#i prefered not to read your options first so i wouldn't be influenced!!

[thomas-mvller]

I was tagged by Lise, Lin and Ander (aka @acrazybayernfan , @thommi-tomate and @miasanmuller) to do this veeeery interesting tag game! thank you all 🤗

What's your top 10 most memorable bayern matches?

In no particular order:

8 - 2 vs Barcelona: I mean, pretty self explanatory. It was like our 7 - 1 in brasil 2014.

5 - 1 vs Wolfsburg: literally who would've thought we'd witness a literal world record happen in front of our very own eyes in less than TEN MINUTES? that was absurd but in a good way! till this day i feel bad for vfl's keeper to the point i remember his name JAJAJJA

1 - 0 vs PSG: i was going through some stuff around that time (and believe it or not it wasn't because of the pandemic or anything related to it) so i was really not with my head in the game sort of speak, i literally watched the match in zombie mode until the goal happened and there i woke up a little and then when the match ended i bursted out crying JAJAJJA, it was like the perfect occasion to release emotions and it literally brightened my day, it was just what i needed that moment!

4 - 2 vs Juventus: i legit have this match downloaded on my laptop, in fact i watched it fairly recently! it's just the fact that we literally had ALL THE ODDS against our favor, losing during 90 minutes only for thomas to score literally on stoppage time AND THEN secure the match in less than two minutes? that was WILD! probably the most memorable in my book.

2 - 1 vs Köln: look, for the sake of transparency i didn't watch the match when it happened. It's not that i lost hope but rather they played very early and i prioritized my sleeping time 😂 but idk how effective that was since i slept like shit knowing deep down this was the title defining match going neck to neck against the bees nonetheless! but surprisingly i woke up just when both matches ended and i remember asking here "WHAT HAPPENED" and someone said "we won bundes!!" and then seeing the dash's reaction and finding out we won during the last minute + the bees blew it.... my jaw hit the floor omg.

4 - 0 vs Chicago Fire: I know this was a friendly but it was Bastian's farewell match and dude..... it was so emotional. Seeing him cry his heart out in a dim light stadium where everyone were cheering on him while a spotlight focused on him was just too heartwarming. Seeing club legends retire is never easy so i hope that doesn't happen ANY TIME SOON 😭

2 - 1 vs Dortmund: now this one is extra special because at the time i was familiar with bayern thanks to mr bavaria but i wasn't exactly a die hard "must watch every match" kind of fan, it was more of a casual thing and i remember coming back from school or something, turning on the tv and i swear to GOTH literally thirty seconds later robben scored and i was so confused about everything until the match ended and i was like "oh, they won a trophy, that's nice :))".......it was later when i realized the importance of the entire thing 🤪

vs Villareal: now i know this sounds weird but like, there hasn't been a day where i don't question myself "how the everloving fuck did we lose against them?". ALL THEY DID was make all eleven players defend their area, that's literally it.... AND YET WE COULDN'T BEAT THEM! I AM STILL DUMBFOUNDED AND CAN'T GET OVER IT.

1 - 3 vs Liverpool: once again.... i know this is odd given bayern lost...... but these are my two favorite teams of all time. I remember when it was announced both teams were playing against each other i felt personally attacked, i literally couldn't decide who to cheer on, every goal felt bad, every attack felt bad, and seeing how bayern lost in horrible fashion it was like... i couldn't even celebrate for lfc, i was in neutral mode and it was wild. At least it eventually led lfc to win ucl but still, it was 180+ minutes of double tension 😵‍💫

7 - 2 vs Tottenham: honestly how can you forget this one? it was absurd! serge came out for blood that day, against the sp*rs nonetheless!!!! i know we always joke about bayern destroying london teams but this was just unexpected, right now i feel like rewatching 😂

I'm pretty sure i'm missing one or two matches that shook me to the core, but i guess these will do rn. It was fun!

Tagging people from my latest bayern gifset because i know everyone has been tagged already so feel free to ignore this if so: @fabioquartararhoe @probayern @chelleisamazing @youknowitsworthfightingfor @dieclownschaft @gxtzeizm @uncoolfc @fcbalding @shrimpeon @be-lucky-again @colorsofmyseason @angry-pinscher @miss-i-ship-it and whoever wants to do this! just say i tagged you and you're it! :D

[mah-o-daryaa]

ATLA Modern AU: Avatar Edition

This is going to be a slightly different post. I don't think people ever consider the past Avatars in an AU set in a modern setting. Where do you think they would come from, if they had IRL nationalities?

For sake of simplicity, let's say the AU takes place in the United States, since most ATLA Modern AU fics I've read take place there, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area. We could also use NYC as the setting, since Republic City is roughly based on 1920's Manhattan. I think this task would be much easier if we consider the real-life influences for each of the four nations. I'll be using this post as a reference for these influences.

For example, the Air Nomads are based off of Tibetan Buddhists with some Nepalese and Bhutanese influences, so it would be pretty obvious to make Aang Tibetan in a Modern AU. The same would also go for Yangchen, although I would personally prefer Bhutanese or Sikkimese Yangchen because the Western Air Temple (I'm not talking about the episode) is inspired by Bhutanese cliffside temples. Another option would be making both Aang and Yangchen part of a Tibetan diaspora living in India. Kyoshi, being half-Air Nomad, would also be of Tibetan ancestry.

The Fire Nation is inspired by a combination of Chinese and Japanese cultures, while Ember Island being inspired by Southeast Asian, mostly Thai and Cambodian culture. In a Modern AU, I can see Roku being Thai, while Wan and Szeto would most likely be Chinese, Szeto is from Hong Kong/Macau. I also have a particular desire for Korean Wan, for no other reason than the fact that his VA, Steven Yeun, is Korean. I also wouldn't mind Wan being part of a Chinese diaspora from Malaysia or Singapore.

The Earth Kingdom, being the largest and most diverse of the four nations, is inspired by many Chinese dynasties, various ethnic minority groups in China, and even other Asian cultures altogether. However, we'll be paying attention to one specific cultural influence in Kyoshi's appearance: Heian/Edo Japan. She wears samurai gear and kabuki makeup. How in the name of the Moon Spirit am I not supposed to make Kyoshi Japanese (half-Japanese, anyway)? Kyoshi Island, formerly known as Yokoya, is literally ATLA's equivalent to Japan in the real world. There are even Ainu influences in Kyoshi Island, what with the clothing of the people in Suki's village.

The last nation is the Water Tribes, and the last two Avatars left are Kuruk and Korra. Now, the Water Tribes actually have a more diverse range of cultural influences than what we might expect. According to both @atlaculture and @kkachi95, the SWT is based on Inuit, Yupik and other First Nation peoples, with some Polynesian influences as well. The NWT, in addition to these influences, is also influenced by Mongolian and Siberian peoples. Since Kuruk is from the NWT, in a Modern AU, he would probably be Siberian, mostly Yakut, but I wouldn't mind Mongolian Kuruk either. For Korra, since she is half-NWT and half-SWT, I think she would be mixed like Kyoshi, except Korra would probably be half-Inuit, half-Yupik. I also want Kuruk and Korra to be part of a Mongolian or Central Asian diaspora living in Russia (I'll admit, I'm only saying this because I really want them to speak Russian), but that probably wouldn't work due to the differences in their cultures in-universe.

I have an idea for a Modern AU involving the Avatars, as well as their backstories for said AU, but that's for another time. For now, I turn this question over to you guys, and I want to know your thoughts on my nationality headcanons.

[aropride]

small talk is as uncomfortable for me as it is for the next guy but i think there's a lot of value in understanding it- maybe not the actual conversations themselves, and not even liking it, but understanding the intent. because allistics don't go into small talk with a mindset of "man i HATE this guy i want to make them SUFFER by asking about their WEEKEND." most of the time it comes from a place of either obligation or of kindness. and also to be clear, i know this varies culturally, so disclaimer- this is probably very influenced by being a high-masking (with dubious success) autistic american.

but i prefer to think of small talk as an act of kindness rather than a painful obligation. it's used to fill silence (generally seen as awkward) or to invite someone into a conversation if they're alone (meant to be friendly). when i was in middle school i was in a youth group (awful) that met for two hours once a week. the first half hour was designated hanging out time while people filtered in, and then we'd go into games, then church stuff and then a discussion. and during the first half hour i'd always end up standing in a corner alone, usually by the snacks so i'd have something to do.

and every week without fail people would come up to me and try to talk to me. both small group leaders and other middle/high school kids. and being a severely anxious undiagnosed autistic kid this would terrify me and piss me off because i didn't understand why they were doing it. because it felt like an imposition- yeah, i was lonely and wanted to talk to people, but i didn't necessarily want to talk to anyone specific, and it felt like they were being condescending or pitying, and i wanted to be left alone.

but to an allistic person, what i was interpreting as condescension and being put into an uncomfortable conversation, was to them a gesture of kindness. because most allistic people as far as i know wouldn't want to have to stand in the corner eating oreos every week they were forced to go to youth group. and they had no way of knowing that was my preferred option.

so we would have conversations that went something like this:

person i don't know: hi i'm jess, what's your name me (scared): hi i'm nik jess: nice to meet you nik! me (still scared): nice to meet you too (beat of awkward silence) jess (helpfully filling the silence): what grade are you in? me (realizing i have an oreo in my hand and wanting to eat it but i can't because i'm stuck in this conversation that feels like being put in a meat grinder): 6th 👍 jess: nice! whats your favourite subject? me (deeply aware of the oreo in my hand, aware that i am doing this wrong but not sure how, painfully aware of the unnecessarily loud music playing): english jess: fun! do you like reading?

And so on and so forth. it was uncomfortable for everyone involved and i could not figure out why they were asking me questions when they presumably didn't care and i didn't want to be there. and the first thing i was missing was that while they might not have cared about me as a person yet, that's what the small talk was for! so they'd get to know me more and then care what i had to say, or know that they wanted to talk to me more, etc. and the second thing i was missing was that while to me this whole ritual was sort of like being in hell being tormented by eternal hellfire, for everyone else this was normal and polite and most people would, while not enjoying the small talk itself, enjoy the thought behind it. what it's really communicating isn't a fascination with your thoughts about your classes but a "i saw you looked lonely, i have no negative feelings towards you, i'm offering my companionship and figuring out if we might be friends, as well as assuaging your discomfort with being alone"

basically it's a social script. and it's one that can be clunky and awkward (there are many memes on the topic) but that doesn't really matter to most people because the intent outweighs the execution. the words actually being said don't always even matter- "how are you?" "fine, thanks" type exchanges aren't really meant to communicate anything verbally- it's a nonverbal confirmation that you have a positive relationship with someone. which is why autistic people are often seen as rude for not engaging in it.

this is getting insanely long sorry it's just on my mind because i saw a post on instagram about how autistic people don't like small talk because it's inauthentic, and i don't think that's really true. i think that small talk can be authentic, and i think that autistic people don't like small talk because it's deeply uncomfortable for a lot of us. it's a helpful social script to understand conceptually, even if it sucks

[chrysanthemumgames]

I just read chapter 8 and wow, it was so amazing! I don't even know if I prefer the aftermath of the chapter 7 fight + the ending with the fruit and all, or if I prefer the whole Orpheus and Eurydice thing!

Eurydice literally tackling Orpheus out of the Underworld had to be one of the biggest "she did WHAT" moments of all times for me, but it was so great! Especially with it allowing a good ending too! Or well, at least as good as it could have been given the circumstances. Not to mention, I quite admire you for making something inherently "funny" still being more shocking and suprising than anything else thanks to how you described it. It could have easily turned into a comedic scene considering what happened, but somehow you avoided the pitfall. I also really liked the small detail to allow the MC to stim out of stress during the whole ordeal. It's these little details and how much freedom we get over them that truly make your game special - well, among other things.

Back to the fruit scene though... It's interesting - I was somehow both surprised and unsurprised that it was such a "mundane" thing. It's a bit hard to describe, but on one hand I thought that maybe eating the fruit would be something dramatic, and on the other hand it also felt like people in the Underworld would just treat that as something "normal" to do. Well, I'm assuming if the MC keeps the fruit for now but doesn't eat it yet it may turn to be more dramatic later heh - but that wouldn't really make sense for my specific MC. I really love the fact we can decide to share the fruit though! Again, such a nice thought.

That aside, I have a two questions if you don't mind!

First one is about the magic sharing thing (sorry if it was asked before and I somehow missed it!). Will we be able to determine how our MC feels about their "partner's" magic? I don't mean how they feel about the fact the magic is shared in itself - we can already determine that - but really how they feel about their partner's specific magic. Hades saying he finds the MC's magic rather pleasant was so sweet, and I'm curious if we'll be able to determine how the MC feels in return, basically.

Second one is about Orpheus and Eurydice. In my ending to the story, they will be staying half of the year in the Underworld and half in the mortal realm (I love the parallels with the original Persephone deal here too!) - for any good ending where it's relevant (I'm assuming there are variants), will we be able to talk with them a bit more in future chapters, once they've calmed down and all? Especially since it would be interesting for the MC to discuss being a demigod with Orpheus I think - all the more since he was raised as a mortal and the MC as a god. During the whole trial thing, my MC talked with Eurydice because it's what made sense - they were sort-of-friends at that point, and it made sense that she would be the person my MC would seek there and the one easier to "influence" out of the two to help them succeed, but that means he didn't have the opportunity to interact with Orpheus, sadly.

Thank you and have a great day!

Heya! Thanks as always for the reading and the feedback. :) As to your questions:

I don't have the next book planned down to the individual choices or anything, but I'm pretty sure that one will come up, yes.

Sort of the same answer, really. I do think I'll be looking for opportunities for the PC to talk to other demigods (besides Pyri), and an Orpheus who is around some of the time is definitely an option there. So I suspect there will be, depending on where they are and what they're up to, further opportunities to interact with those two!

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

@themoomoorn replied:

Whenever I read the Torn Pages of a Story document, I don't get the sense that Tiana and King Daddy's relationship was even all that romantic - she threw away her old life for a more privileged one on a whim, and likely little else. It's kinda like how lowkey unfortunate Jeralt and Sitri's relationship was.

I think it might have been romantic but not like... in a standard way that we understand romance. It seems more like falling in love with the idea of the person and having a mutual respect. I think Tiana may have been in love with the idea of the tough foreign king who was different from what she knew, but she didn't truly know him.

I mean, she couldn't have genuinely known what kind of man he was in his own home and such when they first met, so it seems like if say, two people met at a bar, kept meeting because they had a little crush and always met at that bar, then thought they were in love based on the information they had on each other (and maybe he did love her, and she just didn't know him well yet... but the way she never tries to intervene or help Claude just tells me none of that stuff bothered her and was not enough for her to leave him).

Personally I feel differently on Jeralt and Sitri, because I'd argue if you view their relationship negatively that Tiana and Unnamed King Man were worse. They also had more time together to be worse, but the vibes I get from Tiana's marriage with him is that she just kind of... lets him do what he wants? Almost like she figures it's just Almyran culture or something so it's not important, so she lets it happen.

What I would've preferred, no matter how unfortunately racist Almyra got written to be, is that based on the context of the story we did get that Tiana would've recognized all this and helped Claude in secret. Maybe she'd be scared of the king, maybe not; but maybe she just also felt like she still wanted the king's love and that helping Claude might be something he wouldn't want, and that it could become a relationship ending problem between them.

Now granted, I'd say yeah, it should be. If someone treated my child like that I'd definitely want to walk away. We don't have any indication that the king was abusive to his wife (wives???) unless I'm not remembering everything, so maybe she just wanted to stay with him/it wasn't that she was too afraid to leave? Which just... tells me she chose to stay with him over her child's wellbeing.

For whatever reason, she condoned it, and for whatever reason, she barely gave her child love and attention (he was so desperate for it that any time they spent with him like a normal parent was something he cherished because it was so damn rare). For whatever reason, she didn't step in or tell the king to cut the bullshit and actually love his son. It seems like either she didn't care... or she agreed with it, which both options are very shitty of her.

It could be that she was influenced by the king's ideas of what would make their child strong, because I can't imagine why she wouldn't say anything if she had differing views/morals on that. Either they were actually very in love and held the same beliefs from the get go, or she admired/agreed with his way of raising a child. Based on how she's described by Judith and such, I actually wouldn't doubt that. She doesn't seem like a doting and loving mother type, but more of a get up and brush off the dirt type of person. That would indicate that both of them had similar thoughts to begin with.

Obviously a child doesn't need to be strong if it's that or your child feels loved and cared for, but Tiana seems to lean more on the side of how the king feels about raising a child. I think it's pretty likely they really did fall in love or at least had a marriage based out of respect for each other and wanted a powerful and respected partner. They didn't seem to have conflict regarding how to raise their child, even though for, you know, normal parents, that would be an absolute deal breaker. The king may have been a parent, but imo Tiana was no better for letting it happen.

still thinking about baby claude just wanting to be hugged and loved. sometimes i think of baby claude, still chubby and smol, sitting on the floor and he sees his mom walk over and he raises his lil arms for uppy, but she never picks him up and holds him. he gets sad and pouts but he doesn't cry abt it anymore (as a lil toddler!!!) bc he knows it's not something he usually gets anyway so it's not a new worrying thing that nobody will hold him.

:(((((((((( well now im all fucking sad again.

[emperorblargus]

Why Blargus thinks you should Vote Democrat

Why you should vote Democrat.

I posted this on one of my other accounts, but this is closely connected to Twitter so I decided to repost it under my Twitter Handle.

I'm not an American, if I were I decided (long ago) if I were, I'd probably be an "independent" because political parties can and do go bad, but I also didn't see an election in living memory I wouldn't have preferred the (D) candidate save for a few cases where a third party or actual independent candidate might win, and had a decent platform.

Fact is this election is going to affect all of us on the planet because of the influence of American politics (despite everything else), and one option should clearly be better than the rest. And it concerns society and civilization in general.

First of all, regards democracy (small-d): whatever you want to call "this system", it's supposed to run with a constitution of sorts and it also requires standards for structural reasons.

Not all standards are enforced legally, some of them you have to impose yourself. Think, I DO NOT WANT THAT HAPPENING IN MY HOUSE. Just that.

On this metric alone, Republicans should not be elected in.

Because their standards of behavior aren't going to allow supporting a democratic society. Or a society, for that matter.

There's a lot that Republican politicians, and many connected to them, claim to think is destroying society. I'll just lay down the facts, which of course represent what's going on in reality, and reality has a well known checks notes furry, transgendered, liberal, leftist, socialist bias among other things.

-Trans people aren't destroying society. -Homosexuals and bisexuals aren't destroying society. -Polyamory isn't destroying society as long as there is respect for people. -Smoking weed doesn't destroy society, if you moderate.

-Abortions aren't destroying society. -Renewables aren't destroying society. -Immigrants aren't destroying society. -Other races aren't destroying society. -Many religions aren't destroying society

-"Edicating" people isn't destroying society. -Basic reading comprehension, writing, and arithmetic isn't destroying society.

And, I'll just stop at this one: -That it costs $50k to diesel up your yacht, isn't destroying society.

The environmental damage though, maybe, as well as your selfishness.

Now also, society isn't just "having children" it's about having and maintaining the whole thing, contributing, having respect for "other people" (that's a term you'll hear a lot).

It also shows that the Republican "agenda" doesn't seem to have a point to it. On the other hand… -Forcing women to give birth and have children they don't want, and refusing to support those kids from the state end afterwards, IS destroying society.

-Destroying the foundation of common truths IS destroying society. -Attacks on folks fueled by lunatic conspiracy theories IS destroying society. -Climate change denial prevents action required to maintain a liveable planet, and that IS destroying society.

-Disenfranchising folks just because they have a differing amount of skin melanin, IS destroying society. -Tossing people in jail over absolute bull[BLEEP] IS destroying society. -Mass surveillance enables a lot of the above damaging behaviour and IS destroying society. -Starting a bunch of wars, IS destroying society. Will cover later.

-Environmental decay IN GENERAL (be it climate change or dumping garbage in rivers) IS destroying society. -Being unable to maintain critical infrastructure, be it electrical, communications, roads, bridges, ports, airports, spaceports, farming, IS destroying society.

-People having to sleep on the street IS destroying a society, because those people can't think beyond their basic needs for survival. -Destruction of education, be it K-12 or university up to the professor level, IS destroying society. -Destruction of arts IS destroying society.

-Rampant sexism IS destroying society. -Rampant racism IS destroying society. -Rampant bigotry IS destroying society. -Rampant transphobia IS destroying society. -Rampant hatred for other religions IS destroying society. -Rampant hatred for other people, IS destroying society.

On this whole metric, Republicans SHOULDN'T be in charge. At all. They're the party of destruction and decay. At some point you have to kick that out… else you won't have a society of any kind, or civilization.

Note, I did not add "democratic" before "society".

This kind of "Bec Noir" behavior is not conductive to society however you organize it.

In a democracy, you need to vote that out. Completely. Which is supposed to be the advantage of the system.

It means there's supposed to be a level of respect, so you don't need to have a decision taken at the level of some Earl to raise an army and replace someone.

This also preserves institutions between changes of government so you don't start from square 1.

So, yeah, this "democracy" thing is kind of important as is making sure the Republicans, AKA GOP, really the "GQP" don't get a hold of power. Ideally, this should settle the matter 100%.

For the sake of finishing the "other matters"…

The economy IS doing gr8. There's some consequences that come with full employment, but if full employment is the goal you need to deal with them.

Employment is pretty much "full", lower than ever. This also means it's hard to hire people, because now for the first time in 40 years the employer has to compete and nobody wants to work for $10/hr (or for that matter, $15/hr) when they can earn more elsewhere.

And, there's also quality of life stuff so people might take a dollar cut per hour to not be moving stuff around unless they absolutely have to, and that's "state of emergency" level of an event. It means you're invaded and there's a draft, and this is so you keep your freedom or a country in order.

Maybe those whining about the lack of workers should hire immigrants, eh? But that would mean… working with other people, and they absolutely do not want to do that for some other reason. So what DO they want? Put that in your pipe and smoke it. And then answer that question. You won't like what you realize when you work it out.

Hint: They don't like "other people".

Next up, inflation, which has MANY causes. Democrats have done what they can, and what they can WITH the level of control they have.

In part this is because conservatives tried to offload manufacturing to other countries with more authoritarian regimes, overseas at a high rate to avoid having to negotiate with unions.

And that it was cheaper, but then you don't want to put all your eggs into one basket in case something goes wrong, or in case the Chinese people don't want to do that work anymore. Which is quite the privileged take, don't you think? Who'd have thought that, Chinese (and Korean, and Indian, and Vietnamese, and Singaporean people, and Thais…, you know, the other people I keep mentioning) are… people, with their own desires and the ability to go up in life one way or other, individually or collectively?

Guess what the "folks in charge" did, and remember who they are or where the roadblocks came from in America. Mostly: Republicans, who had a stranglehold over government (they used their power as such).

It's almost as though the modern "conservative" (and self-professed centrist, and self-professed moderate) thinks that those people have an obligation to serve the top 10-20% of society (includes middle-class westerners) for the rest of all time with cheap goods, and that social structure should be fixed. It's a neufeudal issue.

And this is completely contrary to any post-enlightenment thought. America isn't supposed to work that way, it's supposed to be a land of opportunity.

COVID came a-knocking, and then China decided not to sacrifice the lives of their citizens and that supply of cheap goods was cut off. Not just that… but also Chinese people (and Indians, and Koreans) were "going up in life", and eventually they have to answer the question why shouldn't they pursue other jobs instead of "supplying the west with an endless quantity of disposable plastic forks and cheap goods".

So there's your long-form, inflation answer. Much likes folks in the west are resigning en-masse, or have been, from jobs that aren't great, in favour of higher-paid jobs (or jobs that have a better quality of life and won't wear you out by the age of 40-50 leaving you at the mercy of underfunded social security systems), Chinese people are thinking the same thing. And the rest.

So the west now has to pick up the slack. Who has a plan to solve this? Only Democrats do.

Democrats' attempts to rebuild industries will solve that… as fast as those industries can be rebuilt. Or built. That takes a long time - more than 2 years. People will have to "stick with the program" proverbially.

Republicans don't seem to have any other solutions to the supply chain issue, except forcibly detransitioning trans people by fascistic means and yelling at women to get back in the kitchen. Sorry, that's just how I'm seeing it, and that's what we're literally seeing.

On top of this you have greedflation. Companies are jacking prices up in lockstep, and reaping profits. This is a "market failure" situation and one where government should step in, and is supposed to, to curb "anticompetitive behaviour" for one.

Normally you'd issue a warning and then use price controls as a last resort, BUT you're dealing with a huge well of bad faith here. These companies just might squeeze the supply, to create artificial shortages. Don't bet against it.

Ultimately, you'd have to use a combination of defense production act, price controls, and establish a whole government agency to oversee this. It requires more democrats in power, not less, to address that.

Regards the price of petrol (gasoline), the US has mostly been able to cope by releasing supplies of crude from the strategic reserve.

Republican commentary on Keystone XL has been utterly irresponsible and contains way too many falsehoods to be even contemplated.

For example: That Keystone XL was intended to supply Americans. It wasn't. The point was to get low-quality oil, which couldn't be handled in American refineries or cost far more (4 times as much), to ports in America and to export it. Not a drop was intended for American consumption, and using it would drive up the price anyway due to the far-higher cost of refining (and retooling refineries to use it, mayhaps).

The last cause of this is the war in Ukraine, and to be honest we didn't start that. The chips had fallen down after Maidan in a certain way, Russia decided to try to disrupt that and it created the Z-war situation with mass-murder of civilians and all kinds of war crimes. This can't be fixed on our end - it's on the aggressor to withdraw.

And Ukraine does have a functioning democracy, for example with Poroshenko stepping down when Zelenskyy won.

These people will continue to fight on with or without western support, the USA should support them as they are the ones being attacked here.

So I don't see much happening that ways besides Republicans ruining America's reputation further.

Regards "progressive issues", it should be self-evident that Republicans withdrawing rights from "other people" (read: LGBTQIA+ community, other races, other religions) isn't good, particularly for them, and it's flat out wrong. Actually this should not be considered such a progressive issue. You're destroying the lives of these people and destroying their ability to partake in our society. This is just wrong.

Hey, I covered that already.

Further points:

Biden has acted on student debt, at least with a stopgap measure. You're getting stuff delivered from the guy.

Biden passed several reconstruction bills with the help of a Democratic congress, mostly. And the Inflation Reduction Act.

Biden has backed the rights of trans people and other minority groups.

Unionization is up, that's been promoted by Biden, much of the action is grassroots, and Democrats have not gotten in the way of the process.

Lastly… you're going to have to make some sacrifices and what's being asked… isn't a lot. Much is being delivered, and is yet to be delivered if you get more Democratic control. I don't see any good outcomes of any period of Republican control of even one house of Congress.

You want to know why the older generation was called "The Greatest Generation"? Because they'd put their self interests aside and come together for the good of the nation. A concept so foreign to most of you, that when you call yourselves patriots, I laugh hysterically.— Melo "Super 8/Evil Institute Director" Dotty (@MeloDotty) January 3, 2022

[thesecrimsonstrings-if]

I'm so in love with this concept, you wouldn't believe ♥️ Have you decided what kind of vampire the MC is? Like what weaknesses or powers they have?

thank you so much, bonnie 🥺 and yes i have the basic details of the vampires in this universe outlined!

they aren't bothered by the sun much, all it does is give them a bad headache if they stand under it for too long. sunglasses help with that tho 😌 the older the vampires are, the more unaffected they get.

the fangs of vampires vary depending on the individual. but there are mainly three types of them: the classic upper canines, both upper + lower canines, and whole rows of razor sharp teeth (jennifer check style).

all of their senses are heightened: smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight. they're faster, stronger, irresistibly attractive. basically an advanced version of humans.

younger vampires have periods where their thirst is almost insatiable. however, the longer they live and learn to control it, they can go without drinking for a long time.

most human food tastes like ashes and fodder to young vampires and there are only a handful of those that they can actually manage to keep down. they're mostly liquids like tea, tomato juice, water, etc. the older they are, the more their tastebuds adjust to the strange taste until they can enjoy it fully. dare i say that it makes some of the older vampires nostalgic about their human years.

as for their vampire form, think of the ones from ‘the vampire diaries’ but with black sclera and red irises instead of grey ones.

vampires can die if you either burn them, stake them through their heart, or cut off their head. they're not weak to silver tho, most of them even prefer making jewelry off of it.

vampires have a list of unique abilities of their own but it's based on emotions and psyche. manipulating or reading feelings, blocking other vampire's influence, hypnosis, etc. some vampires have strong psychic powers and once in a blue moon, they would be able to predict a future correctly.

they just can't turn someone whenever they please. vampires have very potent venom that has a major chance of either killing the person they intend to turn, or have the process go awry when they go Feral. i'd say that the first option is better than the second 💀

the first vampire was likely mycenaean and when you were turned, your sire didn't exactly seemed worried that you'd become a Feral so it likely meant that the venom wasn't harmful to humans then. but you and other young vampires weren't able to turn anyone, while your sires could do it effortlessly.

witches theorise that it was because the original vampire had recieved eternal death before you were embraced by eternity. therefore all the vampires created after that had very few power on siring any new creatures of blood. and unfortunately, you weren't one of them.

vampire population isn't doing too well either. many of them die before they can even turn 150, mostly because their sires get scared and abandon them or they get Butchers come for them. now put the select few ones who have the power to create vampires on top of that, they aren't having a good time 😭

[ravysu]

Sannin headcanons and thoughts

The last thing I would like to post for the sannin week. It is still 24.04 here! :D @sannin-central

This is long. Spoiler alert. Mostly Orochimaru, some Tsunade, a little of Jiraiya (because his story is pretty clear and spoken and idk what I can add). Also I recommend to read this meta about Orochimaru, it has influenced me a lot and has some good points. Sorry for any posible grammar mistakes. Also I really should put here a lot of references to the manga or anime but it was something that was piling up for a year and I'm soooooooo lazy. After all, those are just headcanons. Also: Im not excusing Oro's bad stuff here, Im trying to understand the reasons.

Ive already posted some hcs, here, here and here.

1. First if all, the chronology pic of sannin lifetime based on the info i found on naruto wiki and also some statements about wars from this post. It was tough considering what a mess naruto’s chronology is.

2. Sannin story shows what it cost to be a legend. They're like Team 7 but more realistic. Tsunade literally carried the war but left with nothing and developed a ptsd and have problems to just live on. Also anger control issues. I think she can be pretty bossy and stubborn which is not always nice. Jiraiya is the hero of the day but also very idealistic and can ignore some important details in the real word whether its the fight (he always injured during flashbacks maybe because each time he took too much to handle and on the one hand it's heroistic but on the other is a mistake that can lead your team to situations like in that Iwa cave) or your friends issues (I bet he saw what's going on but thought it's fine until Oro actually got red handed and left). He lives in his world and may have problems to get out to see it through someone else's shoes. As for Orochimaru, it seems like he was a normal guy for 20+ years (I mean, he didn't do crazy criminal shit and had something good in him and it was stated somewhere that it was his teammates influence. It is obvious they considered him as a friend, I don't thinks it was for nothing) but we mostly know his darkest side. Despite being a moster he is a human that have empathy and some ordinary human traits (man just decorates every bit of an environment he is in lol).

3. Tsunade was the leader of team Hiruzen.

4. Tsunade sometimes hit Jiraiya for some stupid things he did or said but never touches Orochimaru even if he did something same. Jiraiya complained about it once and almost got another hit.

5. Jiraiya had problematic parents that didn't care about him much and a lot of time he was wandering in the streets.

6. Judging by the look of Oro bangs and hair, he sometimes cut it off. A stress relief huh? And the fact that he doesn't do it now in Boruto..

7. It was shown that Tsunade and Orochimaru was acknowledged before they become a team. Maybe they did just before, or maybe some longer time before. I prefer the second option and hc that they met because both had no real friends - Orochimaru seemed weird and scary for everyone and Tsunade was Senju so everyone wanted to hang out with her but didn't really care. They weren't seen as what they were - people put the labels on them. But they didn't care about each other's labels and actually saw each other in true lights.

8. Tsunade knew it was an accident and it's not right but still she blamed Orochimaru for Nawaki's death for some time. It was something that seriously damaged their friendship and the team. Orochimaru was mad but also guilty, after all, he was responsible at least as a shinobi since Nawaki was under his watch. So he started to act cold and emotionless and was trying to distance himself from his teammates.

9. Jiraiya was in Ame while Dan died.

10. The whole his orphans mission was a bit irresponsible tbh. They already fought Hanzo and as he stated the conflict between Konoha and Ame is going to an end with Konoha's win. It's weird to stay here for three years in the middle of the war while there were other lands to fight. He left his teammates for some idea. Maybe that caused another crack in their team friendship.

11. If Tsunade would have find a way to live on with her trauma and follow the will of fire and stuff it would affect Orochimaru as well just as her grief affected him. It's like he would get an example that you can live on with this pain. So death isn't above human capability and we are not just the slaves of mortality (sounds stupid but i dont know how else to describe sorry). But as we know what he actually saw is that it broke her crucially to the point she couldnt be herself again. And so the death is above everything.

12. Oro wasn’t just acting as a cold pragmatic bitch in that cave but also tried to save Tsunade. Jiraiya knew it and that’s why he showed this sign to him like "I see what youre doing here" and that stunned Oro because he would prefer to look rather like a cold pragmatic bitch hehe

13. Just a thought. People in the village probably treated Oro as a foreigner or just wouldnt accept him because he looked so differently and had a weird attitude. That's why he sometimes didn't feel that Konoha is his home. After the wars where people were treated as means and tools, even the children, he himself developed this view on people - he dehumanized them and used as the means to his goals, just as his village did. Funny thing some people were straightly dehumanizing him too like Ibiki thought that he was a demon (tho he was a child). And he probably weren't the only one. Anyways the point is that it's logical that Orochimaru don't care about anybody but some few people, he's the product of his era. He's like Naruto that would chose the hatred way. But naruto had some good and understanding people around him and.. Orochimaru had them too, but match how Iruka treated Naruto and this Hiruzen's "I sAw tHe mAliCe in This cHiLd fRoM tHe BegGinNinG". And oro didn't even have a big ass evil fox in him. sry i hate hiruzen

ANYWAYS the moral of the story is not "go criminal if they hurt you" but always treat people like people. Waving my hand to Kant.

14. The reason why Orochimaru didn't pick some good morals to stick with through the hard times no matter what (like, idk, Jiraiya or Naruto) is because 1) I think he is/was pretty depending on people around him 2) the war fucked him and his friends up too much (Nawaki incident + Tsunade) 3) twisted addictions (though I don't think he's that sadistic, we never saw him torturing randoms just for fun, it was always some science experimental shit. He tends to get fun out of cruelty only when it's personal) that maybe developed as a way to sublimate anger and sadness caused by his parents loss (that's what they share with sasuke - unlicke naruto, they knew their parents and it's other kind of pain. Sasuke developed a revenge issue and Orochimaru - cruelty pleasure which... is kinda the same but less epic and more occasional lol).

15. Speaking of that, Orochimaru cared for Sasuke because he saw himself in him.

16. Oro hold grudges against Hiruzen for not choosing him to be Hokage not only because he was ambitious and/or egoistic, but also because Hiruzen was some kind of a father figure for him and his approval was important tho i doubt he was aware of that. He also probably could tell that Hiruzen was suspicios about him when he was a child and that led to many conflicts and was hurting as well.

17. Tsunade knew things weren't pretty with Orochimaru after the wars but she never expected them to be this bad. During the week that she was given in her arc she thought not only about how much she wants to see Nawaki and Dan again despite how wrong would it be but also was trying to bury all the good memories she had left of Orochimaru so it would be easier to kill him.

18. She poisoned Jiraiya exactly because she knew he would not let her do it. Jiraiya was always hesitant to kill and inclined to forgiveness, while Tsunade, as mentioned by Orochimaru, could be merciless (so much so that he was not surprised when Kabuto suggested that she wanted to use Jira for Edo Tensei).

19. That was one of her traits that scared Jiraiya and fascinated Orochimaru.

20. Remember how Oro grabbed Jiraiya's neck when the latter was trying to cover with hair jutsu? On the snake, in Tsnade's arc. Orochimaru could have easily kill Jiraiya by pulling the sword out of the mouth (arteries are right there) but he didn't. As well as he could kill Tsunade when she was still shaking - just aim for the neck or the heart. Instead, he just injured her lung and kicked her which is not a big deal for the kind of shinoby like her at all.. Also he helped Anko not accidentally kill herself but it would be way much profitable to let her do it. "Orochimaru has no feelings".

21. The reason he suddenly wanted to kill Tsunade instead of forcing her to heal his arms as it was planned (which is weird since it will not going to get him heals and he kinda said that he wouldn't want to kill her just minutes ago) is that not only she refused to help him (he thought he could work it out) but she also prefered the village over him (from his point of view). Out if everyone she was the closest to being able to understand him since the village caused her painful losses too but nevertheless she agreed to be on it's side.

22. He wasn't fighting her back in the end partly because he thought he deserved that. Somewhere deep inside hahah.

23. Tsunade got a fear to develop deep bonds so they probably weren't very close with Shizune (also the way she knocked her down in this hotel.. oh).

24. Orochimaru will be here when she'll die.

25. Orochimaru's eng dub to Tsunade: "I often wondered what it would be like to ring that pretty neck yours". No comments.

26. Orochimaru is either bi/pan or ace. Anything or nothing lmao

27. Hiruzen knew about at least some of the Oro’s illegal experiments and was okay just as he was okay with the Foundation all the time. Because it’s useful. Then he has discovered he went too far OR he knew everything and oro just became too inconvenient because of his methods. The way Orochimaru tells Sasuke about reasons they are well treated as the criminals is based on in his experience with Hiruzen.

28. As you may know the lyrics in Orochimaru’s music theme goes “don’t talk with the silence of the heart”. It was taken from one Indian song that also had lines like “don’t question life too much”, ”pain arose somewhere in the chest”, “don’t speak to the wounds of the heart”. Though I’m not sure 100% because I was translating it with some hindi dictionary with like zero knowledge of hindi

29. I like to think that this “silence of the heart” theme and the fact that he called his village a hidden sound village are somehow connected. The hidden sound is the possible explanation of all things waiting to be listened to but the truth is silent and you know it deep in your heart and it bothers you. The world is silent just like the life is meaningless but people can only hear. *Sigh* anyways

30. Orochimaru’s journey is the one about accepting death. When he saw Karin released her chains while was trying to get to Sasuke he understood that the death is a part of human’s strength.

Can’t wait to feel that everything I wrote is wrong or not enough or stupid and obvious lol. Anyways, it’s something that I wanted to share until I move to some other fandom.

[aio-rya]

Octavinelle Confession Heafcanons

「Requested by: Anon」

Azul 🐙

・Shy but romantic, fancy and caring; that would be the summary of his confession. Shy because of his insecurities, not confident in what he would do, neither of you liking him back. Romantic the way he could only be, organizing something very special, something unique only for this monent. Fancy as himself, his sense of perfection in his own perception, careful with every detail.

・Even for the invitation to these encounter, he will be shy —not at first glance of course, we are talking about Mr. Ashengrotto, he knows how to deal with special situations... when it doesn't comes to be about heart matters. Silence and seriousness on his eyes, Floyd and Jade behind him with the same business air as always. Then, he just asks for your presence tonight, on the Lounge.

・He wanted to make it private for your comfort, that's why Mostro Lounge was closed for a night —just give a notion, not even the Tweels seemed to be there. He wouldn't like to put pressure on you by confessing in front of anyone else or to make you feel forced by the circumstances to retrieve his feelings. He wanted you to be completely honest, whatever you decided will be fine for him; Azul's priority was your happiness.

・Though he tried to be discret, pretending it was like another dinner with a friend, he failed; somehow, you knew how to read him, that deep was your bond. He sighed and removed his gloves to touch your hands directly; he caressed your skin, focusing on it as he slowly started speaking, at first it was just a mumbling that slowly turned into coherent sentences.

・Leaning over him to calm him down, he stopped you and asked you to look at him in the eyes. He didn't want you to calm him down, tonight, he wanted to do it on his own. He wanted to show you his will to giving that important step for you, alone. He longed for you to be aware of everything he's up to do. That's when he finally let it go and confess how much he loves you and how he would love to spend the rest of his days on earth and beyond with you.

・You're so moved by his attitude, his attention to the detail, specially since he remembered and prepared everything you like. Even the music, goodness, he chose the perfect ambience for a calm and romantic night, how could you reject him after that? He made you love him more if that was possible. And... a shy kiss, that was enough to melt you.

・He will avoid looking at you in the eye for a while. He's melting on excitement, his beloved, his first real love said "yes"! The whole night, the whole date, he will pamper you a thousand ways. This was just the first date, the first step to ask you out and maybe, going further.

Jade 🐬

・Jade has a romantic notion similar to Azul; while his dorm leader prepares the entire ambience, he prefers stealing a moment, any moment of the day, and make it special with and for you. It doesn't matter if it's morning and you're getting breakfast, if you are just switching classrooms, if you're on the library. He will make it memorable.

・He cares of course about your surroundings, even though he want it to be as natural as possible, he wouldn't like anyone peeking or eavesdropping on your encounter. So, he will use his... Influence to make sure you're not being disturbed when he finally decide to do it.

・Jade will remain calm, quiet, paying attention to every move you make, every reaction to his presence aside you. He will wait, patient, until the distance between you both is close enough to call your name in low, velvety voice; yes, it's a technique to seduce you, but also, to hide his nervousness.

・Your hands are being involved by his hands, caressing the back of yours with tenderness, speaking in low voice about how a wonderful friend you have been for him and the numerous adventures you've had at NRC and the things you've taught and learnt from him.

・Getting lost on his voice explaining how much he has being impressed by humans, you snap back to reality by the mention of your name, the human who has amazed him most by showing another side of the world, the surface but of him too.

・You ask if he's confessing to you and he says yes. He's doing that and he now wants to know what do you think about his feelings, how do you feel about him too and emphasising he won't take it on the wrong way if you say "no".

・Once again, he's silenced by a hug as you whisper a confession back. Well, he has being a good senior with you, but more that that, a friend and a confident. His heart is about to explode of happiness.

Floyd 🦈

・Even though the little mischievous eel is often getting bored, he will not confess it just because. He has a heart too, a romantic side even if it is unbelievable for you or someone as Ace, Deuce, the whole Braincell Squad —but why the hell would they know? Oh, you see... He actually asked them for help.

・He is not a hopeless romantic as his brother or Azul, he had always been relaxed, chilling from here to there with you by his side; everything was just laughter and pranks and running away from the justice —or something like that. But he had never truly had a romantic detail and he actually wanted to.

・He will spend a whole week getting "bored" and busy "working for Azul"; his alibi for making a list, observing you from afar, focusing on write and memorise every single thing you love, what makes you smile, what makes you cry, dammit even what makes you anger. You're about to catch him a couple of times but he always ran away, «not ready» is what he thinks.

・You soon will have a day full of fun, from dawn to dusk, along him. Full of pranks, jokes, food, games, running away from teachers, from dorm leaders. We'll, he even convinced you to leave everything aside to hang out with the Braincell Squad —they didn't have any other option. Otherwise, they'll be friendly squeezed by Floyd until their pale skin turned purple.

・Finally, you got tired. Enough of everything for a day, you have had enough fun for the rest of your life; in spite of it, you were afraid of Floyd. He was nervous as hell and he didn't even bother on hiding it. Less when he sat in front of you on the grass and stared at you with his madness eyes.

・"Koebi-chan, I want to confess!", he shouts out of the blue. You got startled of course, but now he had your entire attention, you keep on asking about what, what is it? What has he done? Then he... "Just that, I want to confess~", he hummed, laying on your lap and then, you get it. He's... Well, saying he loves you, basically.

・Of course you said yes and asked if he was avoiding you because of it. He nodded, and you both bursted in laugh. It was going to be a long, long relationship.

[darkmoonstore]

🍨 .்۫۫ › Headcanon:

❥ Pronouns: Not specified

❥ Summary: The Demon Brothers if they were cats

❥ Warnings: Reference to anxiety

❥ Request by none:

Hey! I hope you are doing great today, if you aren't, I hope that this can help a little.

At first I thought about doing a scenario where they turned into cats because of a curse, but I changed when thinking about a tittle to put on the edit. I also changed how this was gonna be write, so know that most of my others headcanons will not be like this — Shiro

.˚ 🌱ˀ⌇How you adopted them:

⚘݄݃  Lucifer: Even tho Luci was a really good looking cat, most people didn't wanted him because of he being a black cat. A lot of people were afraid or promised violence if he got close, so he saw all the others cats being adopt but not him. Until you came, you had gone directly to the cats area, Luci didn't even bother to directly look at you, he lost hope of being adopted, it really surprised him that you chose him instead of the others cats.

⚘݄݃  Mammon: Mammon as always got in a lot of trouble, even being a stray cat he did a lot of people mad. One time when running from another cat he got on your way, you almost kicked him, but thankfully at that time you had a fast reflex and took your leg off the way. Since then, Mammon always followed you when passed thought that area and one day you simply decided to take him in.

⚘݄݃  Leviathan: Levi was the most shy cat, afraid of everyone and everything. He run away from everyone that tried to get next to him, so it was really difficult to find a owner for him. You were a friend of one of the people that worked in the pet shop, they asked you to get something for them and let it on the shop and you did it. As you had some free time, you decided to play a little with the animals there, you got to the cats area and found Levi in a corner all alone. Tried to play with him, and for the first time he didn't run away from someone, you two played for a time and you decided to adopt him, he was so cute it's impossible to resist.

⚘݄݃  Satan: Satan was a really "savage" cat, always fighting with the others cats and trying to escape from the visitors and staff. No one could tame him easily, he was really fast and scratched everything that gets to close. You decided to adopt a kitten so you went directly to the cats area, getting close to Satan and trying to get him close, he of course attacked you too. But you were persistent, you comeback almost everyday to visit him, so he would feel more comfortable around you before adopting him.

⚘݄݃  Asmodeus: Asmo were the cat that everyone wanted, people looked at him and was immediately enchanted, but he is really picky, so it was difficult for him to find a owner since he rejected most people. Of course, until he saw you, you were the first person he wanted to be close by choice what really surprised the staff, even tho you weren't enchanted as the others you still liked him and decided to adopt it.

⚘݄݃  Beelzebub and Belphegor: Beel and Belphie were both stray cats, they were abandoned by their mom at a really young age. In your way home, you found both cats cuddle up together trying to get some heat from the chilly night, before trying to take them in you checked if their mom had really abandoned them. Since you didn't found the mom cat, you took both in, with some fight from both of them, but they weren't strong enough to stop you.

.˚ 🌱ˀ⌇What kind of cat they're:

⚘݄݃  Lucifer: Luci is a really scary cat, no one ever knows what's going on his head, but you know exactly how to read him and you respect his space. Likes to go out during the day, but don't worry he will always comeback, sometimes even with a gift because he's afraid you gonna die of starvation, since in his point of view you have no idea how to hunt and find food.

⚘݄݃  Mammon: Mammon is a really greedy cat, he always wants your full attention and pets. He also give headbuts on everything that in your house, he sees like everything is his so he put his smell on everything and everyone, but specifically on you and your rooms things.

⚘݄݃  Leviathan: Levi is a really anxious cat, he is afraid of everything that makes loud noises and things that move alone. If you want to make something and you know it's gonna make a lot of noise, put him as far as you can and don't let him comeback or he will be really scared and get anxious.

⚘݄݃  Satan: Spite of looking angry by the first impression, since he gets comfortable around you and your house he will start to show a more calm way. Even tho if another cat try to get in his territory he will kick the other cat butt, he is really territorial and don't want to share with anyone besides you. He also is really close to you, sice you're the only human he trust you will never see he going to another person's room.

⚘݄݃  Asmodeus: Asmo really cares about his fur, if you mess it up he will be mad at you and probably attack your feet at night. If you just washed your hand or took a shower/bath and pet him, he's gonna attack your hand and clean himself because how dare you put a smell that isn't his on him. He will try to groom you and if you try to get away he will paw slap you.

⚘݄݃  Beelzebub: Beel really enjoys food, he wants all you can give to him, make some homemade food that are eatable for cats and give it to him, now he loves you forever, just don't do it all the time or he's gonna get really addicted to it. He is really close to Belphie and they cuddle a lot, he is very influenced by his brother in certains things.

⚘݄݃  Belphegor: Belphie is a really lazy cat, is always taking a nap in the most inconvenient places, like on the way to the kitchen, on your laptop/computer and way more places. Sometimes he even get Beel to go with him, so you have two cuddle up cats at places they aren't supposed to be.

  .˚ 🌱ˀ⌇Favorite toy:

⚘݄݃  Lucifer: Squishy mouse. Luci likes to hear the scream of his victims, wouldn't be funny to torture without them begging for help, but for humans the sound it's really annoying so it's recommended to you to go to a different room.

⚘݄݃  Mammon: Glitter ball. He enjoys shining things and what call his attention, so make sure to hide your money, wallet and any jewelry because he will steal them right in front of you.

⚘݄݃  Leviathan: Feather wand. Levi doesn't like toys that make noise, so the best option is a feather wand since even if you beat it on something, it will not make a sound.

⚘݄݃  Satan: Paper ball. It's not really a ball, but he enjoys playing with it so much, if you want him to play just make or find a paper ball and toss it in the same room that he's in.

⚘݄݃  Asmodeus: Mirror. For some reason he really like look at himself in the mirror, but sometimes he try to catch something in the mirror and starts paw slapping it.

⚘݄݃  Beelzebub: Food shaped toy. Any kind of food shaped toy he really appreciates it, just show him the toy and he will happily play with it, you don't even need anything else to make him entertained for a long time.

⚘݄݃  Belphegor: Pillow. You don't understand how he would play with a pillow that's bigger then him, honestly I don't know either but he totally would and after sometime he would get tired and fall asleep on the pillow.

  .˚ 🌱ˀ⌇Favorite place to sleep:

⚘݄݃  Lucifer: Your table. If you have a table in your room, where you put your things like computer, notebook and things like it, make sure to open a space for him or he will sleep on top of your things.

⚘݄݃  Mammon: Your lap. Everytime he want to take a nap and you're sited or laid down he goes directly to your lap.

⚘݄݃  Leviathan: Your shoulder. Levi likes your company and your body it's warm, so what better place to sleep then a part where he can always stay? If you're laying down, sitting or even walking he can stay on your shoulder.

⚘݄݃  Satan: High places. Any high place on your house, be a wardrobe, a cabinet or even a refrigerator.

⚘݄݃  Asmodeus: Your bed. Asmo it's a really picky cat, he will not sleep anywhere, he just sleeps where it's most comfortable and that will not mess his fur and make it dirty.

⚘݄݃  Beelzebub: Your tummy. When you're sleeping or just laying down, he gets next to you and just lay down on your stomach, sometimes on top of it or on your side but his body it's always touching your belly.

⚘݄݃  Belphegor: Anywhere. Literally anywhere, it doesn't matter what it's or if it seems to fit him or not, one day you will find him sleeping at those places.

  .˚ 🌱ˀ⌇One habit:

⚘݄݃  Lucifer: Stare outside, even if he can get out and explore, sometimes he prefers to just stay in and watch the outside from inside the house. Most of the times he goes out, but if it's a cold day or he just doesn't feel like it, he enjoys just watching.

⚘݄݃  Mammon: Follow you, when you're at home he is always following you and sometimes even tries to walk between your legs, you're his favorite human and he enjoys watching you just as much as he always want your full attention.

⚘݄݃  Leviathan: Purr, for apparent no reason, you talk to him, look at him, give him some pets or just breathe and he's purring. He purrs the most when you let him on your shoulder, not only to sleep, he really enjoys being there at anytime you let him.

⚘݄݃  Satan: Ask for you to read out loud, yes it's a little bit odd to a cat do it, but he enjoys the sound of your voice. So everytime he sees you reading something, he will get close to you and meow until you start to read out loud.

⚘݄݃  Asmodeus: Groom you and himself, he wants you to look good and smell like him, so he will definitely try to groom you and will not be ashamed of grooming his privates parts in front of people, he's just getting clean after all.

⚘݄݃  Beelzebub: Sit and stay at your side everytime he wants more food, what happens very frequently if I'm being honest, so you will have to stop whatever your doing and put food for him.

⚘݄݃  Belphegor: Try to attack your feet everytime you pass through him, it doesn't matter if he was taking a nap, if you pass next to him he will try to attack your feet.

[interact-if]

Day 10, 2/2 of the A/PI Heritage Month featured authors interview! For our final entry, we have the amazing Shai!

Shai, author of Hollowed Minds 

A/PI Heritage Month Feature Author

“You will play as a disgraced detective, entangled in webs of conspiracies and betrayal as your character engages in a suspicious probation - with a whole lot of enigmatic hallucinations and explosions to deal with. It will be up to you to shape your detective’s (or Ripper’s, if you prefer to call them that) perception and motivations. After all, Gaile City is a place full of secrets - some of them belonging to your own character’s family - and you’ll have the freedom how to act accordingly.”

Author's Kofi

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

To put it simply, Hollowed Minds is a long quest on morality and relationships. You'll start as a disgraced detective, once a favored hero of the city until this one unfortunate mistake, and now you're forced into a suspicious probation that you shouldn't even be in. There would be a lot of challenges and suffering along the way, and you can either help your character maintain their heroic ideals or succumb to the darkness that the future brings.

Q1: First of all, introduce us to your project! What is it about?

There are a lot of things to uncover in the story, but the main issues in the first book would be the mysterious hallucinations that people are suffering from and the explosions that would shake the fundamentals of the society. There would be several approaches to choose from as you go forward, some of which may be quite outside the law, and you could opt to use a certain ‘talent’—one with accompanying repercussions—to learn more secrets. You would also have the choice to cultivate your relationships with the people you trust the most and have your interactions with them matter in the long run.

As it is, you'd have a large target on your back, owing to a sinister group with a very sinister plan—something that might be worse than death.

Q2: If it’s not too spoilery, what are you most excited about your project?

First of all, the reputation system. You can manipulate how the general public would see you, either as the hero they once saw you as, or a corrupted personality that everyone would loathe. Best thing about it? You can hide your real intentions. This would have a lot of interesting consequences, especially if your character's actions tend to be the opposite of what they're perceived as.

Second, the most awaited reunion. People who have read the available demo would know what this refers to, and well, it's about to happen soon, so I'm very excited about the idea of writing the whole scene!

Then there's this one big chapter that I know would be torturous to write and code. Basically, you'll be choosing how to 'infiltrate' this certain location, the person whom you'd be with most of the time, a decision between accomplishing what you came there for or sacrificing it for something else, how you'd get out, and where you'd go to after the whole thing. It will be a wild ride of twists and emotions, and it's not even the endgame. A lot may change with this chapter alone, and it's one of those things I think about a lot before going to sleep.

Lastly, the customization of the main character. The motivations, blame mechanic, alcoholic/non-alcoholic option, and relationships (romantic or not). Those little details would change a lot of content in the narrative and maybe in the plot itself. Whether you want to build a character who's kind to a fault or an anti-hero who wouldn't hesitate to make questionable decisions, the journey would be entirely yours.

Q3: What inspired the current project you’re working on?

It was based from a short story of mine that won a small competition back in 2018. They share similar themes, but the short story was a lot darker than I could ever put in a game that I plan to get published.

I initially thought of starting my IF writing attempts with the supernatural genre—it does seem to be a successful area—but that short story was probably the first piece of mine that I've come to appreciate, and I wanted to at least honor that. The writing style that I adopted, the evocative tone I learned to use, and the plot pieces that I've managed to be good at crafting—they all started with that story.

Looking back, there aren't much similarities anymore between the two, maybe aside from the appearance of certain characters, but the themes are still the same.

It will definitely be a huge challenge to implement what I have on mind, but I do hope people would love what's to come.

Q4: Do you pull from your own identity for inspiration? How has that been reflected in your work?

I grew up in a troublesome neighborhood, along with people who continue to fight against the struggles. That's both good and bad, I suppose. Philippines has a lot of corruption deep in its roots, I won't deny that, but there are also people working hard for the changes they want. That's one of the biggest influences I've got in this story.

As we delve into the plot, the readers would discover more questionable decisions that some characters may have made or would make. It's parallel to how I witnessed people having differing reactions to injustice and the way they make changes in their lives as a response. Adding to that, I personally know the feeling of grief, and I’ve seen how the people around me deal with it themselves.

There are also moral choices to be had in the game, and when I speak of that, it's not going to be just around choosing between saving/killing people. It's about the main character's intentions and emotions, and how the revelations might slowly change their views. It would be a story that will steadily define your character’s perceptions amid the threats.

Q5: What’s been your experience so far? With writing, with the if community...

It's been great. I appreciate the people who have reached out in various ways to share their love for my work and to give meaningful feedback that are continuously helping me shape the story in a better way. And honestly, I'm so overwhelmed with excitement for all the support I'm getting. I didn't even expect a lot of people to like the story this early. That's why I'm so thankful!

There's also a great IF author whom I've been occasionally getting advice from, and they've been a huge reason as to why I even managed to make the first steps. Interacting with other writers is something that I never really expected myself to do, but I’m quite glad I did it.

Q6: Do you have any future projects in the works?

There are three more interactive fiction stories I've already thought of, though I won't be actively working on them until I finish the Hollowed Minds series, which would take a long while. Their temporary titles are respectively "Corrupted Legacies" (fantasy), "The Remnant's Keeper" (supernatural horror), and "A Hero's Touch" (superhero story with a twist).

Aside from that, I'm also looking forward to finishing my fantasy novel, one that I've been delaying for years, literally, as soon as I finish the first book of Hollowed Minds.

Q7: Finally, what piece of advice would you give to fellow authors?

Write what you want to write. I know that you're all probably tired of hearing this, but it is still very important. During the planning stages, you'd most likely be excited to show the readers what you've got in store. You'd be proud of it, and you'd believe that it's one of the most brilliant ideas out there. Then a few days after you finish planning, you'll realize it may not attract as much readers as you may have expected initially. Then you'll get tempted to change your visions for the story and adopt the plot lines that the famous works have.

Do not abandon your own vision.

It's your work. It's your masterpiece. Listen to feedback, sure, and let them guide you into becoming a better writer, but do not let go of the things that made your work your own. Some way or another, there will be people who would love your story, and they'd deeply appreciate that you made it the way it is.

So don't hesitate. Is it weird? Is it unconventional? Does it belong to a genre that's not as popular as the others? It doesn't matter. Write it, polish it, and show it to the world.

People will love it as long as you do.

[sally-mun]

I'm always amazed at how you're able to manipulate conversations with the characters so that they end up doing something crazy but in a way that makes sense. Like, it's super crazy that they wouldn't stop the trial and go get Knuckles, but you made a conversation that really does give them a reason not to do it! How do you make a conversation do that? Is it a lot of work?

It is work, but for me at least it’s enjoyable, so it doesn’t feel as much like work. It has more to do with the structure of the conversation, versus the things they specifically say. Anytime I write an argument I map it out in my outline long before I’ve even started writing a scene, because arguments are a special case where the flow of the conversation can easily affect the outcome.

The most important advice I can give regarding how to write a good argument is this: You must, and I mean MUST, have a way to agree on some level with all parties involved. If you can’t look at someone’s point of view and find a reasonable excuse for them to hold their opinion, then you’re done before you’ve even gotten started. You don’t necessarily have to SHARE the opinion, you just have to be able to say, “Yeah, I can see that.” It’s not going to be satisfying for anyone to read if good points aren’t coming from both parties. If you have one character that’s holding a ridiculous idea/opinion (and it’s not plot-related for them to do so), or is holding it despite other story elements that should otherwise discourage it, then your readers won’t believe it and they’ll either quit reading or they’ll continue but feel cheated. If you or anyone you know were ever in a debate club, those skills would probably come in very handy, because you HAVE to be able to make a case for each party.

The next thing I do is identify the major points each party is going to want to hit. It’s basically their battle plan for winning the other(s) over. (Again, debate skills would probably be invaluable here.) Whatever the disagreement is about, find the most critical points that form a character’s opinion, and do this for each character involved. This will give you the basic skeleton of the conversation that you’ll have to work with.

Once you have all of the talking points, the next thing I do is figure out what order they need to go in. Are some points direct responses to others? Would point A inspire another character to bring up point B? Sometimes you have to rearrange the order of the conversation several times before you get it right, and that’s okay. It can be really valuable to experiment with the order of conversation because, for me at least, it can end up bringing up additional points that you never even though of in the beginning.

Now, something else you should be thinking about at the same time as this is who, if anyone, you intend to win the argument. If you have a victor already in mind, then this is probably going to directly influence the order of the conversation, because you need it to end on one of your victor’s points -- preferably their strongest. After all, if the strongest point is in the beginning, then what’s the point of wasting time with all the others afterward? Having an idea of who is supposed to win the argument while you get the talking points in order can be really helpful -- and yet again, debate club skills would probably be helpful here! I was never on a debate team myself, but one thing I do know about them is that there are tactics that can be used to make a strong-sounding case for what are actually very weak points -- or sometimes, even no points at all. Sometimes it’s less about what is said and more how it’s said. Listening to lobbyists is a good way to get a sense of what that means.

Once I have all that worked out, THEN I can start writing the argument itself; however, don’t be afraid to screw up your own plan! I for one am not the sort of person that regards my outline as concrete. Sometimes while you’re writing you think of new ideas, or you realize that the conversation isn’t flowing the way you thought it would, or something about the rhythm just feels clunky. That’s fine, and don’t worry about it, because you can always mess around with it later. Just get the ideas on the page first as you planned, and then if it feels off, keep massaging it until it starts to feel right. Maybe you needed to expand on this idea, or maybe that part of the argument causes a reaction you didn’t expect. And definitely, DEFINITELY give yourself the option to stop and come back to it later!! It’s unbelievable how much of a difference it can make to reapproach something with fresh eyes after you’ve cleared your head!!

Anyway, that’s pretty much all I’ve got on this subject. It ended up being longer than I anticipated, but hopefully it helps!

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

September Song (2/3)

I’m sorry @kitten-wrath that this took so long, but I do hope you like it. @hoodoo12 @xerxezra thanks for brainstorming with me. Also, Ice Cream Rick belongs @porkchop-ao3. References to the flowers can be found here (The Language Of Flowers) and pizza rolls here (Sick Day)

Also, special thanks go to @her-victori for reading a majority of my fics in a short span of time. You Rock! As well to random anons who leave me sweet words in my ask box.

If you haven't read the first part of this fic then here's the link. (Read Part1 Here)

In this fic the reader tries to be more reserved and mature for Rick, but what will he think?

______

Chapter 2: These Precious Days

The mom and pop ice cream parlor which could be found at the edge of town offered over twenty flavors and twice as many topping options. Rick thought you'd prefer this quiet atmosphere over the crowd that would've surrounded Ice Cream Ricks truck in the Citadel; he was right. Though it really was a shame since Ice Cream Rick was actually pretty nice. After ordering, you two sat by the window with the best view of a lonely backroad and a white GMC truck.

“I-I-I like that you went for the rainbow jimmies.” Rick commented as he popped a mini gummy bear into his mouth.

“Hmm? Yeah, I like the texture.”

Which was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. You loved sprinkles on just about any dessert they could be placed on. They were fun, colorful, and your dad's favorite topping. They reminded you of good times. You continued. “And they're a classic. Wouldn't you agree?”

“I-I do. Would you say that y-your favorite flavor?”

Savoring the flavor of your chocolate ice cream, you nodded. “Yeah.”

Smiling softly, he seemed to be ruminating on this information, before storing it away and eating a spoonful of his pistachio ice cream. After a little while, he managed to get a bit of it on the side of his mouth, which made you giggle. And because old habits die hard, you picked up a napkin and wiped his face clean. Under your fingertips, his skin had that masculine roughness that came from constant shaving. Of course, you were familiar with it, but these slight reminders that came about by chance never failed to amaze you.

However, you were quick to pull your hand back because he wasn't a fan of public displays of affection, though it seemed to have the opposite effect, with him reaching out and placing your hand back on his cheek, and leaning into it. “I'm glad y-you were able to come with me today.”

Seeing as the shop owner was in the back room, you relaxed a little. “I am too.”

Rick was always a little funny when he got sentimental, which was why it didn't surprise you too much when his eyes bore through you as he said. “Me encanta estar c-contigo.”

“Rick,” you began, wanting to let this facade go and declare every single word of affection your heart felt inclined to say, but just as soon as you thought you were going to crack, you restrained yourself, and simply said. “your ice cream is going to melt.”

Several beats of silence passed, and he acknowledged what you had said, but he went on. “You - I-I sometimes wish I could carry you in my pocket, and have you look after me all the time, but th-that's silly isn't it? It's not realistic, and that w-would be selfish.”

“If it's you, then I don't think it is. While it wouldn't necessarily be practical to miniaturize me and carry me around, isn't the beauty of a relationship knowing that you're always on someone's mind and that they are out there somewhere caring and thinking about you?”

“Certainly, but what I-I meant to say is that it'd be nice if this was our life. If I could keep y-you and if you and me ugh - all th-the time…we - if we….” he faltered, fixing his eyes on something else in the room.

“You don't mean eating ice cream do you?”

With a sigh, he relinquished the hold he had on your hand, “N-no.” and continued to eat his ice cream; resigned, and slightly embarrassed. You couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment. It's not like he wanted to say the magic words. Right?

________

After ice cream, you two visited the bookstore on the corner of Kinder St and Lavue Ave; which had not only a coffee shop but a toy store connected to it. As soon as one entered into it, you were met with the latest best sellers, books on travel and wellness, as well as souvenirs; it was one of few places that didn't bother you if it was cramped. To your left next to the window were those mint boxes which said Adventure Awaits, and it filled you with gladness as picked one up; thinking of little things you'd put in it after all the mints were gone. For his part, Zeta-7 seemed to know exactly what he was going for, disappearing in the back where all the used books were. Not knowing whether to follow or look around, you just did as you pleased.

Past the Keychain holder, above the box of mini hands, you found a Mister Rogers mug. You loved that wholesome old man who used to teach lessons and play with puppets on PBS; Rick reminded you of him too. On the label, it said that when you added hot water to the mug, Mister Rogers would change from a suit jacket into his cardigan. Seeing as Zeta-7 hadn't returned yet, you decided to buy it and continued to look around until he soon returned with an older book in hand. “I-I-I hope I hadn't kept you waiting long.”

Facing the bookshelf, pulling out books that you were mildly interested in, you answered. “I knew you would show up eventually.”

Noticing the stack of books you had, he asked sweetly. “M-m-mi corazón, do you want me t-to hold those books for you? They look a-a little heavy.”

You weren't sure how long you could keep up this facade of being mature and not melting into a puddle everytime he said things like that, with him being as darling as he was. Nonetheless, you nodded and he lightened the burden on your arms.

“Wow,” he brightened. “I-I didn't know you liked Alexandre Dumas.” And picking out another book, he wondered. “Have y-you ever read this?”

“The Man In the Iron Mask? No,” you admitted sadly. “but when I was in high school I did read about a third of The Count of Monte Cristo. I even have a postcard that my old English teacher sent me from Europe that had a picture of one of the buildings that was used in the movie.”

“That's s-s-so cool. Do - do you enjoy classic literature?”

Wholeheartedly, you replied. “Isn't it the best kind?”

“I-I-I don't know,” he softened. “but I don't know what I'd do without them.”

You thought of his home library then, with its eclectic mixture of languages, colors, and topics, and it made you feel warm in your soul. “If your home library tells me anything, it's that you have a healthy appetite for books.”

He glanced at your lips after you said this, but made no attempt to follow whatever thought which might've come to mind. Instead, you two carried on a lengthy discussion on books, how many were a social commentary of the time period, and how they influenced the world you lived in. For once you didn't have to pretend you knew something you didn't, cause you did know. Quite intimately in fact. And within the small spaces between shelves and bodies, where you'd normally feel claustrophobic, you were safe amongst all the friends you had yet to meet amongst the pages, and with Zeta-7 whose warm words and tall body shielded you from the curious eyes of the cashier.

_______________

A stack of books sat quietly in the back seat of his car. Crickets chirped, and there were random feral cats here and there, but there was only you and him as far as you were concerned. September Song by Willie Nelson played on the car radio as he led you into a natural waltz next to the town lake, and moonlight reflected in his eyes. If you hadn't been so afraid of drowning, maybe you would've preferred to dance on the dock, but like this, it felt right.

Oh, it's a long long while

From May to December

But the days grow short

When you reach September

When the autumn weather

Turns leaves to flame

One hasn't got time

For the waiting game

With your head resting on his chest, he hummed along to the melody. More than once you heard a sniffle but assumed it was just Zeta-7 caught up in the moment again.

Oh the days dwindle down

To a precious few. ..

September, November. ..

And these few precious days

I'll spend with you.

These precious days

I'll spend with you.

You thought every day spent with him was precious, and you had to admit that you weren't sure at the beginning of your relationship if it would've worked out, but you were glad that the both of you took a chance, and had been pleasantly surprised ever since. And after all this time, now that it was the fall again, you wondered what the next year and the year after that would be like; the possibilities are endless. However, your train of thought was broken when Zeta-7 stopped dancing and stood there; covering his face, wanting to disappear.

“Rick?”

“I'm - I'm sorry, but I-I-I-I can't do this.”

“Can't do what?”

“I-I-I can't pretend that everything's o-okay. Something's th-the matter isn't it?”

“No there isn't.” you denied.

“Then why are y-y-you so quiet? Are w-we breaking up? Are you - are you leaving me?”

You literally wanted to smack yourself for being such an idiot. “No! Why would you think that?”

Using his phone, he paused the music and passed a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. “Y-y-you haven't been yourself all evening. I thought for a moment that maybe th-things were alright back in the bookstore, but you - I know y-you were holding back. I know how much you love books, and writing is y-y-y-your passion, but you were hesitant in sharing your opinions on either subject. M-mi corazón,” he pleaded, the lines about his forehead and mouth deepening. “please b-be honest with me. Is this it?”

“No, it's not.”

Your plan, which you thought has been working went horribly wrong. So much for trying to act like an adult for once. Man, you only wanted to entice him, which you somewhat succeeded, but because of your stupid games, you'd led him to believe that you were unsatisfied with your relationship. If anything, you were unsatisfied with how you handled this. “Believe me Ricky, you haven't done anything wrong. In fact,” you sighed, your chest aching from the bloom of anxiety. “you've only been sweet and charming. But I….oh, I was only trying to impress you.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“Exactly. Whatever I thought I'd accomplish, it…..I only managed to mess it up. Again. You probably wouldn't get it,” Or maybe he would, but you weren't feeling like yourself. “but sometimes I feel like all you did was pull me out of my little bubble so I could wreak havoc. I'm not any different from hundreds of other versions of me, am I? Cause, if I'm like them, then how did I end up with you? How did I get so lucky to be with someone so wonderful? I hope they are happy because I am with you.”

With a hand pressed over his heart, a single tear made its way down his cheek. “M-me too. I'm so happy with you.”

“Somehow, despite all my inadequacies, you want me. I mean, is it stupid to believe that I just wanted to be different from all those other copies? That I just wanted you to think I was mature?”

Zeta-7 looked at you with a wistful hope in his eyes.“No, it's - it's not stupid. You - you did that f-for me?”

“Who else dear honey man of mine? Maybe it can't be helped and I'll just be what I am,” you confessed. “but for a moment I wanted to be different. So I gave myself the look and didn't overreact. And most of all, kept my mouth shut so you wouldn't get bored of my rambling. I know I talk too much.”

“N-no, that's not - have I led you t-to believe you weren't good enough?”

“Not on purpose, but I can't help but feel that way sometimes. We both know I'm not that special. I mean, the only impressive thing I've ever done is eat 37 pizza rolls, and not kill the flowers you gave me. I'm so sorry,” you cried, “I'm sorry you got stuck with an idiot.”

He pulled you in for a tight embrace, smoothing out your hair. “D-don't ever say that.” he cooed. “You're - you're clever, lovely, and always give me something t-t-to smile about.”

“Anyone can do that.”

Pulling back a little, he gave your shoulder a squeeze and softened. “N-no, not at all. Y-you give away dreams, smiles, and kindness. You're reliable, and I-I can trust you. And there is no one in the universe th-that could compare t-to you when it comes to being the perfect woman. If anything, I'm th-the defect here.”

“No, you're perfect Ricky.”

Placing a lock of hair behind your ear, he continued. “I'm glad y-you think so, but this isn't a-about me. You - you dressed up today, in a-a elegant dress that I'd n-never seen before,” and pressing a kiss behind your ear, he whispered with a little gleam of pride in his eyes.. “wearing the perfume I-I-I made you. Smelling like a-a dream.”

Again, how anyone considered this charmer a doofus you'd never know. “I had been saving it for a special occasion.”

“Everyday with you is - is special.”

“Oh Rick. That's…thank you.”

Pointing at your feet, “And I noticed that you're closer t-t-to my height today, but your feet must be hurting by now. Would y-you like to take them off?”

Oh, your feet were screaming. And now that you weren't pretending, you slipped out of your shoes which made you lose about four inches. Picking up your shoes and shoes and dusting them off, he continued. “That must feel better. I-I-I had to wear heels for a case once. It ugh - it's not practical when y-y-you have to run.”

“Right? I don't see how other women do it, cause I can't. I'm not even sure why I own them. I should just burn those things.”

You'd say it was half relief, half joy that made him laugh wholeheartedly at this, and you didn't see how it could be so funny. You poked him and pouted, and he delighted in this. “See?” he chuckled, looking at you in that funny way he did from time to time.

“See what?”

“This. This is th-the girl I fell in love with,” he stated matter of factly. “the one who likes t-to be comfortable, speaks her mind and prefers those jeans with th-the rip on the side. Not to mention those graphic t-shirts. Or cute pj's.”

Your breath caught a little at this confession. How could the smartest man in the universe adore an impertinent person like you? Maybe the same way you could love the smartest man; you just do. In your girlish voice, you said. “I only wanted you to be proud of me.”

Holding you a fraction tighter, he pressed a light kiss to your temple and chuckled sweetly. “Y-you already do princess. Today y-you made an effort for me, and that's impressive, but honestly, I want you t-t-to be comfortable and dress up how y-you like. You as yourself is what impresses me, because you have s-s-so much spirit, and I - that's what makes y-you gorgeous.”

This time you didn't even try to hide your blush.

“Oh Rick, hearing you say that really does make me feel silly. Why did I do this to myself? What was I thinking?”

“I believe y-you're still trying to figure it all out like the rest of us, and I can't get mad at you for th-that because you're wonderfully human. You had good intentions, and th-that's what counts.”

“Can you forgive me?”

“I al-already have.”

TBC