for it to have a strong narrative voice and can be easily understood.

Nonetheless, here is one of them...

Let me add, I'm actually busy updating my other stories, so do standby for that!

Cast -

'Q' is an Original Character

'K' / Kieran Sorensen - Mads Mikkelsen

WARNING: SEXUAL TENSIONS.... you need cold water!

The Dark Knight

Even before Q was known as 'Q', she was first a trainee under 'K' or Kieran, her commanding officer. However, she didn't expect to work beside him after finishing her training and working for the MI6. Neither did she expect that he was preparing her to take over once he steps down. That he wanted her to succeed him.

It all started when she entered the training programme. He had interviewed her for the first time, whilst holding on to the piece of paper which contained information about her background.

A woman who spent her primary education in Dragon School, and a secondary education at top international school in Shanghai, before graduating tertiary in Cambridge. With these, she could've been considered a 'strong candidate'.

"Privileged..." was his reply, upon reading everything. He clearly wasn't impressed. "You're probably very intelligent, but do you have grit?"

She gulped nervously and was thankful enough that she didn't write anything about her grandfather being an admiral or her father being an officer.

She remembered what he had told her clearly the first time, which is why it was a surprise to her that he considered her as a 'successor'.

Her job was something classified, she was not a field agent, but her duty was akin to that of a chess player, a tactician, a strategist and her chess pieces, were the agents under her command. And the playground was the operations she led and handled. And after a long time, she became good at it.

Throughout the years, she slowly got the hang of it, and finally earned the respect of her colleagues and superiors, specially Keiron, who had eventually become fond of her.

Everything was fine until she received a piece of devastating news.

Q's mother had committed suicide and her sister had a breakdown. At first, she couldn’t believe it. She knew her mother would never do such a thing! Didn’t she just remarry a good man who also happens to be wealthy? and had told her that she is in love with her new husband? That didn’t sound like the jovial mother she had often talked to over the phone. But as the details and truth began to resurface, everything became clearer...

As Q dug deeper for the truth, receiving the suicide note, her mother’s diary, the Private Investigator’s report and her sister’s story, one thing became clear; the cause of her family’s ruin was her mother’s new husband; Vincenzo Rosello.

Much to the family’s dismay, the truth was something painful to learn. Q broke down and cried. She considered dropping everything, just to get to her sister.

Her sister Helene, according to the report given to her by the investigator, was locked up in a private mental institution/ rehab in Mallorca and was given medication that had kept her mind blank every day.

Her grandfather and father were willing to do anything to get Helene rescued. But Q knew that if both her grandfather and father made a move, it will cause a diplomatic problem for the country. It was enough pretext for them that they should not intervene or try anything. Besides, the fact that the information was classified and Vincenzo Rosello was no ordinary man, makes it no easy task for her grandfather and father who holds high positions in the government, compared to her, a 'small fly'. So Q talked her family out of it and took it upon herself to rescue her sister, whatever it took.

At first, Q leaks the story to BBC News and CNN through an agent contact in Madrid, believing that public sympathy and pressure would force the country to intervene. However, Kieron Sorensen had done something, causing the networks to retract the news as a hoax.

Q was angry of course, upon learning of what happened. But she couldn't show it, and couldn't let anyone know that it was her who had leaked the information.

She didn't know what was coming for her until Kieron summoned her to his office.

"Ah, Q, please take a seat," Kieron offers, as she closes the door behind her. She had a feeling he might try to pry something out of her, but whatever it was, she decided that she will not admit to anything.

"What did you call me for?"

"Straightforward as always! Well, do you remember the painting at the museum that we saw?" he starts.

She scratches her head and thought how random the question was. "Which painting?"

"In front of the painting where I first handed you your badge," he said.

She suddenly remembered the event years ago, when he had welcomed her officially to the agency, by giving her a gun and badge inside a box, at a gallery, right in front of a painting. It looked more like a transaction between two people instead of a 'welcome' due to its secret, unnoticeable nature.

"Yes... what about it?"

"What was the painting again?" he asked.

"A knight and a lady," was her answer.

"A yes! 'A knight and his lady'! remember what I told you that time?"

"That there is no knight in shining armour to the rescue, that you are your own knight..." she casually mentions.

"And?" asking her to continue.

"That we should not aspire to be white knight, but a 'dark knights'" she rolls her eyes, thinking that this was a waste of time. "If there is anything else, I would like to go. I have a lot more paperwork to do,"

Kieron smiled " I am glad you remember, what is this then?" he pushes a paper towards her, containing the report that was leaked to the networks.

" I do not know what is this about?" she feigns ignorance.

His handsome face twists into a cynical smile. "Oh Q, isn't that your sister in the news?"

"Yes, I can see that, but we have been estranged ever since our parents divorced..." she lied. In fact, she almost communicated with them every day.

"I see..." Kieron folds his hands and takes a long hard look at her, which made her uncomfortable, but she was not going to give anything away. "I just want to remind you not to play the 'Dark Knight' in this situation. I'm not saying it was you who did this but consider the position your family would be in."

"Is that a threat, Director?" she clenched her teeth.

"No, it's a warning..." was his response, followed by a handsome smile, that she had so wanted to punch.

"Duly noted..." was her resigned response.

"I'm glad you understand, we have to always choose and preserve the greater good..."

"Greater good? so you want me to abandon my sister?" her voice was strained, as anger began to rise within her.

"I never said that... What I'm saying is, incidents like this can be considered as something against the agency and the government "

"I am aware of that and don't need you to remind me..." was her curt reply.

"I will not tolerate insubordination, and I will not back you up or rescue you if you continue this," he adds.

"I did not break any rules..." was her firm response, bent on not admitting anything.

" If that is so, you are to take a two-week compassionate leave,"

"I don't need it, I have a lot of work to do," she says, brushing it off.

"It's not a request, it's an order..." was his stern reply. "You're not into step into the office within those two weeks,"

"You can't do that?! I have a lot of work to do, and people who depend on me," she insists. She knew the moment she leaves the office, she will be unable to access some resources needed to rescue her sister.

"That's all taken care of," he said nonchalantly.

She felt her plans fall apart. It was obvious why Kieron was doing this. And that is to prevent her from taking any action, and this made her extremely frustrated.

" You have 2 days to finish whatever you can. After that, surrender your access card and gun before you go..." he adds, which finally broke the camel's back.

In a fit of anger, Q bolts out of her seat and attacks Kieran, pulling his arm forward, and punches his face the moment she had close the distance, which caught him off guard.

But a seasoned combatant like Kieron had recovered quickly and caught her body, swung her into his back and slammed her hard on the table.

Q, flinched in pain, but was not one to give up, countered his attack by trying to lock his arm, forcing him into submission. However, he was able to free himself from it and back throws her, causing her to land on the nearby couch with a loud thud.

But before she could even recover, Kieron had already gone on top of her and held both her wrist above her head, pinning her down the couch in a compromising position.

He leans close to her face and whispers to her ears, "You do that again, I will not be as merciful..."

She felt goosebumps on her neck with what he did. It was no mistake, she was turned on. It was also not a big help that Kieron is a handsome man. She did not want to look at him in the eye, or the feelings that she had withheld inside her, for him, all these years, might just spill...

He drags her back up and buttons the top part of her shirt, which she had not noticed was open. Some of the buttons were gone due to the physical altercation that had happened between them earlier. Her face felt warm as she looked away, as the gesture felt sensual and intimate. A significant other is supposed to do these things, not your boss! And certainly not after a fight!

He stilled her and gently tilted her chin to meet up his gaze. For a moment she was lost in his citrine eyes.

"Don't cause trouble, I would hate to lose you..." he whispered, and it felt more of a warning. "Go..." he turns around and walks back to his table, waving her off.

"Damn him..." she muttered under her breath as she went back to her small office. She had only two days to do her work, in addition to getting whatever resources she needs to rescue her sister. If Kieron thought this setback will discourage her, then he is wrong.

**********

After two days of work, the moment she had reached home, she had finally decided to go off-grid. She knew the moment she had left the agency, Kieron would've probably put her under watch list.

Pushing a heavy bookshelf on the side, the self glided easily despite its weight, revealing a small secret room with a vault inside her apartment. On one part of the shelf, was two fake passports and identity cards she had procured over the years, on one part was a thick clipping of the currency 'Euros'. She takes them and throws packs into her bag, before coming back for the vault, and taking another handphone.

She leaves her handphone on the bedside table and didn't plan on taking it with her to Spain. Kieron surely would use it to track her and she couldn't risk anyone knowing her plans and ruin them.

But before leaving, she messages her father;

'Perseus is coming for Andromeda'

**********

Mallorca, Spain

Q was not surprised that it was raining hard the moment she arrived at Mallorca. It was after one of their coldest seasons.

She wasted no time and immediately embraced her new identity, Geórgia Santos, a woman from Terrassa who will work as the cleaner at the psychiatric hospital where her sister, Helene is confined.

She eventually took on her role well, and immediately gained the respect of the medical staff within a few days of working as a cleaner. She even gained information who are some of the patients, through gossip with the nurses.

By the end of the week, she learned that the forbidden room she wasn't allowed to enter was the same room Helene is solely confined in. Not only because it was guarded. Moreover, thrice a week, a man comes to visit the room and stays there for almost a whole day, and he would ask the staff about his 'prisoner' in the room.

Upon learning the whole truth, she had sneaked in one night into her sister's room and found her in a state any family member would not like to see. Her informer was right, Helene was kept mentally blank every day. She had eventually bribed the nurse and the doctor assigned in Helene's room for information and their silence. According to the nurse she had bribed for information, the ‘stepfather’ would often visit Helene and stay at her quarters for a ‘very long time'.

Flabbergasted, Q calls out the nurse for not doing anything. But the nurse reasons that the ‘stepfather’ is a powerful man and they themselves were afraid to go against him. When she made it known that she wanted to take Helene from the institution and bring her back to England, the nurse and the doctor, though feeling guilty, advised her not to, as Vicenzo Rosello will not allow it. It will put the whole staff in jeopardy.

When she promised a way out, and a way to cripple Vicenzo, so that he would not misdirect his anger. Both of them immediately agreed and cooperated.

"Saint George, has seen the dragon" she sends another cryptic message to her father. What it actually meant is that she had seen Vicenzo.

The messaging window indicated 'typing' for a long time. She knew her father was holding back the anger, he was surely thinking of giving an order to kill. But no, he seems to have thought it through.

"Saint George should not slay the dragon," was his response followed by "Yet...".

Q chuckled upon receiving the message. Oh, the many ways they plan to hurt Vicenzo. After all, killing him immediately is an easy way out. They should torment him every chance they get, after what happened to her mother and Helene.

Unbeknownst to the agency, within her two last days before her compassionate leave. She had forged a directive signed by the agency's head to begin "Operation Persues" a rescue mission that is spearheaded by the SAS that she had developed within a short amount of time as 'Plan B" for her own attempt to rescue her sister.

On the night of the extraction, the moment the power was cut, Q hurriedly rushed to the floor where her sister was confined. The guards were out so she was able to easily enter her room.

When she entered Helene's room, she found her sleeping soundly in the dark, much to her relief. She checks her watch to see how much time she has. She could carry her sister to the nearby coastline herself where a boat is supposedly waiting for them, or wait for the soldiers she assigned to guide them there.

Her plan was to get Helene to Madrid and have her transported via car (as she was not mentally stable) to the south of France where their grandfather was waiting for them.

She felt her hands grow cold, as the clock ticks. The guards will be back any time now, and she has no gun to neutralize them if it comes into an altercation.

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound of a suppressor, followed by a loud thud on the floor. There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal an imposing figure standing in the door frame, dressed in black night ops camouflage, with a large rifle. A normal person would probably be scared if they see him. After all, he looked like the stuff of 'nightmares' specially with his face covered, and his eyes were night-vision lenses that made him look like a multi-eyed monster.

"She's not stable," she whispers to the man. " I'm afraid of her waking up, and causing a commotion. "

The man nodded in understanding, before signalling another soldier outside of the room to come in.

The other soldier takes out a syringe containing a sedative to calm Helene down, in case she wakes up. In any other situation, Q would be fine, doing it to the target. She had carried out a lot of operation that needed this course of action. But now that they're doing it to her sister, she felt a little conflicted.

Another soldier enters the room and carries Helene out carefully. The first soldier, who first entered the room pulls out a gun from one of his armour's holsters and hands it to her.

"Thank you," she says softly, glad that he was considerate enough to give her a weapon to defend herself.

In a few minutes time, the power will come back, they needed to get to the nearby coastline by foot, as the sound of the car can attract attention this late at night, at a quiet place like this.

The smell of the incoming rain was obvious to her, the moment they stepped out of the hospital, they needed to get to the boat before the rain falls. There were 5 soldiers, and the boat can only carry 5 people, which meant two should stay ashore, and leave in another way.

"I will see you at Bordeaux, give her to the Admiral as instructed..." she says, referring to her grandfather, as she instructs the soldiers and they respond with a nod. She trusted them enough to carry their duty. Moreover, it wasn't the first time working with the SAS.

She watched as the boat left the shore, and turned away once she can no longer see them in the distance.

Turning her attention back to the soldier who stayed behind with her, she realized that it was the same person who first entered the room earlier and passed her a gun. Though she could not see his face like the rest of them, it was his aura that separates him from his team. He seemed like a very seasoned soldier and she wouldn't be surprised if he was, as her guest and observations were often right.

"Thank you for staying behind, I do not know if you have a plan B, but I'll take care of us here, from now on. And we'll be back in London before you know it!" she tries to convince him, but he did not respond and just stared at her. She sighed in resignation and asks him to follow her, as the rain began to fall.

Not far from the hospital was a small cabin she had rented as her temporary quarters.

"Come in..." She opens the door and holds it open for him.

The moment they entered the house, he was met with countless papers, photographs, stuck on a corkboard, and a few, small spy tech, including a laptop. The rest, was just a small kitchen, a small fireplace, bathroom, a queen-size bed, and a small couch, nothing more, nothing less. The small house looked like an operational briefing room, instead of living quarters.

"I'm sorry about the mess, I'll burn them once we leave, go make yourself at home. You must be tired so you can take my bed and I won't mind it, I'll sleep on the couch" she uttered mindlessly, as she started packing some of the equipment for more space. "Besides, I need to forge a few papers here and there to get us out of here, I'll buy you new clothes tomorrow too," she adds, turning towards him, still without a response.

"So, uhh... I don't plan on seeing you in the raw, so... just cover yourself up with a blanket" she sighed, though she meant well, not wanting him to stay in his damp clothes, she felt sorry for the guy. He probably thinks she's a weird pervert now for saying that carelessly. "Sorry, I came unprepared for this part. I didn't know it will rain..." she reasons.

The man finally sits down on the couch and makes himself comfortable, and began slowly dismantling his rifle.

She heaved another sigh, before remembering the gun he has handed her earlier on. "Ah yes, I almost forgot, here's your gun, I-" she paused for a moment and disarmed it, removing the silencer and the bullets and then she felt a certain texture on one side of the gun and saw an engraved quote;

'This is a tool, I am the weapon'

There was no mistake, this was her gun that the agency confiscated before she left for her 2 weeks leave. How did a special ops soldier end up having it?

She looked at him confused. "H-How did you?"

The man's answer was silence and then he took off his night visions goggles and his mask, only to reveal Kieran, underneath the camo.

"Shit..." she muttered under her breath, as alarms started ringing inside her head. This operation was unsanctioned, to begin with, and the only way she was able to carry it was by using her and her father's money, forging signatures for approval and unprofessionally using the companies resources to carry out the rest, which she knew she had distorted the evidence so that they will not find out.

"How... how did you-?" she was lost for words.

"You made a small blunder... that's how I found out..." he says sternly, as he slowly approached her, his expression was cold. She knew what was coming. He was going to kill her in cold blood. It didn't matter if she was his prodigy and that they've been colleagues for a decade, or that he was fond of her. Kieran was first and always a cold-blooded assassin/operative, even before he became the division head. She heard the stories, and she witnessed how cold and cruel he could be. Nor does he take betrayal well. And this unsanctioned operation is considered betrayal in the agency's eyes, and his. And what happens when one commits 'insubordination? if lucky they can get away with getting court-martialed if not, they are 'neutralized'.

Unfortunately, she will be getting the latter.

But she didn't want to die. She wanted to reunite with her family, to finally be there for Helene, after years apart. To finally mourn her mother properly. She didn't want her family to have another person to mourn for. She wants to live, and she will fight to live.

Wasting no time, she throws the gun at his face, as she didn't have enough time to re-assemble everything.

"Fuck..." Kieran cursed under his breath when the heavy metal hits his chests and was followed by the silencer before she made a run for it outside.

*****

The backwoods was dark, and she almost tumbled down, running. Especially now that it rained heavily, the place was slippery. This setback was certainly something she didn't expect. She needed to gather her thoughts and think of a plan C. She did remember that she had kept backup 'necessities' in a locker at the port. She just needed to get there safely and get Kieron off her trail.

However, before she could make her next move. A pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, swung her to his shoulders, and then throws her back down into the ground.

"That's for earlier..." Kieran mentions as he circled around her.

"This is not fair, I thought you were a gentleman!" she says, in spite of the situation.

"I am... I haven't injured you yet, haven't I?" was his playful remark. "Get up!"

She struggled to get up and glared at him. " You think this is a game?"

"And you thought I wasn't serious when I warned you? Remember, every action has a consequence and this is yours..."

She finally gets up and rushes forward to attack him. He immediately blocks her fist, but she kicks his knees, breaking his stance.

He quickly recovers and prepares for an attack, but she had jumped at him, wrapping her legs around his waist, and using the force of her momentum to throw him back down to the ground. She quickly grabs his back leg and twists it.

Quickly wrapping her legs around his, she cranks it the wrong way, pulling it forward, hyperextending it, in an attempt to dislocate and cripple him.

He screams in pain, as she put him into a kneebar submission. However, he quickly counters her move by kicking the back of her knee with his free leg and freeing his other leg out in the process.

Unable to continue the kneebar, Kieron immediately grapples with her once he was free. But she was too quick and got away quickly.

"Not bad..." he laughs.

She tried to catch her breath and glared back at him. She rather escapes than prolong this fight. Fighting against a veteran like Kieron is futile. However, before she could make a run for it, he moves forwards and quickly strikes her in the gut, causing her to lose air and then consciousness.

**********

It was 4 am according to her clock when she gained consciousness once again and found herself with her arms tied up to the bedpost.

The only thing that serves light in the room was the small fireplace, and Kieron was in front of it smoking a cigarette, with nothing but a blanket on, wrapped around his waist.

If this was any other situation, this was a wet dream come true. She had always been curious about the body underneath those sharp custom made, Saville-Row suits and smart apparel he wore to work. He was like those silver fox models that were displayed in GQ and not once did she see him undone and raw like this. Heck, he looked good even when doing violent interrogations.

His body was muscularly lean and well-toned, with scars here and there. In short words, he's damn hot.

She sighs and takes in the sight before her. It was probably the last thing she would see and remember him for before he ends her life.

"Like what you see?" he teased.

"Put a shirt on... you're ugly..." was her rude response.

He laughs out loud and stares at her.

"Just kill me..." she pleads. She was not willing to go through torture and interrogation, and she knew that was coming next.

He gets up and seats down on the side of the bed. "But I'm not done with you yet...." he whispers.

" We can be done in a minute, I will tell you everything. I admit to it. I forged all your signatures for approval, used the agencies resources to gather information and used my own savings to fund this operation. That is all... now... do what you have to do..." she says in resignation. "And do it quick, I don't want it to be painful" she adds.

He takes out a knife and she closes her eyes shut, preparing for what's next. However, to her surprise, Kieran cuts of the rope binding her arms instead, before walking away and sitting back down in front of the fireplace.

"Kieron..." she calls his name whilst rubbing the lacerations on her wrist.

"You're a fool, you know?... I've advised you many times to not do this..."

"The agency will..." she began but he quickly cut her off.

"They're not aware, I've cleaned it up for you..." was his simple response.

"Why-why? you said...-"

"I'm not that heartless that you and others make me out to be..." he says nonchalantly, waving it off. "You're not trained as a covert agent... do you know how worried I was when I found out?"

"Who are you to care? we're nothing but colleagues and your nothing but the heartless department director who wants results! I am well aware that I am just your pawn!" She shook her head. Kieron Sorenson was too cold to even care. " Please save me the pretence..."

He glares back at her and gets back up to approach her. Closing in the distance like a predatory animal and she was his prey.

"Kieron... I-" before she could say anything, he crushed his mouth against hers and much to his surprise, she did not protest or struggle and welcomed it wholeheartedly. Returning the kiss with equal intensity.

He tried in vain to slow down and pull away for them to catch their breath. Only to find her looking back at him with longing eyes.

"Since when?" she asked. Of course, she was confused by this sudden 'confession'. She may admit that she does have a secret crush on the cold-blooded director. But not once did she expect that he had affection for her too.

"The museum..." he whispers huskily, referring to the time he had welcomed her to the agency. She looked so beautiful that day, her head held high, upon proving how wrong he was about her, as she sat beside him in front of the painting. " I wanted to kiss that witty mouth of yours... but that's just unprofessional..."

"You're being unprofessional now..." she remarks.

"I don't give a damn..." he says and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

A/N: I think I might have made some grammatical errors. So I'd do soft editing. I'll write Part 2 (SMUT!!!) next after this.

[bbrandy2002]

The Breakfast Club

Chapter 9:

Don't You Forget About Me.

Summary: The group has an epiphany. Who really put them together and why? Constantine ensures one member of the group won't be a problem anymore.

One more chapter!!!

The Royal Romance AU

Warning: These characters have potty mouths, read at your own peril. They also belong to Pixelberry.

Henry David Thoreux is quoted as saying, 'Not until we are lost do we find ourselves'. How can five people with differing life experiences, walk into a room as wounded, forgotten souls, and together, discover who they are. If ever the fates aligned, it happened on that particular Saturday. _

Life sometimes gives us what we need... Through hardships we find growth

Saturday 4:00 PM Old Palace Library

Sitting on the floor of the old library, an 18 year old with a cold heart and distaste for the crown. His father gunned down years ago by an assasin's bullet and a mother who left he and his sister, to return to the States. A war was waged in him years ago and bitterness won. All he knew now was trouble, booze and anger. He is the commoner.

Sitting to his left is the stunning Duchess of Lythikos. Nearly 18 herself, she has been raised by the King since she was a child. Her parents, traitors to the crown, died atempting to overthrow the monarchy. Contantine has always treated her like an enemy and took every opportunity to degrade her. The only constant in her life was a prince, whom she loves, but, he has never returned her affections in a manner she wants. She has built an impermiable wall of defense around herself for protection, that includes degrading others for self-preservation. She is known as the bitch to many.

Next to her, a young 17 year old from Ramsford with a heart of gold and the life of any party. On the outside, he is funny, outgoing and, perhaps, too kind for his own good. On the inside, he grieves the losses in his life, both in body and spirit. His inabilty to live up to the Beaumont expectations, weighs on him heavily. He sees himself as a failure.

Also, the new Crown Prince of Cordonia. He will be 18 tomorrow and at that time will become bethrothed to his brother's former fiancee, though, his heart now belongs to another. He has wished death would find him so many times recently that he tried and failed to make it a reality. The burdens that he was left with when his brother abdicated, is too much to bear. His father has caused irreparable hurt, physically and emotionally, that fear, now courses through his veins like wildfire. There are no disappointments allowed when you're The Heir.

Next to him, a perky, 17 year old girl, saved from the streets. She has big dreams of moving to New York and making it big. She is held back by a dangerous, family life that included more abuse than many should withstand. Is a girl with her background, naive enough to believe she can save her new dream from being robbed of his? After all, its said that trash breeds trash.

"Why is everyone sitting on the floor?", a seemingly gleeful and renewed Liam asked as he joined them.

A weary eyed Drake rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, "Trust me...its a long story".

Riley leaned over and playfully tugged at Drake's foot, "You seem somewhat calmer than you did earlier, what happened?".

Maxwell couldn't help himself as he grinned, "Let's just say....well....we got totally fucked up."

Liam and Riley looked between the three, all appearing quite relaxed, still eating on the last remnants of sandwiches and fruit the maid brought them an hour ago.

Olivia, now recovered from her earlier high, couldn't help but notice a change in Liam. Knowing he was with Riley the past four hours left a sour taste in her mouth.

"So Riley", Olivia began, "Maxwell tells us he found you on the streets...will you be returning to your park bench tonight or do you think fucking Liam once is enough for another free night at the palace".

"Olivia!", Liam, quickly shot up, dumbfounded by her callousness.

Olivia looked at him with shock, "What? Hmm, Liam...she's obviously looking for a meal ticket and you are falling right into her grubby little hands".

"You're such a bitch!" A furious Riley yelled back, both fists gripped tightly together.

"Damn straight", she sniped.

Drake laid back on the floor with his hands cupped behind his head, "You just can't stop yourself can you Olivia?"

She raised an eyebrow and straightened her posture, "Who asked you...like your opinion matters anyway".

The air became thick with tension and poisonous words. Olivia was hurting and holding on for dear life. The only person who ever seemed to give a damn about her was slipping away fast.

A normally flippant Maxwell, tried to find a balance, an understanding of what was taking place. "Olivia, why do you berate everyone? Riley's never done anything to you".

Her beady, green eyes readily placed a target directly on him, "Like I care what some moron like you thinks. When you have to deal with the bullshit I go through everyday, then by all means judge away, until then, fucking mind your own business".

Maxwell jumped up and stood with a demeanor that suggested Olivia found his breaking point. With a raised voice and a face painted as red as her hair, "The bullshit you deal with? Your bullshit?...What about my bullshit? What about Drake and Liam and Riley's bullshit? Are you so fucking closed off and hardened, that you don't see we're all dealing with nothing but bullshit?...I have two dead parents, just like you,  and a brother who has a stick so far up his ass...", his voice started to break as he rubbed a stinging tear from his eye, "...just...quit acting like its only you".

Riley stood up and gave Maxwell a comforting embrace, while Drake continued to lay back, eyes closed, struggling with his own thoughts.

Liam noted Olivia's composure, she was tense and hollow, but, her eyes spoke volumes. She was fighting herself, the walls were crumbling and she was trying with all of her might to keep them standing. If there was ever a time to get into her heart, it was now.

Liam raised his knees and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin down.  "We're supposed to write an essay about who we think we are....well, who are we? I sure as hell don't know who I am anymore...looking around at each of you and hearing Maxwell's words, tells me no one else does either".

Riley and Maxwell sat back down with the group, everyone except Drake pondering Liam's words in their minds, but, no one speaking.

Liam raised his head again and lowered his legs, crossing them in front of him. "Okay, I'll go first then....I'm suffocating, I'm losing my mind, at the end of a short rope. I hate my father, my life...who I have to be", he stopped for a second to prepare himself for what followed, "I wanted to die last night, even tried swallowing pills".

He grabs everyone's attention, including Olivia who saw him this morning, at the mention of the prince trying to commit suicide. "Yeah... I wanted it all to end...I just needed, peace".

Drake sits up, claps his hands mockingly and glares at Liam, "Boo..fucking.. hoo..must be real hard to have the entire damn country bowing at your ever present whim...so spare me the sob stories your majesty".

Olivia raises her hand back and slaps Drake across the face, screaming, "You weren't there this morning....you don't know what happens to him, to me... every day is a nightmare where the King dictates who we are or else."

Drake rubs the stinging on his reddened cheeks, seething, "Yeah, you’re right, I wasn't there, I was stuck in a damn basement apartment alone because my father died protecting your sorry, rich ass's and my mother lost her mind because of it"

Dead air filled the room.

"Sounds like your dad was a hero Drake...my real dad bailed before I was even born", Riley mused.

"Yeah Drake, at least your dad didn't die on a friggin boat with a cocaine stained nose, partying his ass off, while your mother was at home dying....it sucks I know, but, of the five of us, your dad was... pretty awesome", Maxwell said with a sympathetic smile.

A hero_? _That word caused a flood of emotions that ran straight to his yielded heart. He was breaking down too, especially when he caught a glimpse of Liam, a member of the royal family, nodding in agreement, showing genuine appreciation for Jackson Walker.

He ran a hand through his hair and held onto it with a tight grip. He tried to hold the moisture that formed like pools in his flustered, brown eyes, but, they poured out anyway. Even Olivia looked at him, envious of the legacy Jackson left for Drake and his sister to be proud of. No one else in the room could say the same of their fathers.

Drake covered his eyes and sniffled loudly, his lips quivering uncontrollably, "I miss my dad", he wailed out.

Maxwell and Riley quickly went to him, rubbing and patting him on the back. Liam crawled over to Drake, holding his head to his chest.

Liam looked at him while Drake tried to stifle his sobs. "Drake, I'd like to personally thank, on behalf of myself and the crown, the son of the man who saved me and my families life".

Drake had held his feelings in for so long, it felt surprisingly gratifying to finally release them. He thought to himself-_Fucking Bastien was right. _He lifted himself up, with everyone except Olivia following his lead. He wiped his wet face on the inside of shirt, "It's all I ever wanted, just someone to appreciate him...to care about what he did". Liam then pulled him into a hug, "I do Drake, I really do", as he clapped his back.

Drake returned a half smile, looking away for moment before turning to face Liam again, "You're already ten times the King your father is.".

Drake inhaled deeply and asked for a minute alone. He walked down the stairs and sat on the bottom step attempting to make sense of everything that just happened.

Olivia, remained still, then grabbed her purse and followed him. She sat down next to him, but, he didn't acknowledge her presence. She reached inside her purse and took  Drake's hand. He watched as she slowly dropped his fathers pocket watch into his palm.

Stunned, he stared at her in disbelief, "how did you...?"

She looked off in the distance, sighing, before meeting his bewildered look, "A courier dropped it off yesterday. It was found in an alley and had the Royal crest on it. Constantine didn't know who it belonged to and tossed it aside, but, I did....I took it and was going to use it against you".

He looked at the watch, clutching it with both hands as if his life depended on, "That's a real fucked up thing to do, even for you".

She swallowed hard, "Yeah...it is...I'm sorry".

Drake quirked his brows, "Did I really just get the Duchess of Lythikos to apologize to a poor commoner like me?".

She smiled and playfully swiped at his arm, "Yes, but, don't expect any more". She then leaned over, speaking in a low voice, "Can I tell you something?".

Drake squinted his eyes, skeptical, "What?"

Olivia looked around, "I actually had a lot of fun with you today, even when you were an asshole....banter aside, I can't say I've ever been on a drug run, climbed in an air duct, fallen through the ceiling and then got very....very stoned", she chortled.

He chuckled back, "Yeah, I never expected to do any of those things, especially with you".

"Walker?", she asked, "am I anything besides a bitch...I mean, who do I say I am?".

He thought for a moment before cracking a smile at her, "You're still a bitch....but, like a bad ass, take no prisoners kind, but, you're also one tough girl...you have to deal with a lot of Constantine's shit...that take's guts.".

She stood up, absorbing his words, "I was told as little girl...If you can breathe, you can stand and if you can stand, you can fight....So, I will just keep on fighting", she smiled, ruffled his hair and walked back upstairs.

Drake shook his head in disbelief, "unbelieveable", he said to himself as his enemy just became a friend. He followed her back up.

Liam came up behind Olivia and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. He knew what she had just done for Drake and was proud of her. He asked her to apologize to Riley, in which she hesitated. "She's the one Livvie", he told her. The words stung, but, she was also glad to see him happy for once..

Olivia apologized and she and Riley sat together talking about make up and different hairstyles Riley could try. She told her she was returning to Lythikos soon and if she ever needed anything to let her know.

Drake and Maxwell caught Liam up on why there was a hole in the ceiling. They each would reminisce about their childhood adventures together. Every now and then, Liam would peak over at Riley, just to see her.

The group made their way down the steps and gathered around Liam, sitting at a table, preparing to write the letter. He looked up at them, "So, who do we say we are?".

Maxwell slumped over on the table, "It's been a long day, I just wanna be Maxwell."

They each looked at one another and knew what they wanted.

"I'm just Riley".

"I guess, I'm just Olivia".

"Drake"

Liam penned it down to the letter, "and I just want to be Liam".

Olivia watched as Riley and Liam sat together, canoodling, as she described it. Drake came up behind her and placed both hands on her shoulders, tugging them. She looked at him with a sad face. "Come on, you can sit with me and Maxwell", he said as he pulled her over to another table.

Some time had passed when the door opened and Bastien walked in. They were all surprised to learn that this whole thing was not actually Constantine's doing, but, he and Regina's. The kids were falling apart and they thought they could use time together, helping one another, in a way an adult couldn't.  Apparently, their plan worked.

"Real fucking sneaky Bas", Drake said as he pulled him into hug, "does this mean I don't have seven weekends of guard duty with the ass clown you sent in here to watch us?"

"We'll see", he chuckled.

Everyone made their way out of the library, with Liam stopping Riley in the hallway. "Hey you".

"Hey you", she replied while pulling him to her.

"I have to go speak with my father, but, I'll meet you at the garden maze in twenty minutes, okay?"

She stood on her tipped toes and kissed him, "Don't you forget about me", she teased.

They parted ways and she made it to the palace entrance. She was met by two officers and a guard, looking specifically for her.

The officer approached her, "Riley Brooks?"

She wanted to lie, but, they obviously knew it was her. She let a shaky response, "yes".

The officer grabbed her and placed her under arrest, "we received word from His Majesty that you are a runaway who snuck into the palace".

Riley tried to explain to them that she was invited by Maxwell and that the Prince knows her, however, it fell on deaf ears.

Constantine met them at the door, with a scour look. He walked up to her, glared at her for what seemed to be hours for Riley, then smacked her in the face. "Don't you ever think about coming back here again.... or you will be sorry."

He motioned for the officers to take her away.

She cried out, "please dont send me back, he'll kill me....please....Liam!!!".

***Let me know if you want removed from the tag list.

@timothygorgeous @lovemychoices @gnatbrain @burnsoslow @choiceslife @stopforamoment @thisperfectmemory @kingliam2019 @moneyfordiamonds @pedudley @emceesynonymroll @romanticatheart-posts @carabeth @dcbbw @ao719 @ladyakwardness

[sirro85-blog]

Dark Horses: 1

Humans are unusual, in most other races the classification of attractiveness is simple. In the Flet it was size, the larger males and females were deemed more desirable. Amongst the Rhul the more colourful the skin the more attractive the potential mate, I could go on. With humans however it appears to be personal choice or perhaps I should say preference as humans don't get to choose who they find attractive.

Captain Becca was drawn to, in her words, "muscle bound dickheads" while Knickers preferred men who were less heavily muscled but extremely well groomed and Barbie preferred what she referred to as "pretty boys".

These three women were themselves all considered attractive but were physically all different (note that they were all of white European descent so their appearance was not as varied as humans can be) Becca was tall and had a slender build beneath her muscled frame. The two Cassidies Knickers and Barbie were very different in appearance. Knickers was slim and lightly built with delicate features; Barbie was named for her appearance, full figured with almost impossible proportions she was named for the old child's toy she so resembled.

Most fascinating to me was the response these physical appearances drew from others.

The soft "tock" "crack" of a snooker cue knocking two balls together was the background noise of the conversation as Becca watched Knickers clean up the table.

"I dunno, he's really handsome Knix but do you really want a guy that takes longer to get ready than you do?" They were discussing the liaison they were meeting with, one that Knickers had expressed appreciation of.

"Well now I know why Kovac always looks so rough, he's only got the time it takes for you to apply that one brand of eyeliner and put on some heels," laughed Barbie.

"Yeah but at least with Kovac, you know he can go all night," said Knickers in a knowing voice.

"How would you know?" Snapped Becca a little defensive.

"Oh not first hand but you forget I used to share a wall with Kovac, boy has stamina," Knickers and Barbie laughed at Becca's face.

"Well, you're not wrong," the Captain admitted grudgingly.

"At least you two get some eye candy, you don't see many of my type out here," Barbie said sulkily.

"We'll be back in Pelcar-3 soon enough and we'll all have something to look at," Becca said.

"Speaking of eye-candy, Bex somthin' for you to enjoy," Knickers said nodding to the bar.

Looking up Becca saw what Knickers was talking about, 12 soldiers of the Earth Defence Corps had just walked in.

"To look at maybe, I prefer my meatheads to be able to think...well now I do."

"No danger of that with this lot, they're not just EDC they're marines" muttered Barbie, she looked nervous.

The Earth Defence Corps was a partly private enterprise set up on earth when certain individuals and countries rejected the decision by the UN to entrust their military power to the Galactic Council. The EDC were founded to defend earth but since their inception has started to be used for "furthering the human cause" this usually meant trouble was close behind. Worst of all were the EDC marines the shocktroops of the corps, they viewed themselves as highly trained elites but most former UN troops called them "cannon fodder" and spoke of them with derision.

"That's game," said Knickers.

"That's me v Barbie to see who sucks more," said Becca.

"We all know that's your title sweet," said Barbie a little nastily.

"Being good at snooker is a legacy of a misspent youth," replied Becca haughtily.

"Right and we all know you spent your teenage years flat on your back with your ankles on your forehead." Knickers heckled, Barbie laughed so hard she spilled her drink.

Becca pouted and then glanced at the EDC soldiers, "where's Kovac and Wolf?"

"Relax Kovac won't let Wolf start a bar fight, he's responsible remember," Barbie said gesturing two tables over where the two men also played snooker.

"Sure, sober Kovac is responsible but let's not forget Bottle-of-Rum-Kovac is a mischievous deviant who takes great delight in upsetting people like local security forces, the Galactic Defence Air Command and the Korlax Dominion." Becca cautioned.

"True, Fun-Kovac would definitely enjoy embarrassing the EDC," Knickers agreed.

"You shouldn't call it Fun-Kovac, maybe Troubl-" Becca was cut off when one of the EDC marines pressed his groin against Barbie's backside as she bent over to take her shot.

As so often happened when humans grew violent I could not follow the flow of actions but one moment Barbie was bent over the snooker table and the marine was pressed up behind her and then Barbie was standing, the marine was face down on the table with the pool cue was jammed into the marine's throat turning him a purple colour and Barbie had a grip of the man's wrist, twisting it at a funny angle.

"Now I can only assume that as I found this hand in my skirt that it somehow belongs to me," Barbie said calmly into the sudden silence of the snooker hall. "Now I'm willing to return this hand perfectly undamaged if you promise to take it away and not bother me again...whimper pathetically if you agree."

Around the table a crowd had gathered, several EDC marines moved to help their friend but Wolf and Kovac were quick to block their way.

Barbie's victim stayed silent for a few more seconds before she applied a little more pressure to his arm and a wail escaped the marine's lips. "Good, all settled then," said Barbie and she shoved the marine away from her so he sprawled onto the floor, he received a kick to the rump as he struggled to his feet.

The marine regained his feet and nurses his arm for a moment before turning to regard the smaller woman before him. He appeared to gain some swagger back when he realised he was several inches taller and significantly heavier than Barbie.

He swore at Barbie and moved as if to grab her but she moved quicker, the snooker cue snapped out striking him in the throat and then as he staggered back Barbie connected a kick to the groin hard enough to lift him from the ground.

Chaos broke out, Kovac planted his forehead into the nearest marine and Wolf brought his drinking utensil into the face of his opponent. Knickers threw the snooker balls at the four marines approaching from the farside of the table, driving them back.

Becca backed up hurriedly as two marines closed on her. She staggered and flung up two hands, the marines paused, "wait, wait for God's sake these are 6 inch heels," and then delivered a kick to the closest marine's head that caught his jaw and snapped his head to the right and he dropped to the floor insensate, "even I need to get my balance right in these damn things," she said as the other marine rushed her. Becca fell back onto a table pulled both legs in and then kicked out hard, her left foot ineffectively struck the marine's arm but her right caught his thigh, her narrow heel puncturing his flesh and causing him to fall, Becca's swinging left foot caught him under the chin.

Wolf hurdled the snooker table to land crossbody on four marines sending them all sprawling, Barbie and Knickers had both used snooker cues to good effect beating two attackers down. Kovac was facing one more marine who appeared to be the leader, he eyed Kovac then drew a large knife from his belt. Kovac cast around for a weapon and realising nothing useful was near him stepped back and to his left putting an overturned stool between him and his armed opponent.

"Its a shame there isn't a fruit bowl here, you'd be amazed at what I can do with a pineapple," remarked Kovac.

The marine looked a little confused as Kovac edged back further muttering, "even a banana in a pinch," Kovac looked past the marine to the barman, "got any fruit?" He called.

"Fruit won't help," growled the marine.

"It'll keep you distracted," said Kovac as Becca hit the marine with a stool.

Only Wolf was still fighting, he was a blur of fists and feet as he pounded all four marines at once. Seeing his friends watching he stepped back, "take your friends and get out," he yelled gesturing at the various supine marines in the snooker hall, the bloodied marines gathered up their more unfortunate members and delarted.

Kovac paid for the damages and the friends left the bar.

"It's possible that we may live to regret upsetting the EDC," Wolf said as the five of them arrived at their rooms.

"God knows they regret pissing off Barbie," Kovac said.

"What are they doing this far out?" Wolf insisted.

"At a guess...The new colony on planet 1D.F7 will need security with its proximity to the Xhost controlled space. I think they're here for that."

"1D.F7? I'm no good with designations," Becca asked.

"They're calling it Thresh-28 as it's technically part of the Thresh system."

"That's a huge contract, it's going to be a major hub for this regions expansion, the Galactic Council won't employ EDC troops for that." Becca said.

"My guess...they will if the EDC are doing it cheap, and they will, they'll do it to get their foot in the door so they can take a pop at the Xhost, they haven't forgiven them for the incident with the Saturn defences. Once the EDC rile the Xhost up the Galactic Council will be forced to involve themselves to protect the Thresh and Galun systems. "

"Great so they're here looking for a fight and Barbie gave them one, good job Babs you saved the galaxy," Knickers laughed.

"Goodnight Knickers, Barbie, goodnight Captain," Kovac said steering Becca through the door to their rooms.

Humans unlike many races have the ability to overlook rational facts and logic and to trust opinions and their preferred versions of events to reality. Often they convince themselves that these alternative views are the "true" facts, such creatures would certainly be capable of starting a war over pride and imagined offence but I did not truly believe that even the EDC would look to provoke a war with the Xhost fanatics.