#i love women in case you haven't guessed as much yet

[stargatelov3r]

I love characters that think they can't allow themselves to love or be loved

just to have someone stride into their life to turn that concept upside down

[luveline]

would you ever be willing to write the day spencer and stripper!reader met in the grocery store? i’ve always loved the concept when you’ve referenced it in the story, i would love to read it👀 you’re absolutely incredible and i can never say anything not anon to you because my blog is flooding you with notes constantly and i’m embarrassed😅

thank you for your request ❤️ fem!reader, 1.5k

cw for domestic violence and workplace abuse

There's this weird organic grocery store by Spencer's place that's far too expensive, but it's a ten minute walk, so that's where he goes. (Weird in separation to organic.) 

He needs a lot of groceries now he's home for the week. Bread, vegetables, rice, flour if he wants to try and make pancakes, which he does. He also needs a new pen to write a letter for his mom, but Leaven is slightly too small for a stationery section. 

He doesn't know what he'll say to her in this one. Maybe that the cases he's going on are easy, or that he's been reading about crows. She's not feeling well lately. It might help her to know he's doing gentle things, even if it isn't true. 

No, he thinks. Can't lie to her. He never lies to his mom. 

Eggs. Sugar. Coffee grounds. He fills his cart. It'll be a lot to carry on the way home, but better to do it in one go. He likes keeping busy but he's a human being, too, and he's looking forward to spending at least sixteen hours in bed after dinner tonight. 

You look tired, too. 

Your back is turned, but Spencer knows it's you. You must live close by, he's been seeing you duck in and out for months. Usually with a loaf of bread or a single box of painkillers tucked in your pocket. You don't steal, he'd be able to tell, and he wouldn't say anything if you did, anyways. All he knows about you is that you have a nice smile when you have the energy, and your voice is like silk. Purposeful or by nature, he's yet to guess. 

You're standing by the end of the aisle near the checkouts with a basket hanging from your fingers. All you're buying today is a box of pancake mix and a bag of peas. 

Weird, he thinks with a smile. Spencer likes weird stuff. It's quirky. 

You turn to see which checkout is empty and Spencer's smile abruptly drops. 

You have a bruise across half of your face. It isn't strictly fresh —he can see the split skin on your cheek starting to close in on itself, and your purpled eye is open (though barely). You're frowning. Spencer knows how bad it hurts to get hurt like that. For a split second he can't believe someone could do that to another person, and then he remembers the hundreds of women he's had the privilege to meet at their most vulnerable, who trusted him, and he thinks maybe he's capable of helping another one. 

“Hey,” he says. 

You meet his eyes with a funny smile. “Hey. Sorry, am I in the way?” you ask, your voice stretched, thin but not weak. 

“No, you're not, it's… I see you here all the time.” 

You hold your breath. When you talk, it rushes out. “So?” you ask wearily.

“Are you okay?” 

Your funny smile fades as Spencer's had. He supposes that's the talent of cruelty. Even when it's over, it's not truly over. Your bruise still hurts, and Spencer still needs to know you'll be okay when you go home tonight. 

“I see you all the time too. We've… we've actually spoken before, haven't we?” you ask after a moment. 

“Yeah, about spirometry. I was out of breath running and–” It doesn't matter. You asked him if he was okay, and he explained that he was, just that his lungs don't hold much air on account of his own laziness, and it doesn't matter. “Are you? Alright? It's a bad bruise.” 

“It's getting better.” 

It might be, but there's something so raw about seeing you standing there in your sweatpants too big for you and a hoodie with a hole in it, purple and yellow contusion across your eyes and nose like the clumsy stroke of a paintbrush. Spencer will admit to feeling sorry for you.

“Can I talk to you?” he asks, knowing this isn't the right place. “There's the cafe at the front? Let me pay for my stuff and–” 

“I'm really okay–” 

“You had a cast on your wrist two weeks ago and now you're here with a limp and a really bad bruise,” he says softly, imploringly, “I just wanna talk to you about it. You don't have to say yes, I'm not trying to be weird, but I–” 

You cut off his mile a minute speech with a small smile. “Okay. I'm not, you know, doing anything anyways. It'll be nice to sit down.” 

Spencer knows it's dumb, but he wants to show he has good intentions. He takes your basket out of your hands and nods toward the cafe past the checkouts. “I'll come and meet you.” 

“You don't have to,” you say, gesturing at the basket. 

“The damage is done, right? This place is ridiculous.” He doesn't like the way you're holding your hip. It makes him feel sick, even though there's no proof one way or another to say you've been hurt beyond your bruising.

He pays for his things and yours and meets you at the cafe. He's half expecting you to have bolted, but you sit at a table near the entrance, completely still. 

Spencer puts his two bags under the table and offers you your pancake mix and peas in their own bag. 

“Thanks.” 

“Yeah, no problem.” 

“It was my boss.” You look at your fingers, spreading them slowly over the table top. “I’m a dancer. Sorry. I know you’re going to ask.” 

“And he hit you?” 

“Yeah.” 

Spencer knows the number for every women’s shelter in every state, but he doubts it would matter to you. He can tell already that you’d say no. He can tell you’re scared, even if you don’t realise it yourself. “Is it getting worse?”

You can’t offer him anything else. He understands how that feels. There have been moments where he desperately wanted to tell someone, anyone, what was going on in his life, but he always holds his secrets like a perpetual ache in his throat. It’s like he can’t tell someone, even if they ask. 

Sometimes he just wishes they’d ask twice. 

“You can tell me. It won’t sound stupid,” he promises. He’s in some odd place between Agent Reid and young, terrified Spencer, determined to help you, but not sure how. “It’s getting worse, right?” 

“Yeah,” you say, the weight of tears on your tongue. 

“You’re a dancer. Is he just a boss– Does he… abuse you financially?” 

You laugh wetly. “He’s not my pimp.” 

He can feel his face heating up.’“No, but do you get paid on time? Everything you earn?” 

You shake your head. “No, I don’t get paid on time. He takes a percentage, and somehow there’s always another percentage, and then discipline. And now…” 

“Now he’s hitting you.” Very badly. 

“I’m not stupid.” 

Spencer frowns gently, talks softly, “I didn’t mean to imply that you were.” 

“No, I know, but I need you to know I’m not stupid. When we talked before, you– you’re so smart, I bet you know so many smart people.” 

He’s not sure where you’re going with this. Perhaps you don’t want to talk about being hurt anymore. It must be a kind of torture to be hurting and know that that hurting will come again. There isn’t an end in sight for you, just right now. 

“Can I buy you something to eat?” 

“I have money,” you say, taking your small purse from your pocket. There are a few notes wedged inside. 

“You can’t take painkillers on an empty stomach, and you should take painkillers again soon. You had some before you came, and they’re wearing off.” He meets your confused frown with a frown of his own. “Your hands are twitching like you want to move away from yourself.” 

“You’re very perceptive,” you say in that smooth murmur. Power clawed back, he thinks. You’re protecting one of the things you can control about how you’re seen when everything else is far from it. 

“I’m a profiler. Do you,” —he tries not to sound hoity toity— “know what that is?” 

“No.” 

“I’m an FBI agent.” You’re laughing as he takes out his badge. He joins you. “I know it sounds like I’m making it up.” Spencer offers you his identification passport slowly, so you know he isn’t wielding it around to be an asshole. “I’m in the behavioural analysis unit. We analyse the way people act. That’s why I know you’re in pain.” 

You take his badge, looking between his photo and his real face with a growing smile. “If you need all that to know I’m in pain, you’re not as smart as you think,” you tease, gesturing to the mottled skin of your bruise sweetly. 

Spencer buys you both cold sandwiches from the front of the shop and a drink to wash down your aspirin. It’s awkward, he guesses, but he’s used to that by now, and under it he can feel your palpable relief. You trust him to not hurt you, if nothing else, and he can work with that. 

[transmascaraa]

Noelle Anon here! I loved your work! It was so cute and made my little sapphic heart explode! Could I maybe request the same thing with other genshin girls of your choosing? I just love them all so much!!!! Maybe with fem!reader this time?

Have a good night/day! <3

multiple characters headcannons!

cooking with them...

characters: furina, sucrose, arlecchino, navia x fem!reader

author's note: hiiiii i haven't written in a while😭 didn't have much time and not too much motivation for writing lmfao but now i'm here to write this because the req is adorable! i chose women that i thought you'd like because everyone likes them i guess so yeah<3 i hope you enjoy this and i tried my best to write smthn wlw i hope it's good enough

♡ Furina

-we all know how she's not one of the best cooks. so, you being one makes it a bit better.

-still, if you wanted to cook WITH her, then the food would probably just have to be macaroni.

-not gonna judge, i love it js as much as she does.

-you decided to get prepared one day, to cook together, and prepare a meal for one another!

-although you know that the only options you had were macaroons and macaroni, where she only had one option.

-so you started cooking macaroons.

-it is always SO fun to cook with her. she's always smiling and talking with you, talking about the most random things ever.

-of course, if you don't like talking much, she'll talk less but not be quiet entirely.

-know that you're gonna get a few kisses during the tiem being.

-and when you finally finish both of your meals, and prepare them for eachother, furina literally has a new shine in her eyes.

-when she tried it, she mumbled something that she thought you wouldn't hear

-"i don't care. this is my new favorite food."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✿ Sucrose

-she's like noelle, so i think you get the point what she'd be like.

-whatever you'd cook for eachother, she'd like it. and the other way around.

-the cooking experience with her is very calming, too.

-you might chit-chat about something randomly but know that it's mostly quiet with the sounds of nature from outside.

-if you liked to talk a lot tho, she had no problem of listening to your pretty voice while she cooked something for you.

-you made a cheesecake for her!

-setting the table together, and finally sitting down to try the food.

-whatever she made you, it was really decorated and the only thing that you knew that it was some type of cake.

-and she recognized that your's is a cheesecake almost immediately.

-when she tried it, she started talking to you, blushing a bit, about how much she's grateful for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✧ Arlecchino

-i'm pretty sure this isn't too ooc

-now, what i know is that she's definitely a great cook.

-i mean, she's a 'father', a parent to her children, of course she knows how to cook!

-so you had no problems asking her to cook with her. you knew that the kitchen wouldn't be burned down. hopefully.

-alright, you start cooking something that everyone likes, cupcakes! but the ones that you were able to make for her were cherry ones!

-arlecchino wasn't entirely quiet throughout the cooking either. it was either you or her talking with some kisses that can't be missed. she talked about her kids and her missions, while you either talked about her work in return, or about why you still love her despite it all.

-when you finish cooking and come to the dinner table with her, there's not much reaction on her face yet, unlike your's which was clearly happy.

-she made you cinnamon rolls!

-(i'm sorry if it's something you don't like)

-when she tried the cherry cupcake, you got a smirk from her.

-"you're a good cook, pretty girl."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✯ Navia

-this girl will make you the best food ever. she will take this activity very seriously with you.

-usually, you'd think that maybe the conversations that you'd have throughout the process very little, but that's not the case.

-she would talk with you the whole time.

-"i remember once when i was little..."

-"do you remember when i..."

-"can you pass me the sugar?"

-you get the point.

-of course, she won't miss the chance to give you a few kisses.

-and finally when you cooked eachother the "special food", turns out the both of you made macaroons for eachother.

-that just resulted in a laugh from you both as you now started talking about whose are better.

-she said yours were better.

-but you denied and said the opposite.

-however you look at it, cooking with her is a great experience to not only get to know eachother better, but also just for the fun of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

okay i love this one

it's so cute

i hope anyone who reads it likes it, especially you anon because i liked the noelle req too!!^^

| @mariaace <3

[zzzzzestforlife]

Tech Girlie Diaries: being the youngest and only female software engineer on the team

👄 honest stories/lessons only 💅

I just found out I'll get to mentor my first female intern at work and I'm so excited!!! It's so rare that we (not even just our team but the company as a whole) get female interns 🥺 which got me thinking about everything I want to impart to this bright, young mind ✨ since I was once in her shoes 🩰 just without a female mentor 😔 Don't get me wrong(!!), I love my mentors and every chance I get to work with them has been great — they're literally the best dudes I've ever met 🥲 but there are some ~tech girlie things~ that guys just... don't have to deal with in the same way.

Hopefully, if you're also a woman in tech or an ally, these can help you too ☺️ and please let me know in the comments/reblogs/dms/asks if there's anything else I might've missed that you think my mentee should know! ❤️

Unburden Yourself: you do not represent all women ♀️

When I first joined this company as an intern, I was only the second female intern they'd ever had and their first backend female intern. There were no backend female engineers. I felt like I had to constantly prove myself against these bros who seemed to eat, sleep, and breathe code.

But I quickly realized, through the consistent kindness and respect my male colleagues gave me, that it is not a competition (unless it's a bug-solving hackathon, in which case, all other teams can suck it 🍭😜) and no one thinks for a second that I am a representative token of my gender.

Unfortunately, this diversity-affirming culture is still not the case in all workplaces, so this is the Most Important Thing to remember: that you deserve to be treated kindly and with respect by your colleagues AND yourself, so don't settle for anything less! 💕

Take the Day: Care for Yourself First🥇

After finding out I took basically no holidays for a year, my manager at the time was appalled and granted me a month-long vacation (it was amazing). He then proceeded to (kindly) lecture me on the fact that I was no longer an intern and working full-time means making a conscious effort to Not Burn Out™️. My current manager still gives me well-meaning lectures to the same effect, so I guess I haven't really taken this lesson to heart yet?? 🙈 I'll give some examples from what I should've done instead 😂

If that time of the month is killing you and you're straight-up collapsing at your desk: TAKE THE DAY OFF

If your back and wrists are killing you to the point that you physically cannot sit and type: TAKE THE DAY WEEK OFF

If you have personal/family struggles you need to be fully present for: TAKE THE DAY WEEK MONTH OFF

... You get the idea.

Be Your Most Effective Self 🌷

My current manager (literally one of the strongest women I know) and I work well together even though (or maybe precisely because) we have completely different personalities. She is direct, serious, and very goal-oriented 🎯 I tend to take a softer approach, can be completely unserious, and more people/morale focused 🍒

When I was starting out, I really felt I had to be more like my current manager so that people would respect me and take me seriously 😳 That thought daunted me so much because it's totally opposite my natural personality. It wasn't until people started telling me that my personality was a big part of why people like working me and want me on their teams that I started to learn to play to my strengths 💪

Despite our differences, my manager and I are both effective engineers in our own ways ☺️

Good Girls Get What They Deserve 💸

I have been unashamedly aggressive about what I want in my career.

Worked my butt off 🍑 for 2 promotions in 2 years 🌟 when it usually takes twice the amount of time for both! 🏃‍♀️

Communicated my desire to move into management someday to gain more mentorship / project leadership roles and experience 🤓

Your own growth and trajectory is what you have the most control over. Sometimes that means taking a well-deserved break, other times that means hustling and negotiating and networking until you make your dreams a reality.

I've lost count of how many companies I've applied to before landing this job and how many mistakes I've needed to correct even in my current position! So sometimes too, maintaining control means realizing that when you are denied/fail to attain certain opportunities, it makes you available to attend to others that may even be better suited to you in the long-run! 🏃‍♀️

💌: Say it with me, ladies: 🕯️❤️ The new year will be my year! I got this! ❤️🕯️

[azures-bazar]

How would the gang members react to the female reader being a highly skilled badass martial artist and supermodel? I don’t mind if it’s headcannons or a a write up! Hope this is okay! Love your blog 💖

Headcanon - Strong martial artist - Female!Reader

Hi there anon, thank you for your request ! This is my very first headcanon, I hope you’ll like it ! I don't know much about martial arts, unfortunately :')

Overall gang members and Arthur, John, Dutch, Hosea, Sadie, Javier, Charles and Sean head canons ! In case you want other gang members, feel free to tell me and I’ll add them ! :D

I haven't found the right format yet, I'll keep trying to make headcanons to get better at it ! Please excuse my mistakes :')

Request : Female!Reader

Characters : Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Dutch Van der Linde, Hosea Matthews, Sadie Addler, Javier Escuella, Charles Smith, Sean MacGuire

Relationship : Ambiguous, flirtatious, friendly, protective

Lines : About 8 per character

Overall gang members : 

Well, let’s be honest : Everyone is actually impressed by the way you fight because no-one in the gang knows much about martial arts. You’re the very first gang member who is mastering this combat style !

And oh my god, you’re so gorgeous when you fight ! Everyone says it, even Bill and Micah, in their own way. 

You’re also really skilled with guns, which leads a few gang members to be jealous of you. How can you be so beautiful, so strong and so skilled at once ? It’s not fair ! 

Even if you’re coming back to camp badly wounded and bleeding, while the whole gang is worried about you, you’ll sit down and take care of yourself without any help. 

Because, you know… it’s just a flesh wound. 

No one dares bothering you whenever you’re mad. Most gang members have seen how fierce you are, they seriously won’t try messing with you. 

However, Bill and Micah did try once. They ended up badly hurt and never did that again. 

The girls admire you so much that Mary-Beth created a fictional character inspired by you. 

You are an absolute model to follow, not only because of your beauty, but also because you know how to fight for yourself and won’t hesitate calling people off if anyone is in danger. 

And men respect you, despite some of them keep taunting you because you’re a woman who knows how to fight… which is something quite common in 1899. 

Arthur Morgan : 

Arthur knows how to fight with his fists, but in a different way. His technique is a little bit less… subtle, but he has broken as many feller's bones as you did. 

However, he never had the opportunity to beat you when you’re having some friendly fights. You’re very quick, his fists never end up on your face. But don’t worry, he would never hurt you and can measure his own strength because he’s somewhat scared to cause you harm. 

He wants you to teach him about martial arts, but is too shy to ask since he’s not much flexible and believes he would look ridiculous. 

However, he secretly tries imitating your fighting positions when being out of sight, since he doesn’t want anyone to see him. He struggles at times, especially while trying to perform some high kicks on a nearby tree.

His muscles often end up sore and he says he just slept in a bad position. However, just by looking at these bruises on his legs and hands, you can quickly guess he’s lying. 

He’s absolutely mortified when seeing you coming back to camp covered in bruises, and spends a lot of time trying to stitch your wounds up even if you tell him you don’t need his help. 

You’re amongst the most beautiful women Arthur has ever seen. He likes drawing you, no matter what you’re actually doing. "She's a strange woman, fierce and skilled soul hidden beneath an angel's face." he wrote.

He trusts your skills whenever you’re going on robberies. He knows how good you are with guns, but also with your fists. And yet… he can turn into a protective bear whenever he sees someone take the advantage. 

John Marston :

Just like Arthur, John never beat you during your friendly fights. You’re literally invincible and John likes teasing you to make you loose. However, it doesn’t affect you… and you still pin him to the ground without a struggle.

However, he says he won just once, despite everyone knows it is not true. Even Jack knows you never loose a fight. Aunt Y/N can’t loose against his pa’ ! 

You tried teaching him about your skills… but let’s be honest : John was not really a good student. He kept moving like crazy, fell quite often due to his overall lack of balance… and broke his arm. 

Twice. 

Whenever he’s tasked to rob a stagecoach or a train, John brings you in because you know how to fight, and because you’re almost a human shield. You can’t even count the number of times you had to fight folks while John was lockpicking a chest. 

He often comments about your beauty and says how surprising it is to see such a gorgeous-looking lady being able to fight and win against men which are twice her weight. 

When you’re caught in a brawl together, he often taunts you about having your beautiful face bruised. "It’d be a shame to have such a sweet angel-like face scarred like mine, huh ?". Indeed, it would, but it would only give you even more charisma. 

And you taunt him on his scars in return, but he likes that. 

Dutch Van Der Linde : 

Dutch is absolutely amazed by your fighting skills and obviously doesn't try messing with you. Even if he needs something and you're not in the mood, he won't try anything.

He literally sees you win your friendly fights against his sons on a daily basis, he doesn’t stand a chance. Even if he's the leader of your gang and your "boss", as he often says.

You’re the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He won't hesitate gently courting you on a daily basis… even when Molly is around. Mostly when Molly is around. "The toughest pretty girl in the world !" he always says when seeing you.

Despite being obviously aware of your skills, as soon as you’re coming back to camp, you MUST be protected, especially when you’re covered in bruises. You're not leaving his tent until you feel a little better.

He will spend some time applying a balm he asked Hosea to make while begging you to be careful next time. He wants your beautiful face and body to remain as perfect as it already is.

Dutch loves watching your trainings, finding you gorgeous and, somehow, very lovely. He admires you but feels frightened whenever he witnesses you chopping some wood with your forearms.

He likes having you under his wing, knowing that such a beautiful gem, so fierce and strong, mastering martial arts while being absolutely calm under any circumstances, needs to be guided. 

He is afraid about you loosing faith in him. He doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of your fists… or your guns. 

Hosea Matthews : 

Hosea is a Cowboy Dad™, he wants to protect you even if he knows how strong you are, and secretly enjoys taking care of you. You’re such a beautiful and wild gem ! 

Especially when you’re trying to explain him that you don’t need his help. He finds pleasure in seeing you pushing him away out of pride. You know he’s not patronising, he just genuinely cares about your wellbeing.

No matter how badass or how strong you are, if you’re hurt, he's going full dad mode. Don’t try anything against it, you’re not going to escape him and his numerous plant-based balms. "It’s for your own good, sweetheart." he always says. It truly is. 

He likes watching you fight against John and Arthur, just to witness their priceless faces every time they loose against you. After all, it’s such a funny even to witness ! 

Hosea also claps his hands to support each one of you during these short fights. It’s so amazing to see you pin Arthur to the ground, knowing how much he weights. 

He won’t hesitate telling you how beautiful you are, no matter what you’re wearing or what you are doing. How can such a beautiful lady be this skilled ? He often thinks about it and tell how proud and absolutely in awe he is whenever you're around him. 

Hosea somewhat supervises your trainings and tries cheering you up whenever something doesn’t go your way. "It’s alright, my sweet darling. Just try again !" can be heard whenever you miss your target or accidentally fall on the ground. 

Even if you’re one of the most skilled gang members, Hosea is always worried about you going on robberies but knows everything will be alright, as long as you don’t follow Bill or Sean. 

Sadie Adler : 

You and Sadie share a lot in common, no wonder why you’ve been good friends for a while already ! The two of you are fierce and strong, and absolutely beautiful, indeed !

She doesn’t know anything about martial arts, but now she wants to be able to fight just like you. She would ask you to teach her what you know every morning, which is very sweet. It's lovely to see her excited like that !

She loves the way you walk back to camp after a robbery or a brawl and always asks you how many limbs you broke. Also, the two of you share this common independence whenever you need to stitch up your own wounds, not needing anyone’s help. 

Sadie is already very skilled and is a quick learner, but she did not succeed in winning a fight against you yet. 

However, last time the two of you had a friendly fight, she nearly won ! In a couple of months, she might be able to pin you to the ground !

She admires you as much as you admire her, you’re the perfect pair to be sent on raids against O’Driscolls or on random robberies. You always come back victorious… and wounded, but going on raids with Sadie is so much fun ! 

The two of you kinda scare the rest of the gang because of how skilled you are with your fists and with your guns. Amongst them, Bill is the most frightened. 

She finds you gorgeous and won’t hesitate telling everyone about how she feels whenever you’re around her. She often compliments you because, according to her, you deserve it !

Javier Escuella : 

Javier is absolutely blown away by your fighting skills and begs you to teach him how to fight like you ! "Like this, Y/N ? Like this ?" is his favourite quote whenever he tries imitating you, he sounds adorable. 

Just like Sadie, Javier is a quick learner but tends to feel a little too excited whenever you compliment his overall flexibility. He would like to show more in order to impress you !

Javier laughs during your friendly fights because, sometimes, he has no idea about what he’s currently doing. He is very good with guns, this is what he often tells you. 

Watching you during your daily trainings makes his heart melt as he finds you gorgeous, even while breaking wooden crates with your legs. 

He is flirty, nobody denies it. Javier loves walking around you and often compliments your beauty by rewarding you with some adorable nicknames in Spanish. 

You’re called leona, cariña, reina… at times, he teases you by calling you chiquita, but you like it anyway. A chiquita who knows how to fight and has broken a hundred bones in her lifetime. 

He sings ballads about you and mentions how gorgeous and strong you are, but only he can understand what he’s talking about… unless you know Spanish. 

If you’re wounded after a job, Javier will take care of you. And you won’t be able to resist his insisting stares ! If he wants to take care of you, he will do it. 

Charles Smith : 

Charles doesn’t talk much, but he actually admires the way you fight and smiles at you. He always falls out of time while gazing at you during your trainings, feeling mostly impressed but also charmed. 

He has seen how good you are to fight and care for yourself, so he trusts you when you have to do jobs together. He really likes having you around !

He finds you absolutely beautiful but only tells it to you when there is no-one else around, believing you and only you should hear him. "You're a wonderful person, Y/N." he often says.

As far as you can recall, Charles publicly complimented you twice : one time because of an outfit he found beautiful, the other time because of your ease at pinning men down following a brawl at the saloon. 

He did not tell you about it yet, but he absolutely loves watching you walk around in your most beautiful outfits… and fight wearing them. 

If you try teaching him about martial arts, he will most likely end up teaching you what he knows about wild animals and how to hunt them. He feels grateful towards you for everything you can teach him. 

If you don’t have one yet, Charles would craft you a bow for you to hunt with him. He takes his sweet time to teach you how to use your new bow and is very proud of you no matter what you're doing with it.

Despite fully trusting you, Charles is worried whenever you’re badly wounded and will take care of you, just like he does with anyone he loves. He knows you’re a tough cookie, but also needs to know you’re alright. 

Sean MacGuire 

Sean is clueless about what martial arts are. He genuinely believed you were talking about marital arts, making him feel confused to learn that what he thought to be the art of fancy weddings was actually a large set of fighting techniques. 

He is in awe whenever you fight and is overwhelmingly excited when you try teaching him what you know. He looks like an hyperactive child who doesn’t really know how to stand still, but it’s kinda fun to watch. 

His overall careless behaviour caused him to fall numerous times. He nearly lost another tooth while training with you, but laughed all the time, holding back some tears of pain. 

"Me Da’ used to say women who know how to fight are the most beautiful women !" is his favourite quote. Indeed, you know how to fight, and Sean won’t lie to you about your beauty ! You are gorgeous, so beautiful and charming ! 

He admires how stern-faced you are whenever you stitch up your own wounds. He tried doing it once, but ended up screaming… so Arthur finished the job. But don’t remind him about it. 

Whenever you’re doing jobs with him, you know you should not follow his lead. His carefree attitude makes a stark contrast with your calm behaviour, but he somewhat knows he’s safe with you, and believes you’re safe with him too... which isn't completely true.

He likes teasing you at times, giving you some sweet nicknames while falling from his seat whenever he’s drunk. He’s hopeless, but it’s fun to watch him like this. He likes calling you pretty doll, sober or not. 

Sean is quick to compliment your beauty, he often shouts some of them from the other side of the hideout for everyone to hear him. The whole gang needs to know about it, and everyone agrees with him on that ! 

[1000punks]

okay, so i think i've cracked the code

on why the girls, gays and theys all really like BG3

the short answer is the subversion of toxic gender stereotypes and the more or less relateable themes that each character has come up in game, or are implied, long answer under the cut

lots of people have been posting about individual (main and supporting) character motivations, yes but i haven't really seen any analyses based on gender and/or romance situations quite yet (please feel free to point me to them, i love discourse) as well, i am well aware that the romanceable characters are scare quotes "player-sexual" for the most part, but some elements of the gendered experience may feel more relateable to certain groups of players than others. i'm going to refrain as much as i can from making moral judgements (in terms of motivations and alignments) because all of these characters are morally complex. let's take it on a case by case basis, starting with the women in the game (minthara isn't included since i haven't done a playthrough with her as a companion yet :'D): Karlach

Karlach seems like this huge butch imo, but from what i can see she has to battle with the touch starved-ness. i guess you could make the argument here that that feeds into a stereotype about stone butches, but i think it presents a very relatable (and honest) representation of how a LOT of queer folks, especially queer non-men, deal with being touch starved. i think one thing that potentially a lot of queer women and femme-identifying folks can relate to is the fear of being "imposing" in wlw relationships. for example, i would say the fear of coming off as "creepy" or "dangerous." and inversely, the feeling of relief when you're assured that that isn't the case. the other thing that comes up, i think, with Karlach is that there's this stigma surrounding masculine women. for one, she towers over everyone else, and she's a barbarian. on the surface level, that can be extremely intimidating, obviously. but playing through her romance, understanding that she is capable of and honestly, exudes tenderness -- and the majority of which being without touching/sexuality, is just... it's really important y'all okay? Shadowheart

my personal favourite thing about Shadowheart and her storyline is that even if she appears very feminine, there is no part of the game that i can see (thus far) that has railroaded her into that stereotype. not even with the armour choices. in my file, the armour i've picked for her "end-game" level 12 armour is the shar justiciar armour she gets in the gauntlet. it's not stereotypically feminine at all. historically in video games, armour that covers everything on a woman's body (i will bring this up re: Lae'zel as well) is uhh.. really fuckin hard to find.

the other thing is while she may be very femme-coded, she doesn't necessarily use "stereotypical" seduction methods in her romance scenes. her first one is sharing wine with you and kissing, that's pretty much it, right? and if you call her beautiful, instead of acting coy, she says "i know." and thanks you for noticing. she doesn't need someone to simper over her and tell her that. she's also never shy about telling you exactly what she wants, whether in a romantic or platonic situation. picasso, i like it. Lae'zel

jesus, what can i start with here? this woman is an extremely skilled fighter, wears heavy armour, wields a fucking greatsword that's bigger than she is, all while being like, 5 feet tall. her first romance scene shows me that she is interested in sex but is primarily concerned with her own pleasure (this can be read in a positive or negative way of course: positive being she is getting hers, and negative being not concerned with her partner's pleasure). not only that but she is not interested in having kids at all, based on in-game dialogue. and like i mentioned with shadowheart, her armour (most of the gith armour options you can put her in, i would guess) are full sets of armour - minus the admittedly a little weird lack of butt coverage on most of the gith plate and half-plate that i've seen her in. uhh, yeah- wow. in a romance, it seems like she fits the "shrew" stereotype, but i argue that for lae'zel, it's more about respecting Tav than it is about swooning over them (and knowing that they're passionate). if she doesn't respect Tav, there's no way she's going to share a bed with them, never mind anything else. that to me, shows a woman who has self-respect, which isn't often something shown so strongly in a video game/media in general especially when it's written by men (which is fucking unfortunate!! i hate it!!) i think this is beaten over our heads as players most blatantly when she challenges you to a fucking duel in act 2 and then if Tav wins she boinks them right in the middle of camp. Jaheira

Jaheira is old enough to have adult children, for one. i know she's an elf, and there's some in-game dialogue that alludes to her having extended her lifespan, etc. but for argument's sake, let's say she's middle aged - she is in friggin' top physical condition. and while during the events of bg3 she is a widow, you think that's gonna stop her from meeting her goals? not only that, but her adventures didn't suddenly stop when she became a mother. there's not much of a romance element to her storyline, but she's definitely biffing off a lot of stereotypes about older women and mothers here.

the men - most of my arguments here are going to come back to the utter lack of hypermasculinity/toxic masculinity:

Wyll

he talks about dancing with you in his first romance scene, not seducing you - in fact, he shares a really chaste kiss and then is like "but now isn't the time to jump into bed, actually." he friggin blushes, because thinking about a romance with you gets him all giddy. the man dances for you. then he goddamn proposes to you like a proper gentleman. he is concerned with family. he's concerned with Karlach's well-being. he's concerned with other people's emotions, and is extremely considerate of them. he's pacted with Mizora, not some unseen super masc devil. Mizora the friggin danger femme. lastly, and i think this is really important: Wyll, regardless of a high-fantasy setting, is a black man. i am well aware that eschewing the many stereotypes of hypermasculinity in regards to black men specifically, cannot be undone with one video game, but i think it does a lot. it could do more, of course - but i feel that Larian made a wholehearted attempt with this specifically.

Minsc

the man is large and very visually "stereotypically masculine," yes, but all of his actions are either influenced by Jaheira or Boo. case closed, your honor. i'm joking. but really, Minsc respects and admires Jaheira intensely as a comrade. and what she thinks seems to matter more to him than his own motivations. that's what made it so easy for the Bhaalist assassins to manipulate him - they just had one person pose as Jaheira. boom.

Halsin

another very visually "stereotypically masculine" man, yes- but i have three things: he's open to polyamory that is represented in the game more or less in a healthy way he's very concerned with consent, both in a monogamous romance or a polyamorous one - this includes the bear scene, he does ask about it before like, barrelling into it (and no i'm not poking that bear any more than i have to in this post) uhh, have you heard him talk to/about Tav? my my. not only that but this man is quite literally built like a bear, yet he is a druid, literally about all things nature. you could make the argument that this subverts the nature/culture; emotion/reason debate as it relates to gendered roles.

Gale

okay so, not only has it been confirmed/alluded to by in-game dialogue that Gale does the cooking for the camp- (specifically by Wyll if i recall correctly), he's also just a fairly forthcoming person with his feelings and insecurities. i know a lot of people have deemed that a bit annoying, but i do think there is some value in it. for example, he is a little self-deprecating about being a bad kisser, but it's his way (especially if you read him as autistic) of saying "hey, i'm insecure about this and i usually spend a lot of time alone in a mother fucking tower in waterdeep." i.e. i don't exactly know how to do this. he's an honest, giving, and kind man, and is just as likely to show you as he is to tell you how his heart and mind function. he wants you to understand him. he's also very idealistic- that of course can be a double edged sword, but i think he comes by it honestly as well. given his background with Mystra. i shouldn't even need to mention it but the way the "with you i forget my goddess" and the "you would really prefer me as i am?" lines wrench my heart- like, okay that's very romantic but he's also (imo) accepting that he, a human man, cannot be perfect. that to me is like anti-toxic masculinity in the sense of accepting that a real relationship is where two people are equals and that it's founded in mutual respect and adoration. not unrequited love and service (especially service).

Astarion

get at me if you want, but this man is in touch with his feminine side. i would personally call him high femme, but that's a little besides the point, he sews, appreciates fashion, yada yada. the next part about him i want to discuss as delicately as possible- he's very forthcoming (once he feels relatively safe and in control of the situation at hand) with his experiences as an ab-se/SA survivor. most men do not have the space to do this, nor are they actively encouraged to share their experiences. and with that, depending on dialogue choices, he wants to cease all intimate contact and go at his own pace. not expecting men to be sexual is kind of big on its own, but given his background, i think it's especially important in his storyline. furthermore, in the spawn!romance stream, he is very explicit about moving forward with Tav as equals.

Raphael

you.. y'all. you already know what i'm going to say regarding the dialogue with Haarlep. i don't really know if i have anything to add besides reiterating that men do not have to be these perfect, virile sexual machines.

Extra Stuff

the emphasis on consent: whether it's in a romance dialogue or if it's the game warning you "you're about to do xyz, are you sure?!"

specifically consent in the romance dialogues though: there are usually 3-4 chances for you as the player to be like "actually, i don't want to do that"

queer couples (npc + npc or pc + companion) are just.. normal. once you get to the lower city you'll hear a ton of ambient dialogue where it will be like "my husband blah blah blah" and you look and it's a gnome and his dragonborn husband standing in the street

uhh, hi larian jumping on the character creator with gender neutral and gender-mixed/mixable options, way to make the player base feel seen. hearing my Tav (Festé) be referred to as "they" in dialogue without issue (especially glaring grammatical ones like i've seen in other games) was really big for me, personally.

openly trans npcs. the defense rests, your honor. okay but imagine my surprise when i hear abigail fucking thorn in a completely missable dialogue scene, where she (the character) talks openly about the fact that she is a fucking trans woman. like.

[mild-lunacy]

The Women in Refrigerators

I've been reading a fantasy that's not a romance by an author I didn't know for decades (for whom I make exceptions), and it's the Tuyo series I recently talked about considering. I was thinking further about books I used to read before my romance fixation began, many more of which had been written by male authors, and the issues that led me-- again and again-- to quit those books in disgust. These are books I really enjoyed-- I considered them well-written, fun, engaging. I'm still a fan of Jim Butcher and Robert Jackson Bennett and haven't written them off entirely in my mind. I plan to come back to them, but. But. The trust has been broken, with these and other male fantasy and sci-fi authors, more than once. More than twice. Many times.

Thinking about how they broke my trust-- Bennett and Butcher specifically, but also others-- I realize what they have in common is the use of fridging, or the Women in Refrigerators trope.

If you read the book(s) in question, it's not like it stands out so horribly-- I mean, there's a plot reason for what happens to kill the female love interest. (Though in one egregious case I remember, the female main character dies after she actually has a baby, with the man who becomes the male main character after her death). It's not like I can't see why the woman 'has to die'. And yet-- mysteriously-- the male best friend almost never dies. The male love interest almost never dies in a non-romantic fantasy/sci-fi that nevertheless has a love interest, written by a female author. It's always that the men feel the need to do this. It just never clarified itself to me that this is what led me to quit reading and retreat to fanfic and/or romance, again and again.

In the case of Jim Butcher, this is an author I had trusted for decades (since the Dresden books are an old series). He has killed a love interest before, but she wasn't a major character, so it wasn't so bad. It's okay to kill minor love interests-- to be clear, plenty of female authors, even female authors writing fantasy romance do this. By 'minor', I mean they aren't super integral to the series, the books don't set them up at any great length, and they're 'just' a love interest.

For example, Sarah J Maas really loves killing off early male love interests in all her fantasy book series-- like clockwork. Same with Kim Harrison. The thing is, though, these early lost love interests-- while painful-- are nevertheless very clearly not that important overall. I don't even know how to explain this properly-- but there's a way to kill off love interests that doesn't feel gross. I don't know if I'd call it 'respectful'. Maybe? The Kim Harrison Hollows books have Rachel's vampire boyfriend, Kisten, die early on. It's a big character impact moment for Rachel, just as Dresden's girlfriends die and have an impact on Harry Dresden. But not so much of an impact on him. Or perhaps it's just a more self-centered kind of impact, possibly.

I don't want to tempt fate, but I'm reasonably certain female authors in general, and Maas or Harrison in particular, wouldn't kill off one half of an 'endgame' pairing. They'd face a reader rebellion, of course. But it's not even that.

I think it's the way these women die, and how they die no matter how important they are. No matter what, the feeling becomes, a woman is just not that important. Not even if she's the main character (though that's going a little far, to be fair).

It's not that I'm saying endgame pairings should have to be sacred or untouchable. It's more subtle than that, although maybe I'd even argue that. If you've spent book after book setting up a character arc and a relationship and built many arcs on top of it, to just discard it is disrespectful both to your characters and your readers, who've been there every step of the way. I guess it's just this sudden realization that they're 'just' characters, and on top of that, 'just' a love interest, and even, possibly, 'just' a female character. That last part is almost certainly uncharitably harsh-- it's just impossible to avoid the feeling.

The thing I like about series about a single character-- the thing I look for entirely outside any interest in romantic pairings-- is just this feeling of being with characters in other worlds that I know well, that I'm enjoying spending time with. They're my friends, almost. I'm 'friends' with Harry Dresden, in a sense, moreso than a 'fan'. And this is the context in which things happen. It's not that I take things personally, but rather that I want things to resolve in a way that's satisfying and comfortable, even if death is involved. With the death of Kisten in the Hollows series, that comfort is about the main character's memory of Kisten, the way he's framed and understood and contextualized later on. Just like in real life, death exists as part of the tapestry of life, and sometimes it's sudden, shocking and raw. But in stories I enjoy, it is... appropriate.

It's a hard thing to explain, except that I know when there's a lack of that respect, that sense of appropriateness. And I know this happens with some regularity with male authors writing about women. How very cliche.

[thekimspoblog]

September, 2029.

*Iris playing video games*

*Jimmy sits down on the couch next to them*

Jimmy: Hey, it's a beautiful Saturday. Let's go do something. I found this place on the Delaware river where you can rent everything, even the fishing poles.

Iris: You want to go fishing?

Jimmy: I dunno. You said sometimes you felt more like a son than a daughter. This is me trying to do the father-son bonding thing. Am I doing it wrong?

Iris: You know what? I'd love to. Sounds fun.

----------

Supply Rental Cashier: Ok Mr. Polastri. You're gonna go down to the banks, between the rowboats and the kayaks. The safety instructor is going to give you a brief orientation about the life jackets and whatnot. Then you and your granddaughter can shove off!

Iris: Hey! That's my dad! (These kinds of misunderstandings were never not embarrassing)

Supply Rental Cashier: Sorry. In any case, enjoy your trip.

_________

Jimmy: Alright now I know you might be a little squeamish using live bait. But you know worms actually have nine hearts. And it's debated whether they even can feel pain in the same way that we-

*Iris stabs the hook clean through the worm perfect on the first try*

Jimmy: Oh look, you got it. Actually, can you do mine? Mine's off-center and it looks like it's already starting to wriggle off the hook. To be honest, I closed my eyes doing it.

___________

Jimmy: So I don't want to be over simplistic about it, but I have to ask. What does this mean in terms of... you know... bringing someone home? I mean girls? Boys? You're almost twelve; I assume you have some idea of who you like by now.

Iris: I dunno. There are some pretty girls I've noticed I guess... What's that look for?

Jimmy: I'm a little relieved, is all. If you had a girlfriend, I'd have advice on how to treat her. If you were my daughter and you had a boyfriend, I'd have advice on how he should be treating you. But two boys? I'm not homophobic or anything; I'd just be out of my depths. I've always gotten along better with women. All the relationships I've had with other men were...

*Jimmy trails off, laughing darkly*

Iris: Dad, I'm still figuring out what gender I am. Let alone whether I'm "gay" whatever that would mean in this context. And besides, I've got too much on my mind right now. Too many things I want to do with my life. Love would just feel like a distraction.

Jimmy: Yeah this is definitely a conversation you should be having with your mom.

Iris: *Loud sigh* You should have seen the look on her face when I came out to her.

Jimmy: You're more alike than you might think.

Iris: I can just tell she doesn't believe me.

Jimmy: Well she has less experience than I do dealing with freaks. And I mean that as a compliment! But seriously, I'd be lying if I said I fully understood it either. But I'm adding a 'yet' to that statement. I'm not a grammar nazi; you want to say 'they/them' is a singular pronoun, who am I to argue? I promise, your mother might not get her head around it, but she'll respect the ground rules you lay down. I think she's just scared. No matter how you look, I think she'd want to tell you not to walk the streets after dark, and to keep your hand over your drink when talking to strangers.

Iris: Her neuroticism is going to crush me.

Jimmy: She's not wrong though.

(Silence)

Jimmy: Come to think of it, I did have one male friend. I've told you about Marco, right?

*Iris nods*

Iris: I've always liked that ring. Can I have it? I mean... when I go off to college or something?

*Jimmy looks off into the sunset pensively, then begins to take the pinky ring off*

Jimmy: Hell, you can have it right now.

______________

*Both admiring the boney minnow they caught*

Iris: Those pole rentals are a rip-off. Next time, we should just buy our own.

Jimmy: You mean it?

Iris: Why did you wait for me to be tomboy before you thought to try this?

Jimmy: If you haven't noticed, I try to avoid the great outdoors whenever possible.

@richeeduvie @2entangledworms @mcwexlerscigarette

[sheher-gayboy]

Reviewed Anatomy of Fall on Letterboxed for the first in my 2023 Oscars Best Picture Review series! Text copied below the cut-off

In Anatomy, Justine Triet shows her documentary background, the camera moves as a quiet interloper, sometimes we see through the eyes of the films characters but more often than not we are a member on the jury deciding on the guilt of Sandra (played phenomenally by Sandra Hüller) in the death of her husband Samuel.

Nominally, this is the film, a courthouse legal drama with a lot of open-ended questions that keeps us guessing on who is at fault, but past the gears of the plot and genre we find a film interested in discussing relationships and the dynamics within them, of power and gender. Sandra is a successful author, Samuel wishes he was as well, Sandra has sex with people other than Samuel, in court she says it wasn't that big of a deal, but we know through Hüller's performance that it very much was and she knew of his resentment, Samuel takes care of their blind son, Daniel, Sandra is interviewed by students. The film gives us much to doubt about the facts of the case, and it does not give any more clarity on the relationship. The film dances around the idea of objective truth, how focusing on emotional moments or forensic evidence creates a black hole, pulling us away from any definitive answer. This is most expertly done with how it handles its victim, we have one scene of him talking (Maybe two, but the second may not have even happened) and it cuts away from the visual of the scene at the most crucial of moments, we only have this small sliver of him to judge, but it is from this we must evaluate his whole life.

With our voyeur status as the audience, the film plays like a true crime documentary with the commentary and interviews cut out and in their place is left a sinking feeling, are we the audience with our own biases and ideas on how a woman and man should be dictating on the case fairly? I left feeling the film answered it's questions definitively, and was fascinated that wasn't a common perception by other critics, even more fascinated when taking into account the gender of the critics. Every male reviewers felt it was a taut, did-she-do-it style thing and the female reviewers thought it a wonderful examination of how we police women and their choices. I'd love to be in the living room of a couple just as they finish and begin discussing this film.

I want to draw special note to this film's audio and its editing, while Sandra is our character of discussion, we as an audience most find ourselves in her son Daniel as his idea of his parents is challenged throughout the film. Daniel is blind as previously mentioned and we get a sense of how he is perceiving every scene that he is in, the bustle of a courthouse and the changes between French and English (I haven't touched on the use of language! Yet another way the film leaves you unsure if the truth is being represented). Extraordinary care was put towards making Daniels perspective known and it pays off.

As an ending, Triet received backlash from the French government when, during her Palme d'Or acceptance speech, she spoke out against Macron's ridiculous plans to increase the retirement age. It is rumored this is what led to her film not being put forward as France's pick for best foreign film at the Oscars. If this is the case, this film deserves best picture, if only to spite a country that doesn't know what its got in Triet.

4 1/2 ⭐

[lynnuvo]

A Love Stuffed in Bánh Bao

It's not often you see Vietnamese representation in fanfiction, so why not offer you a taste?

Pairing: (Y/N) x VietBoyfriend

Not every Vietnamese person will have the same experiences, but a majority will share them. This applies to your boyfriend, who moved to your country in his elementary school days. You both met as colleagues on his first day working at the same restaurant you do. You two became friends, and shortly after you left your job to work at another, your interactions became more than strictly professional. It took some work and a few misunderstandings, but you both eventually started your romantic journey together. Congratulations!

Meeting the Parents Headcannons

it will take some time for him to introduce you to his family. it's not that he wants to hide you; he just doesn't want the gossip of his family to be about a potential ex, so he makes sure he can 100% reasonably see you two remaining together for years to come

nearly an automatic approval if you're Asian (even more so Vietnamese as well); his parents harbor beliefs integrated from their own youth, so approval will be much tougher if you're any other race

no matter race though, the best thing to do is show respect and wow his parents with your successes. your boyfriend will boast about them for you any chance he gets for his parents to like you

if they invite you to events, go whenever you can. compliment their cooking. bring them occasional presents (they'll decline at first but insist; they're curious about you)

do your best not to show more PDA than a small hug, especially if you haven't established yourself in the family yet. it can be uncomfortable

if you manage to win their approval, expect teasing from his mother and jokes from his father. they can't believe he finally got a girlfriend after so long

Affection Headcannons

physical affection levels differ for everyone. in his case, he likes physical touch whenever he can.

begs to cook at your house. if the saying is true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then it must not be that different for women

lives for words of affirmation. tell him you're proud of him, reassure him you'll be there even when times get tough, and please don't make him worried you'll go after his friends

if you fell for a gamer, get ready for the Asian gamer stereotype comments. unlike them though, your boyfriends knows when it's time to turn off his tech and turn to you without a word! and no, he's not flirting with girls in his matches. his sole interactions are gameplay strats and to tell them to be quiet

he might ruin your sleep schedule if you're one to wake early & sleep early. you didn't think years of studying like his life depended on it was without sacrifices, did you? you might have to convince him to sleep with you

Friend Group Headcannons

his friend group is full of handsome guys and gorgeous girls. in fact, he gets along so well with others, you can't tell who he considers his close friends until he either tells you or you observe interactions closely as time passes

please do not compare yourself to the other girls. you're gorgeous as you are. if he finds out, he'll spend more time solely with you until he's 100% sure you're not doing it anymore (or as much)

his close friends welcome you with open arms into the group. they're happy to have a +1 and a partner for their companion

word gets around about you fast. people are curious, and now you have new followers on social media and more people approaching you to talk. I guess you snatched a popular man

you're invited as his plus one to a majority of the events he goes to now

Culture-Related Headcannons

encourages you to match áo dài during Lunar New Year

brings about his lì xì money to you

takes you out to authentic Vietnamese restaurants and tries out those of your culture if you're not also Vietnamese

teaches you Vietnamese curse words because the basics

fights you to pay the bill; he wins most of the time

exhausted from drinking boba with his friends all the time. it's good but there's only so much he can take. please, anything else. but if you really want it, he'll be happy to drink on a date

no shoes in his house other than the mudroom--a relatively basic but important part of his boundaries. if you don't disrespect this, he'll reconsider whether it's worth dating you.

you opened the dishwasher one time and empty plastic bags fell out. a bunch of newspapers were stashed in the very back. you asked him about the latter and he replied, "Those? We never read them. We use them for anything else, though."

expect study dates to be a thing. now his academic successes are not only to make his parents' efforts worth it but also to provide you a lavish life. if his grades start to flunk more than he expected, he'll warn you about his attention moving from you to his studies for a short while. you can stay on call if you'd like; just don't distract him please

[titleleaf]

What are the Bad Hannigram Takes you're encountering? I watched the show but never got too involved in the fandom so I am fascinated

Oh god I'm so sorry, I have no idea how coherent any of this will be if you haven't dipped into the fandom and even for my part I've been mainly watching and reading from afar but hereeeee... are my thoughts. Disclaimer that YMMV, let people have fun, etc., but I am a gigantic hater.

[fandom negativity and a leetle canon-related negativity behind the cut: if for whatever reason you don't want to hear me bitching about people being Wrong On The Internet About A TV Show keep scrolling, mute me, block me, whatever]

Character-specific tunnel vision where Hannibal is the center of the universe -- not just in the sense that he's, yk, the title character of the show and the most memorable character created by Thomas Harris but in the sense that all characters are evaluated by how much they support or obstruct Hannibal's God-given right to do whatever he wants to anybody ever. And my God, it is so, so boring.

Nothing is ever Hannibal's fault, either. Delicate use of the exonerative passive voice — oh it's so sad, Will was framed, Beverly was murdered, Abigail was killed, but by whom? Hard to say! Especially funny when people whip this out regarding shit even Hannibal plainly regrets, like framing Will and then not having Will to hang out with. In general downplaying Hannibal's agency is such a weird move with a character who takes so much pleasure in doing what he wants. "To what extent are people a product of their external influences and life traumas, to what extent is Hannibal capable of not killing" is a whole other conversation but it's just a very odd reading of the character and the show as a text.

Nothing is ever Hannibal's fault, because it's actually the fault of... [scans crowd] that woman over there! Weird misogyny, often overlapping with the above (bc boy howdy, the list of women who Hannibal kills, maims, tortures, or otherwise fucks over is not short — Abigail, Alana, Bella, Beverly, Bedelia, Miriam, Margot, Georgia… I guess Freddie makes it out okay?) but sometimes seemingly just because, or to exonerate Hannibal of all blame for his own actions toward Will, as if this is the kind of show where it’s vitally important our blorbos be morally pure. Like… I’m sorry but I don’t think this is the show for you if that’s the case. People are really weird about Alana, people are really really weird about Bedelia, people are turbo weird about Molly... I'm sure there are people out there being weird about Chiyoh but I haven't encountered them yet, and I feel like there's some uhhhh other factors in play there too.

Baffling ship war stuff even once the canon's long since finished airing. I'm a big multishipper for this fandom so the weird competitive approach where Will and Hannibal's love must be the only real love (or even the only real erotic desire) they've either ever experienced ever is really off-putting. Showrunner Word of God here regarding Will's sexual orientation is in itself a take that annoys me, as a humorless bisexual man, but this is more commonly expressed via weird not-joking "jokes" about how the only reason Hannibal would ever have sex with a woman would be as an elaborate ruse (and how she'd deserve it for being stupid enough to believe he'd be into women) or how Hannibal's a better wife to Will than Molly ever could be. Dude... relax... your pairing has a literal love theme like a 1990s erotic thriller, why are you this insecure. People will do this with characters who don't even appear in the show! Now why is Clarice in it???? I need people to just be normal.

Nice polite sweet tea-sippin' Southern boy Will, and his equally annoying twin brother, Will with an inexplicable and phonetically-rendered Southern accent. 50% me being an extremely sensitive buzzkill about how the text presents Will's childhood and how the romanticized vision of the American South people draw on is superficial and rooted in white supremacist nostalgia, 50% me being a person who can hear Hugh Dancy speak dialogue in a television show and recognize basic American regional accents.

General... accrued fanon, I guess? All the tropes and memes and fandom in-jokes and fandom characterizations that build on one another to the point where their relationship to the show as a text (or to the novels, for that matter) is pretty damn tenuous.

In general, and while I know where this is coming from as a lover of dark stories/horror media/dark and destructive love stories who’s gotten flak for all of that: people getting so defensive about shipping something ~*~*~*problematique~*~* that they take other people talking about the things that textually make their dynamic fucked up (even if they’re talking about those things as something they like or something they enjoy exploring with the canon) as an attack or a sign somebody's Interrogating The Text From The Wrong Perspective. I think the show itself has some narrative weaknesses that lend themselves to this kind of fandom circlejerk but please... please Lord... I just want to write about a really weird guy getting his dick stepped on whilst classical music plays and having the time of his life, why is everyone doing this to me

On the much more benign end of things, “Will is totally normal average everyman while Hannibal is weird and pretentious and fruity” bc it just makes them sitcom parents. Show!Will is a weird fucking guy in his own right! They're both weird! And they're in love!

[bearpillowmonster]

So...Max...Goofy's son.

His arc is pretty brilliant when you break it down because we have this tv show, right? It's called Goof Troop where it builds up Max and his dad just being goofy together and Goofy trying to be a good parent, while Max is just vibing.

Goofy Movie comes out and oh boy! Our boy is a little older, a teenager and he's growing up. This is so far, one of the only main Disney characters that we actually get to see grow up, that's his gimmick. He's suddenly mega embarrassed of his dad and wants to be cool but doesn't want to be a goof. The movie is about finding the balance between doing what you want to do while also making room for others, in this case, your family. Not just a lesson for Max, but for Goofy as well. This is portrayed through Roxanne, who many people already know he has a crush on. She is basically like what all kids had a crush on at that age and Max acts the part. He's awkward around her but he's inexperienced, she is the perfect first girlfriend for him and that's why I don't ship them, she was developmental for him.

Extreme comes around and ok, it's a movie to try and find Goofy a love interest but it manages to do so much more. Some people may be quick to say "Hey, he learned from the first film, why is he embarrassed now?" because Goofy is coming into his realm. He's going to the same college and doing what Max should potentially be doing, it's weird and it's public enough to reflect on Max, now everybody knows who he is. So Max tries to overwrite that by doing something big and grand so that people will talk about that over his own father. TO STAND OUT!

Roxanne is no longer in this movie, partially because Goofy's love life is the main focus here, he's not out here trying to do a double date with his son. But also because Max went through drifting apart from his high school friends (except PJ and Bobby of course) we just don't see that much of it. Roxanne lives away so he only sees her every so often, they still try to make it work. So now Max is exploring different options, we see him gawking at other women throughout, he isn't sure yet what he wants.

Next is House of Mouse, where Max is a valet/waiter. This is his part-time job while he's going to college but how did he get it? His dad knows the owner, Mickey Mouse. There's an episode where he brings Roxanne of all people to the House and he's scared Goofy will try and do something but it's actually NOT Goofy, it's everybody else, it's Goofy who comes in and saves the day. But that's beside the point, that's just to say he's still dating her at this point. He learns how to drive by being the valet and wants his dad to get him his own car, no more driving dad's jalopy! This is the next part of his life after all.

Skip forward to Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas, we see Max coming home for Christmas. Judging from the previous films, his life seemed to step in line with real time so Goofy Movie came out in 95 and Extreme was 2000, technically giving him 5 years to finish high school and get into college. Twice Upon came out in 2004, giving him another 4 years to graduate college so he's probably living on his own at this point. But he's bringing a girl home, Roxanne and him are done, this time he brings Mona. He doesn't know how Goofy will act but begs him not to embarrass him or himself but Mona sees it and she's fine with it, this allows Max to embrace it and be goofy as well. A nice turn around. But I feel Mona is a bit too mature for him, I doubt he ended up with her.

And we haven't seen him properly since. My guess is a few things, they don't want to outplay their hand with him. They don't want to overage him especially when they have characters like Huey Dewey and Louie who don't age nearly as fast but are from the same era. And they were willing to take those risks back then, now it's just whatever. Actually the last recorded reference just had to do with Goof Troop in Chip N Dale but before that was in Ducktales-

We obviously see up to Prom, where he takes Roxanne. I think Disney is fine with referencing everything up to a Goofy Movie but past that is going to be slim. I kind of just want to see him whether it continues his storyline or not but I also know that I don't want another Goof Troop or really much of any of the Disney Afternoon squad because while I like Ducktales, the most recent one is very modernized, I see the 90s as more of a style now than modern. Each part of his arc reflected the last while also progressing the one major theme which was his dad.

He learned to accept Goofy's World.

He learned to let Goofy into his world.

He learned to let other people into Goofy's world AND to embrace it.

[wily-one24]

Weird asks: 1, 20, 34, 43, 46

Here we go!!

Who is/are your comfort character(s)?

Hahahaha. Ok. Well. I guess it depends upon the show i'm watching at the time, doesn't it? I mean, I have favourites in all my shows, but my absolute comfort characters, whom I love and invest in...

Veronica Mars, Emma Swan, Samantha Waters, Olivia Benson, Kaylee Frye, Buffy Summers, Jane Rizzoli, Cordelia Chase.

I have previously stated that I have a type and that type is emotionally damaged but hella strong women who are somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to their own personal safety when it comes to solving a case/getting justice (all of the above women fall into this, except perhaps Kaylee Frye, but she is my 'happy face/light in the darkness' lady, all the rest are my 'strength will rise up from the ashes like a pheonix' ladies).

I have many other faves and likes, however, you can pretty much narrow it down to who I have written fic for. These are my comfort characters, because fic IS my comfort. I have so much free therapy because of fic. I've pretty much written that post before (years ago, I would have to hunt it down) about what each major fic in my life was allegorical to... and I probably don't even WANT to know what my SVU fics are trying to break through in my brain, BUT, when I need comfort, this is where I turn.

Edit to add: Hunted!!

Go here to get a rundown on some self therapy in my major fics.

And here for a more in depth analysis of Paint It Black (question 11).

20. Do you say soda or pop?

No. Neither. I'm Australian. I say "Soft drink". Soda or pop? Pfft, get jumped on. It's SOFT DRINK. I mean, if you're feeling really old fashioned you can say 'Fizzy drink", but nobody really does. Soft drink, thank you.

34. Is there a song you know every word to by heart?

Buah hahahahahaha. Like, I think the easier question to ask there is "is there a song you DON'T know every word to by heart?"

I have a few Spotify playlists, my biggest one is called "Sing Loud", it has 114 songs on it, 6 1/2 hours worth, and I know every single word. Because I *DO* sing loud. And, also, it's worth noting that that is not my entire mind's playlist of favourite songs. Just the ones I sing loudly to. I have full musicals I can sing the entire lyrics to, musical episodes of my favourite tv I sing along to, entire ALBUMS from the 90s that I listed to on my Discman to and from Uni on the train...

OBVIOUSLY, I know most Sheryl Crow songs by heart (at least those pre 2010, I haven't really caught up to her new stuff yet), gimme a bunch of Sarah McLachlan, the Whitlams, No Doubt, Madonna, Machine Gun Fellatio, Garbage... anything from the 90s, a BUNCH of stuff from the 80s. I also like heaps of things from the 70s and some from the 60s, some from 2000 onwards as well. My taste is rather eclectic.

You don't quite know the range of eclectic until someone on the train watches fascinated as you take Rob Zombie out of your Discman and swap it for Sarah McLachlan. I got some *weird* looks.

My brain is very lyrically inclined and I remember so many words to so many songs, it's insane. If I like a song, I will listen to it over and over again until I get the lyrics right. Which, I have to say is so much easier NOW than it was back in the 80s, when you had to hover around your stereo so you could press play/record simultaneously the second your favourite song came on the radio just so you could have a copy...

But, yeah, once I like a song and I've heard it a few times, those lyrics are BURNED into my brain forever. That's why so many of my fics are song titles. Paint It Black, Memory Cloud, Wicked Game, Foolish Game, The Girl of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares), The White Room, Hybrid Lives, Silver and Cold, Spoonful of Sugar, Breaking the GIrl... etc... and those are just off the top of my head. This is why I used to vid, decades ago.

43. What’s your take on spicy foods?

There's a take? I like somewhat spicy foods.

I do not like stupidly spicy foods, to the point that it hurts and you can't breathe and it's basically a competition of how much you can hurt yourself to win... that's not fun for me.

But I do like a bit of kick. I like spicy thai curries, and mexican chillis, and jalepenos, something that doesn't necessarily want to kill you, but does bite back a little.

I am sensible with my spice level.

46. Favorite holiday film?

TBH, I'm not really sure I have one.

I mean, Die Hard is always a Christmas Classic, I guess? I'm not really one to sit around and watch a Christmas movie or... is there such a thing as an Easter movie? A Queen's Birthday movie? Ramadan? The Melbourne Cup? I don't really know.

(Well, there's probably a few movies about the Melbourne Cup, now that I think about it).

I'm not against them, per se, like if there was a movie on and it looked interesting and it was the holiday times and happened to focus on that holiday, I'm not going to turn it off, but I'm not going to seek out that specific movie.

The only real special holiday thing I watch each year... might be the Carols By Candlelight on Christmas Eve and the New Year's Eve Countdown, but those are not necessarily movies. They're not. One is a concert and one is... well... a countdown retrospective of the year and some fireworks.

I guess the Christmas movies always seemed a little too... faked for me. Maybe it was all the happy families (so fake) or the overly twee messages (please) ... maybe it was all the fucking snow and over the top decorations that seem to be uniquely American.

I don't think I've EVER seen a Christmas movie that represents what I know as Christmas, in the middle of summer in Australia.

@dahllaz

[60iq120eq]

Ships on Attack on Titan

Isayama clearly didn't intend to designate one person associated with Levi romantically.

Whether he will ever admit or not, he reflects his feelings and understanding of world through his creations and his views on romantic relationships and partners. In this case he is a heterosexual, mostly, male, so his views on female partners can be deduced from his work. It's not shown in manga, ever, that Levi is popular amongst women. However, Petra had feelings for Levi clearly.

Isayama's favorite female character, or his ideal female image is(of course, pre-marriage) Hange. Yes he loves Mikasa, but it's more of his suggested female image for younger girls; strong, royal and secure. He loves Mikasa as his niece. There is no single best features of women that is likened by every men, but I guarantee, being older and interacted in work settings, there's absolutely no men in the scout that secretly don't fancy Hange. Hange is a woman that makes certain men's heart beat like no other. Yes, even without big boobs. Here certain men I'm referring to are the men with brain who are serious with the work. She is quirky, but she is so resolute, smart, strong and brave. She is someone you want to be dominated by, not you want to control out of pure physical attraction. And of course, Moblit shows explicit royalty to Hange that may or may not be due to his personal feelings for her. The manga scene where Mobile looks at the direction of Hange shows he is serious with his dedication to support her, or his love for her.

Here I pointed out that Isayama killed those two characters; moblit and Petra. Furthermore, he killed_he let Levi let Erwin die. Because he loved him so much? No I think because he wanted Hange to himself!!(jk...)

I don't care about all spin-offs of the manga, no regret, junior high etc... From the original manga, Levi constantly looks at one person, that is, Hange. Of course with scowl in his face, he stares at Hange but never was against her or being malicious against her. He thinks highly of her but most importantly, Hange surprises him. He looks at her like something he has never seen before. I hope he will hash out his feelings, or he knows it already but has no intention to let her know. After Erwin's death, there's no other people other than them two, and it became his duty to protect her at all cost.

In the last panel with Hange and Levi, Levi jokingly said to Hange, "You haven't forgot about Titans, have you?" That's right. All the suitable men for you are gone, but you are still flirting with a titan in front of me... And interestingly they were not looking at each other as they spoke. Hange easily could have turned her head towards Levi as she responds to his snarky remark. Talking about their feelings are not something that Japanese adults do, especially eye-to-eye. Also it got confirmed by Hange bringing up "are we proud in front of fallen comrades..." How can it be so obvious?? They are talking about something very private, which they feel ashamed of, just as Armin and Annie's conversation where Annie was embarrassed that they were confirming each other's feeling towards each other.

I don't know whether something happened between them_anything slightly romantic but Isayama is putting it out there, guarding any guesses firmly, because you know, these are Hange's last scenes. He's communicating that Hange and Levi have very special yet private bond that is subtle but far beyond friendship.

Evidences targeting adults are so clear and loud. However, you can't imagine something you haven't gone through, just like your parents' intercourse that happens while you're sleeping.

[stellaron-hunter]

hiiiiiii i saw you posting about himekafka and would you mind sharing some thoughts...... i dont really ship them (yet) but im Curious

hii!!

ok so kafhime is mostly fan-content to be entirely honest with you, as they have one (1) canon interaction. (i kinda have to check my game on this tbh, i haven't checked hsr voicelines) that interaction thouuuugh

both of them knew each other before their first actual meeting which i think have lead to most of the exes fan theories (guilty tbh, i know that it is only logical that they know each other BUT c'mon)

and himeko can't just drop a "we are not about to get in bed with a stellaron hunter" and not expect the gays to go WILD, like i am talking feral levels who was talking about getting into bed with anyone, hm?🤨

i personally love enemies-to-lovers, they tend to be much longer and complex (this is all my opinion, please no one bite my head of this is incredibly subjective) compared to strangers-to-lovers/friends-to-lovers, as they have to go through a greater character arch to put aside their difference(s)/conflict(s)

i also love-love-love the trope of one character (in this case kafka, even though that such a fanonized view of her, because her in-game character is actually always very sweet with stelle. i am no better than a twitter user i am not even sorry, at least i am self-aware) being only soft with that one other character™

i was also so hungry for a good enemies-to-lovers mihoyo/hoyoverse ship and that it is between two of my favorite star rail characters is just *chef's kiss*

i personally enjoy watching/reading how the dynamic works out&how they clash together over and over again even after getting to the lovers part of the relationship. reading about how they work their conflicts out and work out in the end just feels very rewarding to me (and if they don't work out then you can find me weeping in the corner for the next five days)

i am unsure what draws me into so much tbh, i like putting women who banter with each other into situations (the situations are often very gay - i am self-indulgent; i guess that's why i also enjoy eimiko too)

[trialbystory]

On Death of the Author

So there's a, to use the marketing jargon, 'highly-anticipated' game about a certain fictional school of magic that's also been getting a bunch of negative press that is, depending on who you ask, either blown out of proportion, wholly misplaced, or completely damning. And since it comes out in roughly a week, here's what I think about the question of whether or not it's okay to like things that were created by bad people. Y'know, if you're interested in my personal take.

So Hogwarts Legacy, amirite? A game set to finally deliver on the long-held fantasy of so many kids from my generation of not only being a Witch or Wizard, but going to Hogwarts and getting to use your magic to be the Big Damn Hero. But also a game pretty heavily surrounded by controversy; the original lead designer left/was removed after outrage over his social media posts and his involvement in an anti-SJW youtube channel, the game's story appears to revolve around putting down the in-universe historic rebellion of a certain class of magical creatures that in the books' modern era are just kind of casually oppressed, and one particular element of the story drew comparisons from some to literal Nazi propaganda. Oh, and the whole fact that one J.K. Rowling turns out to be pretty hostile to trans folks. And yet this game is still at or near the top of a lot of people's must-play lists for this year. Is it okay to still want the game? I mean, buying it supports the devs, right? But I guess the devs got their paycheck for doing their job, J.K.'s the one who'll be getting sales-based royalties. But at this point she's a multimedia duchess, not buying a copy of this one game is a drop in the bucket to her. And round and round it goes. All aboard the logic train, Choo Choo!

Ultimately, from where I'm standing, there's not a strict answer. Everyone's gotta find their own line in the sand. And it's going to vary from situation to situation. I haven't felt the desire to watch FireFly since all the stuff came out about Joss Whedon harassing people on set and being 'casually cruel' to the women he worked with. I refuse to watch the several PPVs each year WWE holds in Saudi Arabia, but I still watch their normal product.

Roosterteeth turns out to have been a kind of terrible company, with scandals or awful people or both having come out of pretty much all their outward-facing departments at this point, but I still love RWBY.

And yeah, I've been a Harry Potter fan nearly all my life (though if we're being honest I personally think the Circle of Magic books by Tamora Pierce are the better story about magically-inclined children and young adults), but when it came out that J.K. was an utter shitbird I pretty much stopped engaging with the official media at all. I like the world and I enjoy reading various fanfics, but I haven't gone back to reread the actual books, or revisited any of the movies, and I don't really have the same enthusiasm for this game that a lot of people seem to.

I've always been a proponent of the idea that the creator is separate to their creation, but sometimes there's stuff that I can't ignore. And yeah, what that tipping point is for me may not exactly be consistent, but to me it just makes sense that it should be taken on a case-by-case basis. There's too many moving parts to generalize it.

At the end of the day, all of us make our own bargain with the grim realities of consumption. I won't be buying Hogwarts Legacy. I have a friend who's on the fence but probably will be. This won't kill our friendship, we've just come to different decisions on where the line is, and we understand each other's reasoning. Next time I do one of these walls of text I promise it won't be such a downer.