#if you liked the LA you'll get no argument from me

[the-power-of-stuff]

I just wanna put it out there that this is a Netflix Live Action ATLA safe space.

Does this mean that I like or agree with every choice the live action made? Definitely not. But it does mean that overall I find the live action interesting to talk about, even when it comes to the stuff I took issue with. It means I'm interested in hearing and sharing critical opinions as well as praise, and I'm interested in interpretations that are different from mine. And I will always try to approach things inquisitively and to judge the show for what it is (which, let's be honest, is basically someone's canon divergent fanfiction put to screen).

But what I'm not interested in is being right, or tearing the show down. So if you're looking for a place to read or share opinions about the live action that skew positive, or that are critical without being angry, or that are relatively neutral with maybe a dab of scientific curiosity, I hope you can find that here.

[brittscafe]

Nanami Kento Headcanons

Synopsis: SFW and NSFW headcanons. Nanami Kento x female reader.

All I gotta say is.... my man, my man, my man 😩

SFW:

My love Mine All Mine by Mitski is the song that describes your relationship.

Nanami is yours and you are Nanami's.

Your shared apartment/house/space is clean.

Nanami is just a very clean person in general, so expect his place to be as well.

When you first moved in, Nanami was so used to cooking for himself that he actually would.

He would feel really bad seeing the expression drop on your face, so he gives you his meal instead.

Nanami is the most caring, tender boyfriend to ever exist.

Don't even get me started on the cuddles...

When he still worked at the office and would come to you, wrapping you up in his large arms.

The two of you would lay on the couch, basking in the silence or engaging in conversation.

Your knees are up to your chest, legs dangling over Nanami's hip.

Your hands are tenderly rubbing up and down his large back, trying to take any stress away that's built up throughout the day.

Fingers kneading through his blonde hair as Nanami's eyes slowly flutter closed.

He usually ends up falling asleep in your arms, head resting on your chest.

His pinks slightly parted open, inhaling and exhaling such soft breaths.

Nanami is such a soft man in your arms. It's where he feels the safest and at his best.

He literally treats you like a teddy bear when you're the little spoon.

His arms are wrapped around your waist, holding you steady as you rest on his open, warm chest.

Nanami takes care of you so good.

He feeds you, cleans you, etc.

When Nanami speaks to you, his words are smooth and gentle.

He never raises his voice at you when you get in the occasional argument.

If you ever come to this man crying, it breaks his heart to see you like that.

Of course he vows to destroy whoever hurt you, but he'll get down on his knees and comfort you, grabbing your hands and brushing his thumbs over your skin.

Nanami loves you soooo much, it hurts. He needs you like an addiction.

NSFW:

SCREAMING, CRYING, THRUSTING, CHOKING ON THAT DIC-

Best believe that Nanami is using that tie of his to his full advantage.

Most of the times he'll wrap his tie around your wrists and pin them behind your back, giving you back shots.

When you're desperate and clingy, you'll wrap your fingers around the tie and pull him down into a deep kiss.

Nanami is a gentleman in bed most of the time...

There are times when he's a little rougher, but he would never use his words or actions to degrade you or hurt you.

Nanami likes to be the dominant one most of the time, but he doesn't mind when you ride him or even a reserve cowgirl.

Best believe this man gasps when you get down on your knees and start sucking on the tip of his cock.

It's his weak point when you start to give him head.

He can't handle but thrust his hips forward when your tongue swirls around or push your head forward.

Sweet groans and grunts leave Nanami's mouth as you suck him off.

When his orgasm is about to hit, his thighs start to tremble and he gasps when the thick ropes of cum shoot out and down your throat.

There's a redness on his cheeks as he pants heavily, trying to regain himself.

Nanami really likes missionary because he can see your face and how you're doing.

His thrusts are slow and sensual, making sure to hit your g-spot and earn a moan from you each time.

Nanami really takes his time in pleasuring you, even teasing you when he doesn't mean to.

He can be romantic and have some roses or candles when initiating sex.

AFTERCARE IS A 10 OUT OF 10!!!

Nanami takes his time before pulling out of you and starting to clean up the mess you both made.

He'll shower you in tender kisses, pulling you into his arms so you can both fade out into a peaceful sleep.

If you're feeling up for it, Nanami will draw you a hot bath where you'll both wash each other and take time exploring each other bodies, massaging and kneading the flesh.

You'll climb into Nanami's lap as his arms circle around you, resting your head on his shoulder.

Whispering sweet praises to each other.

[knightyoomyoui]

KNIGHT'S ALL-TIME FAVORITE TWICE FANFIC STORIES OF GREATNESS: PART 1

Heyo, Knight here! I mentioned from my previous post days ago that I decided to share some of my favorite TWICE fics that I finished reading since I reactivated my Wattpad account back in 2020. I just feel like my fellow TWICE AU authors who made these deserves much appreciation and recognition, so I made this. If you haven’t checked them out, oh you better do so. There will be more for me to share, so for now, take a look at these five stories that will be included here.

1.) "Adore You" | Mina x Nayeon by Nabongsbunny (Fluff, Smut, Angst) (2020)

I remember when this was my very first TWICE AU that I'd read after months of getting introduced to TWICE back in 2020. A friend of mine requested that I read this one after I asked her about fanfiction that features K-Pop idols, which I learned that other people were also doing it too. And my God, when I gave it a try... Although I was shocked at first at the unexpected lesbian smut that greeted me (and through the rest of the story, which my friend shyly apologizes to me for not making me aware of, lol, but I didn't mind it that much since I'm just in for the story), but all I can say is that the narration is so beautifully written, and all of the characters, especially Nayeon and Mina's, chemistry was carefully built through their backstories, moments, and decisions in life that actually can be put into real-life situations in which, despite being disappointing, you can't help but not blame them for it because... well, it's love. Also, this story was the reason that got me into listening and loving the song "Adore You" by Harry Styles. This one serves as like the official soundtrack if this would be an entire film, but you won't be surprised why the author perfectly chose this song to fit for Minayeon's story. A little glimpse to give about the story, if I remember correctly (it has been more than a year since I read it, but I'm planning to give it a reread because of how perfect it is), Nayeon is the bratty CEO of her company when she met Mina as the team leader who was appointed by her parents to take care of her as they send her to LA to enter a boarding school. There, she realized that this isn't actually their first time meeting each other when Nayeon finds Mina familiar, which brought her to recall where it all began, and the rest is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Give it a read for yourself if you are fine with reading TWICE AU that features a ship or pair and doesn't mind a girl-to-girl relationship. I'm probably sure it would end up as one of the best TWICE AU stories you'll ever read. No wonder it became an iconic fanfic in the community. Try to ask a Minayeon fanfic to others; I bet this would be the first or one of them to be mentioned.

2.) "Move On" | Nayeon x Female Reader by @vorrentis (heavy Angst) (2018)

Is it a bit ironic that I'm not really into reading female reader x member if I'm a guy who's gonna read it yet I also read stories that features a ship in TWICE, which members are both female? Well that would be my case of not attempting to give this one a read from Vorrentis' goated TWICE one-shot book on Wattpad. Quick fun fact: Vorrentis is one of my favorite Twice AU authors and my inspiration for starting to write fanfics on my own. Okay, now back to what I was saying, thank goodness my curiosity finally had me check it out by myself a few weeks ago. The summary of this story would be Nayeon and YN, two ex-couples who broke up after Nayeon mysteriously disappeared, and YN didn't know where she went until she found out that she'd be marrying Jeongyeon, whom they both know as a friend of theirs. If you give it a read, you will see how YN would almost curse Nayeon's life to the depths of hell for breaking her heart after what she did. Beware, this story contains LOTS of strong languages because, like I said, it's heavy angst filled with confrontations and arguments. What I love about this is how the author did a great job on making the dialogues felt so real, as if when you were reading it, you can feel the intensity because it's like you're sharing the same room as them as a nosy spectator or let's say you are their child (lol). And oh, since I mentioned about how Nayeon's sinful act devastated YN's vulnerable heart brutally, here comes the mindblowing double twist that would be thrown to you as it reaches the climax. Had me gaping my mouth in shock at the back and forth of revelations.

3.) "Stuck In Fairytales" | TWICE x Male Reader by ZAKY14 (Fluff, Angst) (2020)

I found this one pretty interesting because it reminded me of "Knock Knock"'s storyline in the MV, minus the theorized creepy twist that ONCEs put in there, and when I read it, I was so entertained throughout the chapters. The author, Zaky, is known on Wattpad for writing a bunch of Twice fics, some of which feature other idols too. The story of this one is centered on "Lao Bang,"  the name of the reader here, who accidentally discovered an ancient storybook. He opened it and got sucked in there to be part of every story it contains inside, explaining why this book has arcs that feature some of the popular Disney fairytale characters that TWICE would be portraying as. This one has a sequel by the way, and it will continue to tell Lao Bang's story after he successfully escaped the book.

4.) "The Life I Never Had" | TWICE x Male Reader by Mashimuno (2020)

If you love superheroes and some action/comedy genres like me, this one is definitely for you. “The Life I Never Had” tells the story of YN, a guy who got teleported off Earth since he was 5 years old and grew up to be trained as a bounty hunter in the planet he got thrown at. One day, during a mission he got beaten up badly with his sidekick and forced to retreat onto a nearby habitable planet , and there he ends up at the Earth where he was born which is also where TWICE would be living also in this story (they're still portrayed here as idols, just like in real life, btw). It also has a multiverse concept that we usually see in Marvel and DC films. Read it if you want to see how YN would meet the girls and how his connection with them gets stronger, and it will teach him how to live an unparalleled life that he never experienced in the universe he used to live for his entire life as they get to know themselves more throughout the chapters while facing YN's adversaries from the other planet.

5.) "Sociopath" | Nayeon x Male Reader by @nichuuu (Fluff, Angst, Smut) (2023)

Back in February, I tried to search for some TWICE one-shots on Tumblr because not gonna lie I get tired of seeing bunches of smuts and nothing new in my feed. Then I found this one. Me loves tsundere because of how often I see them in animes, and the way the author made it possible by writing Nayeon's character like that in this story where she is the CEO of her company, famous for being a... well, let's say she is an evil boss who is a huge antisocial until she meets YN, who applied as her 25th secretary (insane, right?). The story is basically about how a devil meets an angel who will slowly change her perception of the reality of life, and through the people around her who will result in her change of heart. The more she also begins to fall in love with our male lead here, they also face some challenges that are related mainly to Nayeon's tragic past that brought her hostile side to emerge and live with it. The prologue was effectively hilarious when I first read it, and I knew right then that I would be reading such an awesome story. I even finished the whole chapter in just a day! It's truly one of the best rom-com TWICE fics I've read, and I highly recommend it.

[cowgurrrl]

Never Thought

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Author’s note: IM A GODDAMN MACHINE also fic named after this song :D

Summary: You meet the Millers [3.5k]

Warnings: questionable Hollywood motives, Joel being vulnerable, the cutest goddamn found family, probably incorrect foster case/adoption timeline, talks of the foster care system, Tommy being a little shit, yearning idiots

Trouble in Paradise? Everything We Know About the Fight Between Everyone's Favorite Couple

Joel Miller Spotted Landing in LAX ALONE

Lucky Guitarist in Central Park Saw Joel Miller and Girlfriend Before Leaving Her in NYC: "They looked pretty in love when I saw them."

"Do you realize how bad this looks?!" Melanie asks as she paces behind her desk. You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, fighting a headache, as she spirals. "Rumors are flying around that you guys had a massive argument backstage at the Tonight Show, and he left because he was pissed at you." 

"That's not even close to what happened." You say, and she throws her arms up.

"Please, tell me what happened then because I've been fielding calls from major news outlets wanting to know what we have to say." 

"His kid had an emergency. He went home early to take care of her. We didn't argue or have a falling out or anything like that. We actually had a really nice time."

"What kind of emergency?" She asks with a hawk-like determination in her eyes. Times like this make you realize that you never want to get on Melanie's bad side. When she's like this, she's absolutely lethal.

"I don't know." You shrug.

"You don't know?"

"It's not like we had a chance to talk about it! I did the interview, and by the time I was done, he was already on the way to the airport. He texted me that night to apologize and let me know that something was happening with his youngest."

"And it couldn't have been handled without him? If she needed her dad to come all the way home, she better have a fucking good reason."

"She's fourteen, Mel!" You snap, tired of hearing how much his leaving early affected her when something happened with his family. "Jesus Christ, she's a baby, and you're talking about her like she's an adult, which, even if she was, she has a right to call her dad for help," you say. She crosses her arms over her chest as she thinks, and you grab your bag from your chair. "I know these aren't the best circumstances, but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you blame a child for a decision her father made." You wait for her to say more or argue with you, but she doesn't. You take a deep breath and reach for the door, more than ready to leave her and this conversation here.

"Why do you suddenly care so much about his kid?" She asks suddenly, and you turn to face her, your hand lingering on the doorknob. It feels like she's looking through you. Like she knows exactly what happened in New York but is waiting to see if you'll voluntarily come forward with it. "Wasn't a part of the contract to get involved with families." You shake your head and open the door.

"Then you shouldn't have paired me up with him." You say and leave her office. You're breathless by the time you get to your car. You've never left a conversation with Melanie like that, but you've also never heard her talk about a kid like that. It made your skin crawl to listen to her blame Ellie for just needing her dad. When the fuck did Hollywood get so ruthless that they have to use a fourteen-year-old as their scapegoat for something that's really not that big of a deal? 

You're fuming the whole way back to your house, and the LA traffic doesn't do anything to settle the anger in your chest. It's been three days since you got home from New York, and communication with Joel has been sparse. He let you know that he and the girls were okay and apologized again for leaving so abruptly, but that's been the extent of your conversation. Which is fine. You have laundry to do and scripts to read through. You're fine to keep busy, but sleep is a little harder to manage. 

You didn't realize that a couple nights sleeping in his arms would affect you so much. Now, every time you crawl into bed, the only thing you can think of is how big it is. Your dreams constantly replay your shared moments in New York, laughing together in the shower, walking hand-in-hand in Central Park, and the creases in the corners of his eyes. You didn't even realize that you were leaving space for a body that wasn't there until last night when you rolled into the cold space reserved for Joel and waited to hit his sleeping figure. For half a second, you considered getting a dog just so the house doesn't feel so empty.

You're folding laundry in your living room when your phone pings, interrupting the podcast you were listening to. You reach for it without a second thought, which you probably should've, considering you're still mad at Melanie, and see a text from Joel.

What are you doing tonight?

Joel Miller, you type. Are you trying to booty-call me?

Do you want me to booty-call you?

Maybe.

Well, I hate to disappoint, but I was gonna ask you to come visit the studio. I've got something I think you'll really like.

What's in it for me?

You leave your phone on the couch as you run upstairs to put your clean laundry away. You rush around your bedroom, stripping off the oversized, stained t-shirt you were wearing and putting on a vintage Talking Heads shirt with a pair of ripped jeans. You take a second to look at yourself in the mirror, smoothing down stray flyaways and swiping a layer of mascara on before running back downstairs. You feel like a teenager getting ready to see the boy she likes, and something in the back of your head wants to be annoyed, but nothing can bat away the butterflies in your stomach. As you grab your purse and shoes, your phone lights up on the couch.

I've got a couple surprises up my sleeve.

Attachment: Location

You smile and tell him you're leaving now. His studio is in the heart of West Hollywood, and you have to stop at a security gate before you're allowed to park in the back next to Joel's car. Somewhere beyond the gates, a camera flashes as you enter the building and follow the studio numbers until you get to the one Joel told you he'd be in. You knock lightly on the door, trying to be polite, but someone on the other side rips the door open abruptly. A big laugh sounds from the other side, and suddenly you're face-to-face with a young man with long dark curls and big brown eyes. 

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry, I'm looking for..." you trail off, glancing inside the studio until you make eye contact with Joel. He smiles and waves you in. "Him."

"Oh, you must be the girl Joel's been hidin' from us!" The man in front of you sends Joel a look as he opens the door wider to let you in, a similar twang peeking through his voice. When you fully step into the room, two girls are sitting on the couch across from Joel's chair at the soundboard, and you immediately recognize them as Sarah and Ellie. Sarah looks up and sends you a soft smile while Ellie stays focused on the rubber band she's wrapping around her fingers.

"Don't you go scarin' her! We wanna keep this one," Joel says as he stands and walks over to you. "This is my brother, Tommy. Don't pay him any mind." He says, and Tommy takes one of your hands in both of his and shakes it. 

"Pleasure to meet you," Tommy says, and you smile, your brain finally catching you with the fact that you're meeting Joel's family.

"It's nice to meet you, too," you recover. "I didn't know all the Miller men were so handsome!"

"Oh, I like her,"

"Alright, that's enough," Joel scolds and you and Tommy laugh. Sarah stands and jostles Ellie as she does, making her misfire the rubber band at the soundboard, and Joel shoots her a look. She groans and stands beside Sarah, putting on a half-hearted smile. "And these are my daughters, Sarah and Ellie." 

"It's really nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you guys." 

"I wish we could say the same. This one," Sarah jerks her thumb in Joel's direction. "Is a master at dodging questions."

"Well, I love questions." You say. 

You all settle once introductions are done, and you find yourself in awe of the dynamic the four of them have. Tommy and Joel are so at ease with each other, messing around and teasing one another, but still able to have conversations about the album art or release dates. Sarah and Ellie bombard you with questions, occasionally butting into their father and uncle's conversation to give their own opinions. And their questions are not the run-of-the-mill interview questions. No, their questions are deep, thought-provoking, unique questions that you enjoy teasing out with them. Joel was right about Sarah being a little bit more extroverted because she dominates a lot of the conversation, which you love and tell her as much.

"So many people are afraid to ask about things they're really passionate about, so it's cool to see you be so curious." You say, and a little blush takes over her cheeks. 

"Thanks," she says. "I'm glad you don't think I talk too much."

"Not at all. I like hearing what you have to say." You say and watch as she fights a smile. You catch Joel's eyes watching over you and the girls, something flashing behind his irises, and you nod to let him know you're okay.

Ellie is a little quieter but really likes hearing about the more technical part of filming something. You tell her all you know about cameras and sound equipment, even promising to take her to set with you one day to show her everything because Lord knows the industry could use more women in production. Eventually, she feels comfortable enough to slump next to you in all her teenage posture, still fiddling with the rubber band.

"Want me to show you something?" You ask quietly, and she furrows her brows before nodding. You reach for the rubber band, which she reluctantly passes to you, and you slide down to copy her position on the couch. "So, the key to this is aim. Power isn't super important, but it's always a little bit more fun," you instruct as you slide the rubber band over your index finger and thumb. "So, what you want to do is lock onto your target, pull this back, and then let it go. Like this," You go over the steps slowly before aiming the rubber band at Joel's head and snapping back, sending it flying through the air until it hits him.

"Ow! The hell?" Joel screeches, and you and Ellie laugh. 

"That was amazing!" Sarah giggles beside you, and you three dissolve into stupid, silly laughter. Tommy shakes his head and looks at Joel with a smile.

"You gonna let them do that to you?" He asks, and Joel takes a deep breath, taking in the sight of the three of you having the time of your life on the couch.

"'M outnumbered now."

"Sure are."

As the night progresses and you and the girls further slip into delirious giggles, you feel more and more comfortable with them. You're not sure what you thought would happen if and when you met them, but this is so easy and fun. Sarah tells you about the colleges she's applying to, and Ellie complains about her fingers hurting from trying to learn to play guitar. You advise Sarah about applications and even offer to read over some of her admissions essays, citing your BFA as your sole qualification. You're about to ask Ellie to play for you when Joel checks the time on his watch and slaps his hand over the watch's face. 

"Alright, 's gettin' late, and you guys have school in the morning."

"But Dad!" Ellie protests, and he shakes his head.

"No buts. You gotta get some sleep. Uncle Tommy'll take you home."

"Dad doesn't like when I drive. Like at all," Sarah says, and you laugh.

"No, Dad doesn't like when you drive, and it's ten o'clock in the city with the world's worst drivers." He corrects, and she rolls her eyes. Despite their little arguing, both girls walk over to Joel and give him hugs and kisses before following Tommy out the door.

"Hey," He gets Joel's attention as he stands in the threshold of the door, and Joel raises his eyebrows at him. "You bring her round more often, you hear?"

"I'll make sure he does." You say, and Tommy smiles at you, winking before he finally leaves. The second the door closes, Joel gets up from his chair and walks over to where you're sitting.

"Hi," he says quietly as he leans over you and kisses you sweetly. You hum against his lips, and he collapses next to you, grabbing your legs and resting them on his lap.

"Thanks for the heads up, by the way. Are your parents here too, or is it just them?"

"Why? You wanna meet 'em?" He asks, and you slap his arm. "They really liked you."

"You think so?" You ask, and he nods, gently squeezing your ankle.

"I know so. I haven't heard Ellie laugh like that in a good while." He says, and you take a deep breath. His warm hands massage your skin, and the studio is completely still, and it feels just like it did in New York. The thought comforts something deep within you, and you reach out to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He still needs a haircut, you think to yourself.

"Is she okay?" 

"She will be, yeah."

"What happened?" The question leaves you before you can stop, but he doesn't tense up or look panicky. He leans into your touch and focuses on the fraying hem of your jeans.

"She got in trouble at school. I still don't know the whole story 'cause she won't tell me, but she came home and took off on her bike. Tommy and Sarah drove around lookin' for her for bout an hour before they called me. They found her pretty soon after at a gas station, but it scared the shit outta me." 

"Oh, my God. That's so scary."

"Yeah," he says. "I... didn't handle it in the best way. I grounded her for a month and took away her bike. We got into a big fight about it, and I hate fightin' with her," he sighs. Even though this was days ago, you can see how much it weighs on him still. You wonder if anyone ever panicked that much about how they treated you as a child. "I thought goin' back to Texas would've helped her, but it didn't."

"They were in Texas with you?" You ask, and he nods. Suddenly, the voices in the background of your phone calls and the spottiness of your conversations make sense.

"They went a week earlier and left a week after me to keep the press off them. They also just really missed their grandparents. Figured it'd be a good idea to get 'em outta LA for a while." 

"Do their moms live in Texas too?" You get quiet as you ask about the women who brought Sarah and Ellie into the world. You may not know the whole story, but it also doesn't take a geneticist to figure out that Sarah and Ellie have different moms.

"No," he scoffs a laugh. "No, my parents are still in Texas, and Tommy lives there part-time, but that's really it."

"Where are their moms?"

"Sarah's mom left when she was a few months old. Divorced me and signed away her parental rights with the same pen. We haven't seen her since. I reach out to her folks every couple of years, but they never respond. They want nothing to do with either of us." He says, and your heart breaks for both of them. Sarah deserved to grow up with her mom, and Joel deserved to have a partner to help raise her, especially since he was so young.

"And Ellie's?"

"Never met her. Her name was Anna. The adoption agency told me she died a few hours after she gave birth. Left her a note but didn't have much else. No family, no husband, nothin'."

"Oh, I didn't know Ellie was adopted."

"It became official when she was twelve, but she's been with us since she was ten."

"Wow," you breathe, and he nods.

"Yeah," he says. "Sarah met her at school, and her foster home was just a shit hole, and she really just needed someone to take a chance on her. I still don't know why, but I got the paperwork filled out, and she was placed with us two months later. She's been with us ever since. That's also why I knew I had to come home when I heard she ran away. She used to do that to get away from her foster parents so they'd have an excuse to send her back."

"Did they?" You ask.

"Yeah. Six foster homes in two years."

"Jesus Christ."

"It's a lot. I know it is. That's why I didn't tell you bout them earlier. I didn't want to scare you off," he shrugs. "Plus, they're why I punched that photographer." He says like it's common knowledge, and you sit up. You remember Joel and Paul arguing about something when you walked into the room months ago, but you never asked about what. You also never asked him why he punched the pap because it didn't feel like your place. 

"What?"

"The guy showed up at Ellie's school. He was tryin' to get pictures of her when the only thing she's done wrong is have my last name. He was yellin' things at me and asking me about her, and I just… snapped," he explains, shaking his head. "It's not right. I shouldn't have done it, but they're my girls. If I can't protect them, then I've got nothin'." You watch tears glisten in his eyes, and you push onto your knees to cup his face.

"You're a good dad, Joel. Possibly one of the best ones out there, okay? And you're not a criminal for losing your temper with your fourteen-year-old," you say. "Ellie's a teenager, and she's been through a lot. You all have. But those beautiful, intelligent, funny, amazing girls love you with everything that they are. I can see that, and I only spent a few hours with them today. They are good people because you're a good person," You stare into his eyes, hoping that the words will imprint in his brain, and he believes it as much as you do. You think Joel Miller could use someone believing in how good he can be. You think he needs it. You think he deserves it. "You are a good person." You whisper, and he takes a deep breath. 

He rests his hands on your hips, and you move closer to him, resting your knees on either side of his hips and sitting in his lap. You kiss away the stray tears from his cheeks and feel him relax under your touch. You're sure that you'll need to tell him over and over again how good of a dad he is after so many years of just barely surviving, and you're okay with that. You'll tell him as many times as it takes him to believe it. 

He catches your lips before you can get far and kisses you firmly like he's trying to show you everything he wants to say instead of speaking. He tastes like salt and cigarettes as he fiddles with the hem of your shirt, his fingers brushing against your stomach. There's nothing sexual about it. He just wants to be close to you, and you want the same. He traces patterns into your lower back, his hands splaying across your sides, and you bury your face in his neck. It's quiet and soft and almost domestic the way you two are cuddled into each other. As if you've been together for years, and this is how you greet each other after being away for so long. You inhale his scent and try to make out the shapes he's pressing into your skin. 

"I wish I'd met you sooner." He says quietly, the words halfway lost in your hair. You kiss his jaw and squeeze him a little tighter.

"Me too," you mumble. "'M here now. I'm not going anywhere." And for once, instead of arguing or coming up with a reason to refuse to absorb what you're saying, he just nods.

"I know." 

[canirove]

In The Name of Love | Chapter 6

Author's note: Since next Monday is Christmas day, I will be posting the chapter that should be up that day on Wednesday, which means that next week you will have new chapters on Wednesday and Thursday 😊 Also sorry about this chapter being a bit meh and on the short side, but I think I am making up for it on the next one 😁 Also, to those of you who are just reading this and don't follow me, happy holidays and merry christmas to those of you who celebrate! 💜

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Masterlist

Good luck tonight! Hopefully it won't rain, because those clouds look so bad… (📸) Also look at the sea. Back home it doesn't get like this  (📸) The food here is just 🤤 (📸) You have fans who aren't teenagers 😱 (📸) I wonder if they'll think I'm one too (📸)

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"And?"

"Nothing yet" I sigh. "This was a good idea, right?"

"It was" Emma says, giving my hand an encouraging squeeze. "Traveling to the other side of the country to watch him play is so romantic!"

"I don't care if it is romantic or not. I just want to explain everything to him and for things to go back to the way they were."

"Who would have thought you would end up missing a teenager's dick, uh?" she laughs.

"I should have brought Silvia with me" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"But sadly, she's too busy with Pau finally being back, so you'll have to deal with me" she smiles.

It's been a month since that stupid engagement party, since Pedri and I had that argument, since I last saw him in person. And I've felt like shit every single day.

I should have been honest with him. I should have opened myself to him, share all my fears. But I couldn't. I was too much of a coward, and because of it, I may have lost the person who managed to finally make me close a chapter of my life. The person that gave me what I needed to finally let go. 

But I'm ready now. I'm ready to tell him everything. And that's why Emma and I are here, though her first plan was a bit stalkery.

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"I just sent him a good luck message before the game and he has left me as read. Again" I sigh. 

"At least you know he hasn't blocked you."

"Yeah, I guess. But I can't keep living this, I have to do something."

"Why don't you just show up at his house and don't leave until he listens to you?"

"I can't do that, Emma. He'll end up calling the police."

"Then why don't you go watch him play at the Camp Nou? Maybe his friends can help you corner him somewhere so you can talk."

"That isn't such a bad idea, you know… Though they are going on international break after tonight's game." 

"Then let's go watch him play with Spain! You could even wear his shirt, I'm sure he would like that. You aren't allergic to that one, are you?"

"I'm not, no" I laugh. "But I don't know where they are playing and when. And there may not be tickets left."

"Then let's find out" she says, taking out her phone and starting to type.

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A couple of hours after that conversation, and mostly thanks to Ferran, we had it all ready. We would be spending the weekend in La Coruña, a city in the West of Spain where the national team is playing, and where, hopefully, I will find a way to convince Pedri to let me explain myself. 

"Is it him?" Emma asks when my phone buzzes.

"Oh my God" I gasp. "It's him, he has replied!" I say, my hand shaking.

"What does he say?"

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Val, what is all that? 

Are those photos real?

Yep

Are you here? 

In La Coruña? 

And wearing my shirt? 😳

I am

Wait a second

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"Emma, he's facetiming me."

"Then pick up!"

"How do I look?"

"For the love of God, Valeria. Who cares? Pick up!"

"Ok" I say, taking a deep breath. "Hello" I smile.

"Show me around."

"What?"

"Show me around, Valeria."

"Don't need to be so rude, Pedro" I say, moving so he can see where I am. Emma and I had sat down on a bench not too far away from the stadium to kill time until we can go inside.

"You are here. You… Why?"

"Well, Emma and I had a free weekend and wanted to disconnect from the kids, we saw an ad about the game, we had never been to La Coruña, and we said, why not?" I shrug.

"Let's go disconnect from the kids by watching other kids play" Pedri chuckles.

"Asensio isn't a kid."

"Then why are you wearing my shirt?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.

"It was the only one left in the shop" I shrug again.

"Sure" he laughs.

"It was yours or Morata's, and you know how I feel about him."

"I do, yes" he laughs again. God, I had missed hearing him laugh. "Anyway, I gotta go, we are leaving the hotel now."

"Ok."

"Thank you for coming to the game."

"Of course" I smile. But he doesn't. He's gone serious again.

"Bye, Valeria."

"Bye" I say before he hangs up.

"That went well, didn't it?" Emma says.

"Did it?" I sigh.

"It did! You had a little moment there, so there still is hope."

"I guess, but he kept calling me Valeria and… Wait" I say when my phone buzzes again.

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Don't forget to send me your good luck text. 

It is the last thing I always read before warm up

I won't. I promise 😊

❤️

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"See? There still is hope!" Emma says, grabbing my arm and squeezing it. She's actually hurting me, but I don't care.

Because there still is hope.

[lvrsparadise]

Omg, we need a part two of Blind with Chris, it was so good

'WILL YOU?' (II) - C.S

| 'BLIND' |

Synopsis - After his return, feelings are confessed, and dates are made.

Warnings! - Y/N and Chris being lil cutie patooties, profanity, like one kiss, fluff, a small argument between Y/N and Chris, I think that's all.

A/N - PT2 is here!! Also, thank you guys so much for over 100 followers, y'all are going to make me crazy. Hope you guys enjoy !!

It's been a week since the guys flew back to LA. I stayed at their place for a few days after their return but currently, I'm back in my own apartment.

I haven't gotten any texts from Chris containing anything about the little hearts/notes I left in his room. Thankfully. I don't really know what my goal was when I did it, but I guess it makes a little bit of sense.

A text notification from my phone rips me from my thoughts. I pick it up and it's a text from Chris. I open it, and there's a picture of him holding one of the smaller hearts next to his face, with a smile.

Chris: you leave this? or was it left intentionally??? Me: You'll never know. :) Chris: Oh come on, that's not fair and you know it. Me: Nope. You have to figure it out by yourself. ;) Chris: is there more??? Me: many.

I chuckle at my phone, picturing his reaction. Probably a groan with an eye roll. I set my phone down and focus on the episode of The Amazing World of Gumball that's currently playing.

----

Many hours later I get another text from Chris.

Chris: I've found 22 so far. how many are there? Me: 27. You got five left :) Chris: you're a shit head Me: :)

I smile as he sends a photo of all the hearts he's found. I notice the biggest on not there. At that fact, I breathe a sigh of relief. Considering that's the one with the confession on it.

I then get a facetime call from him, probably wanting to know where they're hidden.

I answer, only to be greeted by an unfolded paper with words on it. My eyes widen in shock, and I sit up quickly looking at the paper, instantly recognizing it.

"You've got some explaining to do."

"I-"

"Not to be THAT person but, why on paper? I get it's more poetic but hearing it straight from you would've been better."

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't even know what I was thinking."

"You know what?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm coming over."

"But you can't drive-"

"Don't care. I'll fucking walk."

"Why?"

"So we can talk, in person. Not over the phone."

Butterflies.

"Oh- okay. Are you going to stay on the phone?"

I see a faint nod of his head as I hear him walking on stairs, presumably to the front door of their house.

"Yeah. Why the fuck would I hang up?"

He looks dead at the camera as he walks out of the door and starts walking.

"You do know where you're going right?"

"'Course I do. Been over to your pace so many damn times I have a special route that gets me there faster."

"Oh yeah? What route would that be?"

"Can't tell. A magician never shares his secrets."

"I can't with you." I laugh out as I stand up from my couch and pick up some trash that was on the floor.

"Well, apparently you can. Considering that your note said that you've, and I quote, 'Liked me since we were in freshman year of high school'."

I sigh as I shake my head with a quiet chuckle.

"Okay now, no need to get all smart about it."

"Ha-ha."

"Did you open all of the hearts? Or just opened the biggest one just because?" I smile at the camera.

"I just opened the big one just because."

"Make sure that when you go home later that you open all of them."

"I'm outside. Can you buzz me in?"

"If you press the damn button." I walk over to the speaker and button next to my front door and wait for the buzz on his end before buzzing it on my end.

"I'll be up in a few. Bye."

"Bye."

I lock my phone and throw it on the couch. Did that actually just happen? He actually found my confession.

My stomach churns at the idea of him rejecting it or something. Like, maybe laughing in my face. Or maybe he'll laugh in my face, then stop talking to me.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts at the sound of knocks at my front door.

I take a deep breath and open the door to be greeted by a smiling Chris. Who immediately wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. Out of instinct, my arms fly around his neck, my hands positioning themselves in his hair.

Once we pull away, he walks to the couch and plops down. In his 'spot'. Which is really my spot, but I let him have it just for the sake of mine, and his brother's sanity. I sit on the cushion next to him, but not so close we're touching.

"I'm going to go right off the bat, I'm not here to laugh in your face, or reject you."

"You aren't?" I turn my head to him, earning a small smile and a head shake.

"No. I'm here to tell you, I'll happily go out with you and be your boyfriend. I just need to hear it in your words. Not writing."

I nod and clear my throat, preparing to say the corniest thing known to man, something he will most definitely not appreciate, but will take it.

"Chris, I've had like a major crush on you since we started high school. And I've never told you all this time because I value our friendship more than anything else in this world." I let out a chuckle at my next actions.

I stand up and move in front of him, getting on one knee and grabbing one of his hands with both of mine.

"So, here's me confessing. I love you, Chris. I always will. Will you make me the happiest girl and be my boyfriend?"

I can see the visible wince on his face at my actions, heck even my face is in a wince. It's really corny and cheesy, but it'll do.

He breaks out laughing for a second before nodding, earning a sigh of relief from me as he stands up and pulls me up with him. He looks into my eyes, and we hold eye contact for a second before he breaks the silence.

"I would love to be your boyfriend. Nothing would be better."

I smile at his words and move to hug him, but he stops me by placing his hands on my cheeks. I put one of my hands on his wrist, holding it.

He starts to lean in slowly, his gaze occasionally flickering between my eyes and lips. He stops once we're literally centimeters away from each other's lips, his eyes searching mine before I close the gap and plant my lips on his.

He pulls back for a second before leaning back in, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. His hands rest on my hips while mine rest in his hair and on his shoulder, holding each other close.

We pull back for much needed air. Both of us panting for breath.

"Next Saturday, will you go on a date with me?"

I nod, our foreheads bumping against each other as I do.

"Is that even a relevant question at this point?" I smile at him as he tightens his arms around me, pulling me closer into an embrace.

This is perfect.

Tags ! ✮

@dwntwn-strnlo ✮ @ssturniolo ✮ @strniolo ✮ @20nugs ✮ @prettysturniolo ✮

People who asked to be tagged in part two !

@idont-really-know ✮ @american-girl001 ✮ @hoshhoshh ✮ @hannahdoesstuff ✮ @athenalive ✮

If you want to be added to the list, all you have to do is ask !! ✮

I love all of you guys ! Hope you all have a wonderful day and / or night ✮

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Hey 🥺 I'm finally coming here 😩 I've read Just friends so many times it marked a before and after in my life LETMME tell you that you're the greatest writer ever ?? This Yandere Konig just will live with me forever and I will cherish him forever😩 I'm literally the lyric ,"my old man is a thief and I'm gonna stay with him till the end" (I'm sorry I'm a Lana del Rey enthusiastic)

Girl I can't STOP stressing the fact that that fanfic is life-changing hell, even now that I'm talking bout it I want to read it again (I wish I could read it for the first time again 😩) like just thank you thank you for making so many incredible written masterpieces caUSE IM READING also the ghost bodyguard and im LIVING for it ok?? My ass was shaking with the las update fucking mind-blowing and PERFECT.

So returning to my man König, you know I'm Hispanic (you didn't know but hey I'm Hispanic) and I would like really want to know how would König react or behave having a darling that is Hispanic (? (This is pure self indulgence, like I want to fucking put myself there) I mean, I don't want to appropriate any stereotypes but when sometimes can be a lot and we donate pretty different from everyone else(? So idk I just like would like to know kajsosib

Thank you again for making so many good content I told you before and I tell you know you're my cult leader 🙏

Hey babe you're too sweet! I can't believe my crazy story and crazy interpretation of König has had such an impact 🩷💕😭 Thank you for telling me, I'm just so glad that we can all buzz about this hot, insane man! And cult leader!? Haha omg this sounds dangerous (I love it, let's gather the whole toxic König crew and go to Austria together and build a shrine for this man, we can share headcanons thrice a day, dinner is served right after the compulsory fanfic writing workshop)

As for your ask, I'm sorry, I don't think I know enough about Hispanic culture to go too deep into detail & I wish to tread very carefully with stereotypes too, I hope this take is ok 🩷😘

The way I see it, there's two ways this thing would go….

An emotional, lively, feminine woman who has strong family values would be a dream come true for König. If you identify with the concept of marianismo at all, if you're loving and loyal and want to support your husband-to-be (König won't settle being just your 'boyfriend'), want to get married too and embrace your femininity while he gets to be The Man, your provider and protector, well, damn. This guy is on his knees! König will worship you, return your support and love tenfold, hundredfold. It will be the love story of a lifetime (and a story of traditional gender roles too but König would only view it as romantic 🩷)

But if you're "a lot", perhaps more outgoing than König thinks is appropriate, if you don't give a shit about his Ordnung muss sein-mentality and laugh at his attempts to cage you…? Sorry but you'll drive the poor man crazy!

He needs to possess protect you, which means your "temper" is a weed in the garden of your love. It needs to be pulled out, and you need to be tamed. König will go out of his mind as he tries to both please your every wish and try to put you on a leash. Lots of arguments ensue as you try to explain to this man that he's overreacting (and König is like Was?? He's not overreacting or hysterical, you're hysterical), lots of passionate reconciliation sex follows as he tries to prove you that you're his and his alone and no other man is allowed to even look at you.

So please don't torture him too much ❤️, he's not used to women's company and has a lot of suppressed energy and emotion, he just wants to take care of you and be the head of the house (and that you two worship each other 24/7 and carry each other's blood in small little vials or something omg)

[stellae-de-baphometis]

ACTUAL Mesopotamian Pagan Goddesses You Can Work With INSTEAD Of Lilith 🌙

So if you've seen the old post of mine touching on an antisemitic "Demonolatry" subreddit, you'll probably have heard about the common argument antisemitic practitioners make to try and justify appropriating Lilith and a lot of other Jewish daemons.

A lot of these people will try to propose that working with Lilith isn't cultural appropriation, because she predates Judaism and is actually a "MeSoPoTaMiAn PaGaN gOdDeSs". And I don't think it takes a genius to realise that this is absolute horse shit lol. Just look at any Mesopotamian deities list and she's not there.

These people are most likely referring to similar spirits such as Lamashtu, Kilili, Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke, Ardat-Lili, and even Inanna/Ishtar in some instances. There's also the family of desert-dwelling night spirits that comprise of the Lilu and the Lilitu/Lili daemons.

While Lilith may have originated from or was based off of these daemons, they are not the same as Lilith. And I get that people have their own UPGs on certain entities being aspects of one another and such, but if that entity is part of a closed practise, you are in no place to even have a UPG on them to begin with. It comes from a practise that you aren't a part of, therefore you have no right or reason to have a UPG on it. Please just leave closed practices alone.

To my knowledge, one of the first times Lilith was documented was in the Dead Sea Scrolls, along with the daemon race of Lilin. The Dead Sea Scrolls is a Jewish/Hebrew text. So the idea that Lilith predates Judaism is just not true, and it's clearly an excuse made by people who appropriate her in an effort to brush off any accusations of their cultural appropriation and covert antisemitism. Lilith and the Lilin are only loosely based on the Lilitu wind spirits; They are not synonymous with one another. Anyone who tries to claim they are is just blatantly uneducated and/or antisemitic.

The whole idea of Lilith having origins in Mesopotamian mythology can all be traced back to a mistranslation. The BS-Free Podcast has an episode on this and it goes into depth about this mistranslation. I highly recommend checking out their podcast episode here!

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In an attempt to combat some of this antisemitic fuckshit, I wanted to make an entire blog post dedicated to the goddesses and daemonesses of ancient Mesopotamia that you can work with instead of Lilith! I've had this idea for a little while now, but didn't really know who to include or how to construct this until now.

I also have another post in the making which will be a more UPG based post and will also include sigils, conjuration chants, correspondences, illustrations, etc. This current post merely exists to function as a guide and a sort of directory, with mostly historical information about each spirit listed.

So without further ado, let me show you some of the other goddesses, daemonesses, and spirits you can work with; All without appropriating someone else's ethnoreligion!

Full post is under the cut. ↓

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☣️ DISCLAIMER: Some of these spirits may be considered intense, unpredictable, and chaotic in nature. These spirits can be overwhelming to work with if you are sensitive to such spiritual energies. Please tread with caution, especially if you're a beginner practitioner. Stay safe. Xx

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of infant/child d3ath, ab0rti0n, and slight mentions of s3xual a55ault/abu5e and r4pe but nothing described in any explicit detail. Also slight mentions of antisemitism and Ne0-Naz1sm towards the end of the post.

⭒☆·━━━━━━━•( 🌑 )•━━━━━━━·☆⭒

⭒☆·━━━━━━━•( 🌑 )•━━━━━━━·☆⭒

Here are some ACTUAL Mesopotamian Goddesses and Daemonesses that can ACTUALLY be considered Pagan. These spirits, in my opinion, seem to bear the most resemblance to the pop-cultural stereotype of "Lilith".

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+: Kilili :+

Lady Kilili is a daemoness of Sumerian origin, likely associated with owls. She is also attested as a minor goddess who functioned as a servant of Inanna/Ishtar. - Lady Kilili's name is that of a bird, most likely an owl. In one source she is equated with ab-ba-su-su, meaning "she who leans on the window" in Sumerian. She could be referred to as "queen of the windows" and "the one of haunted places", and it's assumed that she was imagined as an owl daemoness. - Kilili was usually affiliated with Ishtar, and according to at least one source, is said to be one of her eighteen messengers. She could also be considered as having a connection to sex due to her link with Ishtar. Kilili could also possibly have links with Lady Ardat-Lili due to similar affiliations, but there is no solid evidence for this. - It has also been theorised that Queen Kilili is in fact the goddess figure depicted in the Burney Relief terracotta plaque, and while it is highly likely, this has never been officially confirmed. - With the limited information we have on Queen Kilili, all we can really say is that she was likely a daemoness and goddess of owls, nocturnal animals, the night, sexuality, and portals to other worlds (hence the whole "windows" affiliation).

. . .

+: Lamashtu :+

Lady Lamashtu, also known as Lady Labartu, is a Mesopotamian daemoness and (demi)goddess who was said to menace pregnant women during childbirth, and allegedly kidnapped children and devoured them. She was blamed for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, as humans didn't yet have a medical explanation for this phenomenon at the time. - She was the daughter of the Mesopotamian Sky God Anu. There are also modern day accounts of Pazuzu being her consort (the Daemon King of the Southwest Winds) and their offspring being the Lilu wind daemons. In my UPG, Pazuzu and Lamashtu seem to be friends with one another (or at most, in a queer-platonic relationship) but aren't necessarily espoused to one another. I do believe there are a specific subtype of Lilu wind daemons that were created by them though. - Lamashtu was also associated with ab0rting unborns and killing newborns, eating men and drinking their blood, disturbing sleep, bringing nightmares, allegedly harassing mothers and expectant mothers, infesting lakes and rivers, killing foliage, and being a bringer of disease, sickness, and death. - Queen Lamashtu was classified as an "evil" spirit, as she acted on her own accord rather than following the gods' instructions. However, it is likely that she was just a more chaotic spirit, as not everything in our world can simply be divided up into "good" and "evil". At least, that's what I believe anyways. - In modern times, Lamashtu could more so be seen as an advocate for ab0rti0n rights and women's rights, as well as a defender of women and neglected/abu5ed children, rather than being a malicious monster who kills without any motive. - As for the men she devours, perhaps we could suggest that these men were persecuting innocent women and sƐxually a55aulting and r4ping them, impregnating them with children the women did not want or were unable to care for. Lamashtu might then assist the woman with ab0rting the unborn child, and then guiding it to the afterlife or elsewhere to be potentially reincarnated. - She could also be seen as persecuting sƐxual abu5ers and protecting the victims or potential victims of such a55aults. I don't know, just some food for thought lol. A lot of the areas in which Ancient Mesopotamian religion was practiced had quite misogynistic attitudes towards women, being the time era that it was (obligating them to stay home and be wives); So perhaps Lady Lamashtu's mythos was somewhat twisted out of content because she didn't fill that stereotypical role. In a way, this could make Lamashtu quite the feminist icon!

. . .

+: Akhkhazu :+

Lady Akhkhazu, also known as Dimme-kur, is a Akkadian daemoness associated with pestilence. She is also called "the seizer". - Akhkhazu brings fever and plagues, and is a part of a trio of daemonesses (Labasu, Lamashtu/Labartu, Akhkhazu). Despite the fact that Akhkhazu is known as a masculine name, she is said to be feminine in nature. - Next to nothing is known of Lady Akhkhazu, however we can confirm that due to her link with Queen Lamashtu, she can be associated with death, destruction, and sickness. Being a daemoness of plagues and illness, it could be proposed that Akhkhazu may also be able to help heal these things.

. . .

+: Labasu :+

Lady Labasu was a part of the aforementioned trio of Mesopotamian daemonesses alongside Lamashtu/Labartu and Akhkhazu. She is said to have the same powers and associations as the other daemonesses in that trio. - Not much is known about Labasu outside of that, but we can assume that she's a daemoness of disease, plagues, pestilence, death, and decay. I believe she could also solely be worked with as a death daemon/deity.

. . .

+: Inanna-Ishtar :+

Lady Inanna, also known as Lady Ishtar, is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, justice, war, and fertility. She is also associated with sex, divine law/justice, and political power. It was initially thought that Inanna and Ishtar were originally seperate deities, but overtime merged into the same deity (similar to how Amun and Ra merged to become Amun-Ra). - Inanna-Ishtar's prominent symbols were the lion and the eight-pointed star. She also had associations with the planet Venus. She held the title of the "Queen of Heaven". - Her spouse was Dumuzid (later known as Tammuz), the god of shepherds, fertility, and vegetation.

. . .

+: Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke :+

Lady Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke (also known as Kisikil-lila or Ki-sikil) is another obscure Mesopotamian daemoness of which not much is known about. - Her origins date as far back as 600 BCE, in the Epic Of Gilgamesh, an ancient Sumerian epic poem. In Tablet XII, an Assyrian-Akkadian translation of the latter part of the Epic Of Gilgamesh, it tells the story of a 'spirit in the tree' referred to as Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke. Proposed translations for the Tablet XII 'spirit in the tree' include; Ki-sikil as "sacred place", lil-la-ke as "water spirit, and lil as either "spirit" or simply "owl" (given that the lil builds its home in the trunk of a tree). - The Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke is associated with a serpent and a Zu bird. In the ancient city of Uruk, a huluppu tree grows in Inanna's garden, and she plans to use the wood of the tree to build a new throne. After ten years of growth, Inanna returns to the garden to harvest the tree, but finds that it has since been inhabited. A serpent is dwelling at the base of the tree, a Zu bird is nesting atop the tree raising its young, and the Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke has built a home within its trunk. - Gilgamesh was said to have killed the serpent, then the Zu bird flew away to the mountains with its young, while the Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke fearfully destroyed her house and fled to the forests. - Lady Ki-sikil's story was eventually mistranslated as referring to Lilith, leading to the misinformation of Lilith having origins in Mesopotamian mythology. - Outside of this, not much is known of Lady Ki-sikil. Going off the limited information we have of her, we can conclude that her associations are with willow trees, owls (or other birds of prey), water, snakes, forests, and vegetation in general.

. . .

+: Ardat-lili :+

Lady Ardat-lili (also known as Vardat-lilitu) is a Mesopotamian daemoness and wind/storm goddess who inhabits the desert. Not much is known of this daemoness, but in modern times she has been likened to a "succubus" or vampiric-like entity. Ardat-lili was said to prey on men and conceive daemon offspring from their nocturnal emissions. - There are a few different stories of Ardat-lili's origins. Some sources claim that she was the spectre of a young girl who died before getting married, and out of sheer bitterness and envy, she sets out to prevent and/or sabotage the marriages between mortals. Other accounts suggest that Ardat-lili may refer to a specific family of multiple spirits, rather than a singular entity. In my UPG, Ardat-Lili is a daemoness, whereas the Lilitu/Lili are a class of spirits that Ardat-Lili belongs to. - Ardat-lili is yet another daemoness of which little information is known, and it's likely that a lot of her mythos was lost to history. I personally interpret her as a daemoness/goddess of storms, wind, the desert, sexuality, and the night. I also see her as being androgynous, similarly to how I see Astaroth in my UPG.

. . .

+: Ereshkigal :+

Lady Ereshkigal (also known by the titles "Queen Of The Underworld" and "Queen Of The Great Earth") is the Goddess of Kur, the land of the dead in Sumerian mythology. In later myths, she was said to rule Irkalla alongside her husband Nergal. However, Ereshkigal and Nergal were only two of the many deities that ruled over the underworld in ancient Mesopotamia. - On some accounts, her name was given as Irkalla, similar to how the Greek name Hades was given to the underworld itself as well as the ruler of the underworld. Ereshkigal is also known by the name of Ninkigal, meaning "Lady Of The Great Earth". - In the ancient Sumerian poem Inanna's Descent To The Underworld, Ereshkigal was said to be the older sister of the aforementioned Inanna-Ishtar. But historically, they weren't commonly associated with one another. Another account associates Ereshkigal with the gods Ninazu (originally regarded as her husband but later as her son) and Ningishzida. It was said that Ninazu initially ruled over the Underworld, but Ereshkigal later fulfilled this role as the mythos evolved overtime. - In later Babylonian deity lists, Ereshkigal ruled over a category of Underworldian gods that were known as "Transtigridian Snake Gods" which included Ninazu, Tishpak, Ishtaran, and the Elamite god Inshushinak. She also had a messenger named Namtar. - Some accounts suggest that Ereshkigal and Inanna-Ishtar are somewhat polar opposites to one another; With Inanna-Ishtar being the Queen Of Heaven, and Ereshkigal being the Queen Of The Underworld. -

. . .

+: Tiamat :+

Lady Tiamat (a.k.a. "The Glistening One") is the primordial goddess of the sea in Babylonian mythology. She represented the embodiment of primordial chaos, and was said to have created the entirety of the cosmos and the universe. with the help of her consort Abzu, the god of groundwater. - Tiamat's consort was Abzu, the god of groundwater. Together, they bore the first generation of deities, including their son Kingu. However, trouble arose when these gods kidnapped and murdered Abzu in an attempt to usurp his lordship over the universe. This angered Kingu, and he reported the incident back to his mother. - Devastated and enraged by her husband's death, Tiamat created eleven mighty monsters, including the first ever generation of dragons, whose bodies she filled with "poison instead of blood" and sent them to rage war upon the gods to avenge her husband. After war broke out, Tiamat was eventually killed by the storm god Marduk, and it was said that he integrated elements of her body into the heavens and the earth. - Tiamat is associated with sea serpents and dragons, and may have even taken the form of these animals sometimes. - Side Note: I actually wanna make a whole seperate post regarding the eleven monsters created by Tiamat, because I think they're really cool and I do wanna venerate them at some point!

. . .

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Welp, that's pretty much it for this post! I will eventually be making a post about The Anti-Lilith-Appropriation Hierarchy Of Spirits I have come up with, comprised of all the spirits, goddesses, and daemonesses you can work with and venerate instead of Lilith. So stay tuned for that!

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There are many different deities, daemons, and spirits that you can honour, worship, and venerate; Lilith doesn't need to be one of them.

Respecting closed practices is of upmost importance, because here's the thing... Spirituality and metaphysical beings cannot be definitely proven to exist. However, the years upon years of discrimination, erasure, xenophobia, religiophobia, and maltreatment in general that groups of people such as Jews and Muslims have had to go through, is very much real and can be backed up by solid evidence.

Do you really think it makes sense to prioritise something that could very well be all in your head, over actual oppressed minorities who have literally been mistreated and even killed since the very beginning of time, all because of shitty bigoted people's prejudices? Just think about that for a second.

Because if you still think it's completely fine to appropriate Lilith, even though it is evidently clear that she is closed and exclusive to Judaism (NOT Mesopotamian), then I have absolutely no problem assuming you're antisemitic and most likely a Ne0-Naz1 as well. And if you are, you should go and fuck yourself. :)

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There's unfortunately quite a lot of antisemitism in occult spaces, especially when it comes to Satanism, Daemonolatry, and Luciferianism in particular. I want to do my best to counteract this shit and to help educate those new to this branch of the occult, so that unsuspecting people don't fall down an antisemitic pipeline like I did at the beginning of my path onto Daemonism and Daemonolatry.

If my best friend hadn't educated me on how bad cultural appropriation actually is and hadn't snapped me out of my radicalisation process, the gods only know where I would've ended up... It deeply concerns me just thinking about it. I hate to think about how antisemitic occult spaces such as r/DemonolatryPractices could've potentially led to me being radicalised into a Ne0-Naz1... Ugh, it makes me fucking shudder...

Please don't fall into the trap of thinking that cultural appropriation is completely fine and not harmful at all, because if you give that shit enough time to fester, you never know what it could snowball into. You'll most likely fall down a right-wing pipeline, and trust me, it is not a place you want to end up in.

I had to learn that the hard way.

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Anyways, I hope you found this post helpful and informative! And as always, I wish you well on your spiritual journey. <3

~ May You Be Blessed By The Daemonic/Infernal Divine ~

-Kody

[ichirukilover]

I closed the door to Bl/each after the tragedy of 6/86 and briefly opened a window to LA, because well that pair is my weakness and it made me laugh how treacherously I/R it was.

So when weeks ago I saw a beautiful I/R fanart on Tik Tok (The anime came back, so the algorithm decided it was a good idea to torture me), and the response to a comment that said "They should have ended up together "was "READ THE MANGA", I was baffled. I mean, what did that mean? had I read a fake manga all those years and the "real manga" appeared Da Vinci Code-style after 2016? Was it all a Jump conspiracy? Have we been duped all this time?

That piqued my curiosity, so I wandered around several sites, reading publications from the "correct/canon/real manga" point of view; and well, you'll see even worse things the bible says.

Here are my favorites:

"The I/H was evident from the beginning, just read chapter 0": yes, because a one-shot that is a sketch of the general idea of a manga, that goes through many revisions and rewrites is absolutely determinant in the development of the main manga, and seriously, what exactly is the evidence?

"HM arc is the ultimate proof of I/H, he went to rescue her and even came back from the dead for her": well, so did her other friends and even R/enji and R/ukia, maybe they were all in love with her too. And about the resurrection...just...never mind.

"I/H are perfect for each other" Here I could do a whole essay from a psychological point of view that proves that it is an absolute fallacy and was more than clear in the FB arc, in real life they wouldn't work and would be a toxic couple. And God knows at least that boy needs therapy.

"O***ime looks like Ma/saki" * Bombastic side eye. Criminal, offensive side eye *

"O***ime deserves I/chigo”: Oh, so he was some kind of trophy for being a good girl, so it wasn't enough to objectify her, they also do the same with the boy.

"Ru/kia was a shinigami and I/chigo was a human, and she's much older than him, their relationship was impossible." *Everything but the rain entered the chat*.

"I/H fought together against Y/wach": And we all know how well they (he) did, right?

"W/D/k/A/L/Y": *sigh* that's what it looks like when you try to fix a mess and fail miserably.

"W/D/k/A/L/Y's scribble": ...

"Anime invented IR": The studio simply pushed something that was already implicit in the original material and they knew it would sell more, it's basic marketing. Most of us knew what was filler and what wasn't (rolls eyes).

And there definitely wasn't a parallel manga that magically made sense of that ending. What a disappointment.

And I/R are the delusional and lacking in compressive reading? It's so much easier to say you just don't like people ship I/R, instead of sending them to read the manga or giving lazy arguments. Pathetic.

This was long, but I just needed to vent or something, because I honestly found the whole situation absolutely hilarious.

My English is broken, so I hope I have been understood.

PS: So in my delusional mind I/R is right now enjoying his honeymoon on the beach *wink**wink*.

Blessings.

As someone that didn't leave after the ending and has seen all these "amazing points" take form and basically became the classic "IH and pro ending dudebro agenda" list, let me tell you, I was and still am baffled too. No matter how many times I read them, I still get shocked at how some really believe that bunch of BS, or better they keep repeating it untill they'll believe it.

You adressed them in a simple but direct and straight to the point way, I don't even need to add anything to what you said, agree to all of it, wait lol well maybe I could add the the pilot chapter lit has In0ue de0d at the end of it but what do we know, that doesn't seem to matter to them lol it doesn't have to make sense smh

In our delusional mind that ichiruki honeymoon on the beach is so vivid and real... I wonder why lmao

[demivampirew]

For someone like me who never cared about a celebrity's personal life and never will, I feel this is the best time to be a fan of Henry. Finally he's free from DC studios and their cgi faces, he's free from Lauren's tw and the vast majority of the fan base is with him (100% of the comments on the official trailer are just praise for him and hate for the writing), he is working with talented directors and he's preparing his own universe not to mention that he looks better than ever (love these curls and stubble).

On the contrary, I feel we're at the worse time to be fans of Henry.

-I don't enjoy the arguments about whether he was fired or not (he was) and people questioning his acting skills

-I don't appreciate the rumors about why he left people talking sh*t about him (it makes my blood boil but I don't have the energy to argue about that)

-And mainly, I don't appreciate the way he's been treating the fandom. He ignores us and blames it on us because he's sh*t at keeping his private life private. Don't want people to talk about your personal life and speculate about it? Then keep it private! Don't share information about your girlfriend, don't follow her instagram (you didn't do it with the others, Henry). Tell your girlfriend that for privacy reasons it should be best to make her Instagram private, instead of getting a verification and start acting like an influencer, posting personal stuff, like doxing the rentals and the new house. And she should stop posting the hour she's living in to let us know she's in the Uk, when her job is in LA, so we confirm she's abusing her privilage to work and probably Uk work visa indications -she's not there because is needed for her job, she's there because she needs to be with him to be important. Without Henry she's a nobody, just another high executive for a company (if you doubt me about this, ask yourself how many TV Vice Presidents for entertainment companies do you know and how many have verified accounts?)

(Go to her social media and you'll see almost every post since April 2021 is somehow related to Henry)

She's acting like an entitled *sshole and we just have to be quiet and let the influencer wannabe influence. And even if we just let her do her f*cking influencing, we're still punished by him because a loud minority just can't stay quiet, when the problem wouldn't be a problem if he at the start of the relationship would've just said to her "Look, some fans are very, passionate and, some of them might attack you, like it happened with my exes, so the best thing would be for you to go private on social media so they don't harass you and your friends and family. Just that, just private your social media so people won't find information about you." But of course, he didn't, because deep inside he knows that's the real reason why she's with him. It took her only a few days after articles about their dating were published for her to get her verification checkmark (in order to get verified, she needed to provide three links to articles that talk about her). And after verification, she started to share fanart like an influencer.

And to the people who didn't interact with her social media (or his when he was posting things related to her, which is all he posts now, aside from trailers, posters, or ads) but complain on our freaking blogs or fan spaces, we're gaslighted to believe is OUR FAULT that he's always because we're not acting like the good girl daddy wants us to act like...we're brats so daddy is punishing us until we behave properly. And the ones who do what daddy wants us to do, when they don't get the reward for acting like a good girl, blame others when in reality this is all his own fault, for not keeping things private like he knows he should, and because he doesn't suck it up that some fans will always treat his girlfriends badly (it happened with Tara and Lucy and other and at the time it wasn't a problem for him to interact with fans)

So, to sum up, no it's not the best time to be Henry's fan. It's because of Kal and the hope someday he'll be back to the man he was before this sh*t show that keeps me in the fandom.

[httyddragonfox]

Tsukasa (Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun)

There really is no rhyme or reason to whatever that kid does, but I've decided to do something perilous and crack into his mind a bit. Wish me luck, and if I don't return...remember me.

Anyways, he's always been a messed up little dude, ever since he discovered the truth about him and Amane's destiny. So who knows, maybe he's always been a bit messed up, considering he told the deity of the red house that he wasn't going to "Hold back" anymore. I'm a twin myself, so I know that spats between us can get a little violent. We don't ever see the extent of Tsukasa's insanity as a human, but I feel it was a bit more than whatever me and my sister ever got up to. This guy is obsessed with his brother; yes I feel like my life can't be fun without my sister but I'm not that obsessed with her. Just read his character stat page and you'll know what I mean.

It all started as a normal twin relationship, his brother was sickly and Tsukasa just wanted him to feel better; he realized Amane's true wish was to be healthy. So he sacrificed himself for his brother to get better. Tsukasa didn't seem to understand his family's feelings, or the fact that they would miss him. He then learned that Amane would throw his well meaning sacrifice away one day and die young, and despite saying he loved him he would murder him. This doesn't make Tsukasa distraught, it just makes him curious. Despite Amane wanting to live so badly, there is something that would make him want to die. Despite Amane loving him, there is something that would make him want to kill him. Tsukasa just wants to know what these things are; he wants these events to come to pass, to satiate his own curiosity.

Upon his return, his mother can tell there's something demented about him. She wants him exorcised. From what I can tell, Tsukasa still spends time with his brother Amane, but he also can get a bit violent with him at times. Amane refuses to tell anyone who's hurting him. In one flashback, it also seems that Tsukasa can be emotionally manipulative as well, asking Amane if he would be okay if he just disappeared.

As a Twin, I hate to admit it, when I was younger I was emotionally manipulative. I threatened to run away or kill myself when arguments got too heated. I am aware, that was not good of me. In all fairness, she did that as well, and she is aware that was not good of her. We never beat each other up, but I wouldn't be surprised if Tsukasa got that way sometimes. Little Amane admitted that if you interrupt Tsukasa from doing something he's invested in or enjoys he gets a tad violent. That is reflected in his supernatural self, only really getting upset at people if they interrupt him or try to stop him from what he's doing at the moment.

So all in all, Tsukasa is a psycho. I can't end it there though.

He does anything to satisfy his morbid curiosity, like seeing a pufferfish's insides, building an artificial ghost to see if he could, or from the after school manga, seeing if fireworks still work inside someone's gut, or seeing if he can swim to LA. Whatever curiosity, whatever disturbing thought comes to mind, he wants to act on it. A ball of chaos, as he admits in his introduction to Kou. He doesn't believe in restraints or social order, he believes every supernatural should be free to act as they please, anyone should act to true heart's desire, even if it's acts of violence, especially if it's acts of violence. Violence is the one true thing that's a societal no-no, and since Tsukasa doesn't believe in a social order, he wants violence to run rampant. He admits loves the faces of those who don't hold back anymore, faces of people like himself.

Tsukasa is an honest person, he never once lies in the series. It's a belief of mine that he believes the social order is holding everyone back, forcing them to lie to themselves in order to uphold it. Of course some people don't want to hurt anyone, but like he cares about that. When Mitsuba in the Hell of Mirrors chose to run away instead of fighting the main group, he ends up punching him telling "you can do it" in a threatening tone. He truly believes Mitsuba can defeat them easily, and wants to see that in action, but Mitsuba doesn't want to. Also, even though he doesn't lie, he does know how to spin his words in order to make it seem like someone doesn't have a choice. He tells Mitsuba if he doesn't become the new school wonder, he's going to fade away, and "he doesn't want that, does he?" He wanted Mitsuba to gain a whole lot of power for himself to go against the group, and told if he didn't he was going to fade. It wasn't untrue, but Tsukasa made him make the wish to become the new school wonder. So Tsukasa knows how to manipulate things so that both and them get what they want, maybe in an indirect way.

When he twisted Souske's rumor, it was to grant his wish to have friends. It was rather messed up of him, because at that point Souske was happy Kou was his friend. Tsukasa didn't care about that, because Souske's true wish was to have friends, it didn't matter if Souske was okay with one. According to Tsukasa, "Your wish was to have many friends, and you're okay with just one? That doesn't make sense." Not to mention when Souske went off on his own and was receiving help from Kou, Tsukasa punched him through the stomach. It seems he wants people to go through with their original wants, and not change up their plans where it is most convenient. After turning Souske into a monster, he claims that if Souske were to make Kou like him they could be friends forever. I truly think he meant this, he just had no concern for what would happen to Kou or the fact that Souske didn't really want to hurt him, he just wanted Souske to be the worst he could be with no restraint and then have him go after what he wanted. He wishes more people would act as he does. He truly lives by his own beliefs, and wants others to follow that doctrine.

After Hanako ended Souske, he wasn't too torn up about it. As I said, he's only really upset if people interrupt him. He was more happy to see his brother again. Also, it's violence against violence, why wouldn't he be for that? He likes it when people don't hold back.

What is overall end goal? What does he want? Well for right now, he sees it as a game of good vs evil. He wants himself and Hanako to "Play together" like they used to. Of course, them playing is more on the violent side this time around, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love him. Tsukasa adores his brother (he's upset when Yashiro says he's not her type), but he thinks that violently going against each other is a form of fun. He admits to Yashiro that he sees himself and his brother as arch-enemies, and he's fully embracing the role he's playing in this game they're playing. He went after Yashiro for two reasons, first to get to know her because she's friends with his brother (he fully thinks they're dating), second to go against her in this deadly game (get rid of her) because he sees her as playing this game as well. Sakura and himself vs Yashiro and his brother; he doesn't so much care for Natsuhiko and Kou, they're just there, they help out sometimes. The real opponents are them and their assistants. Getting rid of his assistant would give Tsukasa an advantage in this game they're playing, so of course it'd be the move he'd take.

Of course, he's not too torn about it when she survives. So what, they won that round; we're no longer playing that round, we're no longer addressing that round. It's also great as that means she can keep playing. He finds her quite fun, when he first met her he was impressed by her gusto and how she just went to attack him like that. He doesn't like it when she interrupts him, but he's learned to be gentle to girls. He usually goes after Nene when trying to influence what happens next on his brother's side. He put a spy on her to see how his brother handled a twisted rumor, he had Sakura influence her to go tothe 4pm bookstacks to learn more about his brother, and he used her donut gift to find a way to visit him.

This is because he's met her before, and thinks she's fun to play with. In the picture perfect arc, he even wished her luck in killing his brother, and sent her with Mei because she helped her realize her wish, untimely freeing her from her cell Hanako locked her in. He seems like he's on her side, as he seems to support whatever crazy idea she has; like when she's suddenly okay with dying, he tells Hanako to let her die or else he's being selfish and a hypocrite. Then again, when his brother gets the idea to break every Yorishiro and then get a wish to save her, he's all for that because that would mean much more chaos would be unleashed. So not exactly on her side, just in support of her usually not supported ideas. He just wants to see what she'd do in these trying situations, because he likes her gusto. Of course, he knows that breaking every Yorishiro would lead to her death, but he's okay with that; he was okay when he himself was murdered. He does know she doesn't like killing people, but if she does end up doing it, she has his full support. If not, well she's locked in the boundary until she does. He likes playing with her. We get to school festival arc, and Tsukasa from the past asks her to play with him again.

When time is frozen, it seems he's talking to her more than Hanako. Probably because Hanako knows most of what he's saying already. He does ask him if he would still save everyone even if meant bringing Yashiro closer to her death. Tsukasa wants him to break the Yorishiro and save everyone, it's why they broke the clock in the first place. However, he is curious on what they rather do in this situation.

Why does he do what he does in chapter 105? For starters, I think he just wanted to know what kissing was like. When he met Yashiro for the tea party and he though Sakura was dating his brother, he asked what the kisses were like, and said he heard they tasted like lemons. When that's cleared up, he asked Yashiro what his brother's kisses were like because he assumed they were dating. When that's cleared up, he asks Sakura if she would smooch him, and that was a no.

Now Yashiro and Hanako are frozen in time but still conscious, and Tsukasa is aware that they like each other (Did he see them kiss in the boundary? Maybe.) These guys aren't going to do anything, and he can do anything to them. He kisses Nene. Nene is mainly confused, as she usually is by what Tsukasa does, and Hanako is not just confused but also very upset by that. Tsukasa probably did that to know what kissing was like, but maybe to also know what's it like to kiss her (like his brother does), and lastly probably just to get a rise out of Hanako. Yeah, I don't think he likes Nene like that. He likes her as another player of the game and thinks she's interesting, but probably only kissed her because of Hanako's feelings for her, to make him feel more helpless. He does seem pretty happy after he does it, probably because it was nice, and it satisfied his curiosity.

After the kiss, he kidnaps her, saying "You're my assistant now, okay?" He already has an assistant, and Yashiro doesn't even owe him anything, so she's not bound to him. Tsukasa is an honest guy, but I'm not sure how much of this he truly meant. It probably means he's going to keep her, and maybe force her to do what he wants like with Sumire and #6. He might be expecting Hanako to try to save her, but Hanako doesn't know where his hideout is. Also the two of them are frozen, can Tsukasa get Nene out of it? How is he expecting Hanako to get out of it? These things I don't know. If he can't get Nene out of it, he probably just wants to keep her frozen body around. If he can, he might force her to destroy #1's Yorishiro. If Hanako doesn't get out of it, everyone will be in frozen torment for eternity, which could be nice. If he does, he'd need Yashiro to destroy the Yorishiro, unless they force #1 to destroy it themselves.

Another thing I'm not sure about: he's a yorishiro. If he's destroyed he'll cease to exist, so he won't get to see that world he want's to see so badly or finish his game. Did that slip his mind? Probably not. My guess is that he wants to have a final battle with Hanako, and the winner will see the world come to fruition and win the game. Maybe he'll be content enough that the world of chaos will come to pass even if he won't get to see it. Maybe since Hanako doesn't want to hurt him again, he try to force Yashiro's hand.

Anyways, with Tsukasa as a villain I'm a little excited to see how things will play out, and also a little horrified.

[inazuma-fulgur]

In pain whenever someone insists that being naked around children, like in general, is bad

No cloths = pedo (this here is slightly exaggerated but some people actually say that. With words.)

Because nakes = sexual and sexual = bad and impure and children = pure and innocent and without agency

Waiting for the day where changing your childs diaper also becomes sexual and pedo unless *insert arbitrary metric*. If I had to imagine it'd probably be more terf shit, a la all men are horny monsters or only parents of the same SEX as the child should be allowed to.

I will nopt discuss further complications around childbirth because none of this makes sense anyway

I find it especially jarring when other queer people make arguments like that.

Like, y'all can't look at other people and be normal about it. It's not weird to be naked, you are weird for being unable to confront nudity without having secondary thoughts about it. You are the one uncomfortable with it so no one else is allowed to be comfortable with it?

Thinking about FKK (something I don't even know an english term for. Mom told me she and her parents often went to fkk places, because older people still found nudity more normal than we do I'd guess. Maybe they were an outlier but I can't shake the feeling that the younger people get the weirder and less tolerant they get of nudity and other peoples bodies.)

Every year when there's kink at pride discourse I can't help but think about how I wouldn't give two shits about people fucking in public, like it wouldn't be any more annoying that people blasting music and being loud, that's it. It definitely wouldn't smell as bad as some other stuff, like fireworks for example.

I also can't help but think about one of my friends from school who very amused told an anecdote where she went into her parents room while they were having sex when she was a little kid. Shocker, nothing happened to her. Plain seeing sex doesn't hurt, unless you already have been traumatized or smth. Also most of these super weird puritanical ideas only work under the assumption that children have the very same understanding of everything us adults do. Which they don't. How could they, they're learning everything about the world still. Explain it to them so that they can keep themselves safe, you'll have to do it regardless some day.

Go listen to what they're curious about, teach them at the pace they want, answer what they ask.

Because even if I say they don't have the same understanding of things us adults do, that doesn't mean children aren't smart and capable of understanding the bigger world, expanding their horizon.

People like that, in my opinion, just hate children.

Want to control them. Mold them into copies of themselves, perfect what they feel isn't perfect about themselves.

That's not how you treat another person, give kids agency and let them explore stuff. Let children be curious and nosy.

Teach them about consent, because consent isn't just sexual.

Teach them general things that are useful and good.

Teach them about their bodies and signs to look out for, built trust so that when they hit puberty and their needs and experiences change they will talk to you, ask and share what they feel and see. And then expand their horizons more

Please never raise children with preset ideas of how a well raised child has to turn out, with ideas of a fixed process with a fixed result, where certain things are off limits and shouldn't be allowed because they could lead to people growing up who don't fit your personal ideal(s).

Diversity of thought does not mean "diversity until I can't personally understand/relate anymore, beyond that it's evil". The only evil thing is you limiting the beauty and vastness of humanity

Children won't ever fit into your preconceived notions and that's a good thing, we're constantly learning and ideas are changing, and I'm not blaming you for growing older and having bigger more pressing worries and growing out of touch a bit, just don't denie others because of that.

The only way for children around you to be exactly like you is for them to grow up under the exact same conditions as you. But the world around you is changing constantly, even if you feel like YOU are a constant I assure you, you aren't.

Not even siblings or even even twins have that work out for them. Everyone makes different experiences, spends their time differently, cares about different shit. For better and for worse.

Embrace the potential for the worse, because it will lead to the better future you dream of.

If bad ideas are off limits and can't be talked about those ideas can't be challenged.

And if new ideas can't be brought forth nothing better can come into existence.

Yes new ideas will be not just good, there are bad ones. But that's why we discuss and make an effort, that's why we try things to see whether they work or fail.

We can't create the perfect world through logic in our heads and then execute it. Because humans aren't rational, logic is kinda fake even if it isn't, embrace that. Failure is human, failure leads to growth.

Many good things came from experimentation and theory but also from testing and trial and error, brute forcing stuff. Taking what works and optimizing it. Taking what didn't work and tweaking it slightly or taking notes on what has to be avoided in the future.

I love humans, I am human

I wish we would all stop dehumanizing each other constantly

[demonic-shadowlucifer]

Being Queer and my relationship with Religion.

(Content Warning: Anti-queer rhetoric and discussion of religion). (Additional disclaimer: This post mostly talks about Christianity, however there will be mentions of other religions as well).

In light of some *recent* events going on, I think I should make a discussion about how being Queer has an affect on my relationship with Christianity.

For starters, I am not a religious person. And I don't go to Church very often. However, I'm lucky to have gone to a Church that welcomes everyone (In fact some members of my Church are actually queer themselves!). I was also raised by parents that have different religious beliefs (My mom leans towards paganism, and my dad is a straight up atheist). So being queer hasn't really strained my relationship with Christianity. However, the Christian community has a huge problem with being anti-queer. Many so-called "Christians" believe that being gay is a sin, and use the bible to prove that there's "only two genders". However, something doesn't add up with that. And no it's not because of the bible being misinterpreted or mistranslated. And no it's not because most of the other so-called "Christians" ignoring the other "sins" (No working on sundays, no tattoos, etc etc). What I don't get is this: Why does committing a sin make you a bad human being? Why is it believed that if you commit even one minor sin you'll go to hell? We all sin at some point of our lives. Hell, Jesus himself died for our sins. If we didn't sin, Jesus would've died for nothing. And what then? Also, the Bible seemingly only mentions male homosexuality. There isn't much on lesbianism or any other sexuality. And honestly, I don't think everyone in the bible was straight. In the Hebrew Bible (which is used in both Judaism and Christianity), there is the relationship of David and Jonathan. While the relationship has been interpreted in several ways (it is especially heavily debated among Christians), many people interpret it as the closest to a homosexual relationship between two men in the Bible. And honestly, it's not hard to see why. Judaism from my understanding acknowledges the potential love between David and Jonathan. And it makes sense on why some Christians interpret it the same way. But wait. Whatever happened to the Bible condemning Homosexuality? Well, here's how I look at it. I and a few others tend to interpret most of the Bible's objection to Homosexuality as, well, not actually objecting Homosexuality, but rather objection of abusive relationships. Plus, the objections of Homosexuality are usually in reference to sexual relationships (and even then they're usually based on misinterpretations or mistranslations). However, the Bible doesn't say anything about healthy non-sexual homosexual pairings being bad. Then again, the interpretations are all over the place. So I can't say for certain that's what it really means, however that remains my personal interpretation. In terms of gender, there is the mention of the Eunuchs in Matthews 19:12, where Jesus says the following: "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can." (NRSV) While the above text likely indicates castration, I and a few others tend to interpret the first line ("For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth") as a nod to intersex people or even a third gender. And it genuinely would not surprise me if some eunuchs avoided using "male" or "female" altogether. And while people tend to reference Deuteronomy 22:5 as an argument against crossdressing and Trans people in general. But that only gives me more unanswered questions. What falls under male and female clothing? Does this apply to trans people or intersex people? And I wonder if Jesus himself thought the same way, as he seemingly abolishes the law in three different verses. Those verses being Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:28 and Luke 12:22.

Lastly, people interpret Genesis 1:27 as there being only two genders. However, let's look at this quote even further: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. While people interpret it as there being only two genders, I tend to see it as much more broad. This is where Religion and Biology overlap in a way. God created a variety of animals. And some animals have unique features in regards to gender; For example, male seahorses can get pregnant and male calicos and torties exist due to Klinefelter Syndrome (which is an Intersex condition that occurs in humans and animals!) and many other animals have intersex traits. And humans are technically animals in a way. So why would God not create them in a spectrum either? Lastly, let's focus on this verse from Galatians. “There is no longer Jew or Greek*, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, NRSV). (*in some translations, "Gentile", a word that describes non-Jewish folks, is used instead of "Greek".) While this isn't inherently queer-related, it has been hugely referenced in queer theology. Outside of queer context, it has also been used in Christian Abolitionist movements and is also seen as a stance against the patriarchy. The first line is sometimes considered an antiracist message, however I also like to see it as a stance against antisemitism. Then again, it can be interpreted in 10000000 different ways. But I think the clear message of that verse is that, regardless of whatever differences there are, we're the same one and one. TL;DR: Being Queer isn't inherently against the Bible. And being "sinful" isn't entirely bad either. The Bible itself is complicated and has many interpretations. Furthermore, being queer and Christian (Or queer and religious in general) isn't as contradictory as many people think it is.

[fratboykate]

Because I can't let it go and I'm an east coaster. Enjoy waking up to this:

Kate tries so hard to make sure the kids are not impacted by her and Yelenas argument. She and Yelena are in agreement on that so with the kids, it's business as usual, but kids got these stupid things called brains and feelings so they know their moms are having problems.

Maks, fearing for his family staying together, apologizes for being upset that Yelena missed the play. Yelena can either break or look at Kate like "he forgives me, why can't you" because I genuinely think she's so analytical and book smart, she forgets feelings so she could really go either way on that.

But you just have the kids walking on eggshells around them and Kate hates it but Yelena keeps saying "we need to get over this" which isn't an apology. It's kicking the can down the road. And so they're in therapy one day and Kate just goes OFF about not letting her kids feel abandoned and Yelena should understand why that issue is so important.

I need to go lay down.

You really can't dangle angst in front of me and expect me to resist. Here's 2k words of "moms are fighting" like that other anon said lol.

---

Yelena pokes her head into the dimly lit office where her wife sits, intently pouring over stacks of documents.

"Hey. You coming to bed?" Kate flips a page and scribbles a note on the edge. "You don't have to sleep in the guest room...You should come to bed...I stopped at La Perla on my way home and bought some new things I could show you. You never say no to a private fashion show." Kate thumbs a few pages back and cross-references that data with the one on the current page. Yelena is blatantly getting iced out. The blonde nods and sighs. "Well, at least I know you'll have to talk to me on Friday from four to four fifty."

Yelena references their standing bi-weekly couple's therapy appointment in jest, mostly trying to lighten the air between them. She loathes that Kate can hold a grudge like no one else.

"It's not a joke, dude. None of this has ever been a joke to me." Kate rebuffs her without looking up from the splayed-out folders.

"Are you implying it is to me?"

Yelena steps inside, closes the door behind her, approaches one of the two plush chairs across from Kate’s desk, and unceremoniously plops herself onto it.

"You treat it...us...very aloofly when you feel like it. Like things you can put on a shelf when it's inconvenient to have us around, so, yah. I guess I am."

"You always have the drama dialed up to twelve." Yelena states, her tone lighthearted. She's frankly pushing to minimize this, not maliciously, but because she needs it to go away. Yelena needs them to be okay again. She can only handle them being in a weird place for so long before it starts to drive her slightly mad, and this has already been going on for weeks now. Slowly escalating until it all blew up.

Kate huffs and shakes her head incredulously.

"Maybe people are right. Maybe we do marry versions of our parents because you're exactly like my mom."

W O O F. Kate could've called her wife a slur and it would've stung less than being compared to either of Kate's parents, particularly Eleanor.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"You're a genius. Figure it out."

"Why are you hellbent on making this worse? He forgave me. Why can't you?"

"Dude..." Kate swallows an aggravated, throaty groan. "Sometimes I can't figure out if you're actually this dumb outside your little lab or if you pretend to be so I let you get away with shit."

"You're angry. I get it. But don't insult me. I draw the line at disrespect. We can talk this through without going low or being childish."

A bitter laugh escapes Kate.

"You seriously have zero self-awareness. It's stunning to watch. You should have one of your coworkers observe you. 'Genius who's a fucking idiot in disguise: a study in how she gets through life.' could win you some awards. That's all you care about anyway."

"Yeah, we're going to do this in therapy because I'm not letting you goad me into saying something I don't mean."

"Whatever."

Yelena stands and attempts to walk away, but Kate's reply forces her right back down.

"Stop acting like a child, Katherine. I have three of those already. Don't need a fourth."

"You remembered you have kids?! AN EARLY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE."

Yelena rises again and manages to walk a few feet this time, but she eventually pivots and stomps back. Kate has successfully managed to push her buttons.

"I told you. I told you so many times that more than one was a bad idea. I'd be stretched thin. It's why my parents only had me. My mom knew this career is complicated. Time-consuming. But unlike you, my dad listened. He got it and they acted accordingly. Responsibly."

Halfway through her diatribe, Kate jumps in and begins talking over her wife.

"I'm sorry I can't be a perfect, obedient lap dog like your dad. I wanted a big family. You always knew that."

"AND YOU KNEW I DIDN'T! You knew it. We talked about it for years. You should've married someone who wanted the same things."

"You should've just said no if you weren't going to be around."

"Do you even remotely comprehend that it’s basically impossible to say 'no' to you?! Remember the cabin? I told you I didn't want kids and you threatened to leave me, Kate. You asked for a divorce, said you were done with me if we didn't."

"Don't rewrite history now. You said you weren't ready yet. YET. Not that you didn't want them at all."

"It was so clear. It was clear what I meant."

"Words have meanings. You can't change them retroactively. That is NOT what you said."

"Maybe not at that moment, but I told you I had doubts before that day. More than once. You heard what you wanted to hear."

"One is a mistake. Four is a pattern."

"You wouldn't stop asking! I wanted to make you happy. That's all I've ever wanted. Obviously Maks...after......Maks was my idea. I know that. I needed it after the...It felt wrong not to try again. And you were so upset. You tried to bury it, but I could see it. I always know. I knew it would make you happy to try again."

"They're not some consolation prize, dude. What is wrong with you?"

"I never said they were. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Can you leave? I have work to do."

"I love them. More than I think I could ever quantify."

"You're doing the bare minimum. Congratulations. Good for you."

"Stop being an asshole. I'm trying to have a conversation."

"I got shit to do."

Yelena doesn't move, mind racing. After a long beat, she speaks anew.

"Maybe it's my pride, maybe it is...but do you have any idea how hard it is to feel so incredibly subpar at the ONE THING you're desperate to be great at? I don't have to try at work. That's innate to me. It's easy. This...all of it...I feel like I'm treading water every day. There's not one day that I've gone to bed feeling I've done a good job with them. I think I can be a good partner, most of the time at least. I feel like I did it for a long time before we had them, so I can confidently say I'm no less than competent on that front, but I've never felt anything except terrible at being a mom. It's an awful thing to come to terms with every single night. I don't think there's been ONE night since Alex was born when I don't beat myself up over everything I did wrong or could've done better that day before I fall asleep. It's suffocating sometimes, Kate. I often feel like the weight of my own disappointment is smothering me. Add yours on top of that and…it’s not easy for me. None of it. You're a better mom than me. Always have been. They love you more too and I get it. I get it. It's understandable. If I were in their shoes, I would too."

"It's not a competition. Never has been."

"Sure. Doesn't mean this come naturally to only one of us and it certainly isn't me. Sometimes it feels like the best thing I can do for all of you is stay out of your way. You seem to do fine without me when I'm not around."

"We've kind of had to learn to lately. You checked out."

"I didn't."

"This is your dissertation all over again."

"If you felt that way, why wouldn't you say something? We promised we would never let it get that bad again. We said we wouldn't."

"I can't spell everything out for you."

"I also can't read your mind."

"Trust me. You don't need mentalist skills to put two and two together. You just don't care enough to pay attention."

"Why do you go out of your way to say things that hurt me when you're angry? You know I care. Of course I care."

"Why do YOU go out of your way to DO things that hurt ME?! ALL.THE.TIME! All the time, dude."

"I don't mean to."

"That would be an excuse for almost anyone else, but you've got a big ass brain, so...try again. Not good enough."

"I don't know how else to apologize for missing the play."

"This is so much bigger than the play! My god, it's impossible to talk to you."

"Try."

"Yelena, I have work. This is the third time I've asked you to leave my office."

"Work is more important than this?"

Kate's eyes shoot up from her computer screen to scowl directly at Yelena.

"Don't play that bullshit with me right now because that would be RICH coming from you."

"I'm only trying to talk."

Kate doesn’t offer an answer and refocuses on her work instead. 

Yelena is not deterred. She’s not leaving. 

They sit silently. Kate examines papers then types as anger oozes out of each pore. Yelena wordlessly follows her every move with her eyes. 

After around a dozen minutes of Kate trying to play it cool while her wife's gaze bores into her, she forcefully shuts her computer and glares at Yelena.

"My entire fucking childhood, I had to watch my parents pick other shit over us. I won't let you do it to them. I know what it did to me, what it did to Deej and I'm breaking that pattern. I also won't force them to watch us do this charade of pretending to be okay for their sake. Either we fix it...YOU fix it...or it's done."

"So what? You want me to quit my job? Become a stay-at-home mom?"

"No. I just need you to get your fucking priorities straight."

"So it's you, or it's done?"

"'Prioritize your family over work' is a pretty fucking basic ask, dude. Don't make me sound irrational because I'm not."

"Why do you always do this? Why do you always throw divorce around so flippantly the moment we have big issues come up?"

Kate stands from her chair.

"If you're not letting me work, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."

"If you truly want to break the pattern, then stop running away like your parents did..."

"Yelena." Kate speaks over her wife. Firmly. A blatant warning that she should stop going down that path.

"...They blow relationships up every time things get hard because it's easier to walk away than to work at it."

"Don't bring my parents into this."

"You already compared me to your parents. Twice."

"If you don't want that, quit acting like them. Simple. I'm going to sleep. In the guest room."

"You're the one who always walks away..."

"Yelena, I swear to fucking god...Stop talking."

"...and I'm the one always chasing."

"Must be nice living in an alternate fucking reality. For someone who claims they don't want a divorce, you sure love to do everything in your power to push me to it."

"You know what, Kate? Fine. You want to be away from me this badly? I'll go to a hotel tonight then stay with my parents starting tomorrow. You come find me when you're ready to stop acting like your father and are willing to have a conversation with me like the adults we're supposed to be."

"Do whatever the fuck you want. It's what happens anyway."

"Good."

"GREAT."

Kate storms out of the office, leaving Yelena behind. The blonde exhales explosively and allows her head to sag between her shoulders. 

That's not how tonight was supposed to go, but Yelena is too proud to back off from the threat now. She has to call Kate’s bluff at some point, or they will get stuck in this cycle forever. Now might be as good a time as any to see how far her wife is willing to take this.

...Seems like she has to go pack.

[wariocompany]

what is the gayest piece of official asterix media😨

Oh my god I accidentally just posted it without even seeing it. But I feel like rambling about them today, so I'm going to make a little compilation!

First of all, this official promotion art by Uderzo! If my memory serves, this was made for Christmas time and some versions have mistletoe above it.

And he kissed Astérix for real in Le Papyrus de César! (Ignore that the quality is ass).

"Astérix, you're the smartest and most cunning person [in the world]! Thank you for your good advice!" "No worries!"

They do kiss again in La Rentrée Gauloise, but the entire joke is that Obélix kisses Astérix because he's annoyed he didn't get to kiss Falbala, so in context it isn't as gay as you probably want.

I also love this little bit from Le Bouclier Arverne ! They have an argument because Astérix fucked up majorly in a way I can't be bothered explaining, and they refuse to speak to each other for a whopping two frames! Before Astérix looks at him knowingly and Obélix blushes. Feat. Idéfix who Knows what they are.jpg

Let's also not forget the straight up drunken "I love you" LOL.

"Obélix! Shut up! You're going to get us seen!" "BOOHOOOHOO! You don't love me, Astérix! BOOHOOHOO!" "No, I do love you, Ob'élix... but you're going to attract the attention of the Roman patrols..." "Well, Astérix, I love you, and if a... *hic!* patrol tries to hurt you... *hic!* you'll see!"

And "bonne nuit beau gosse", which means "good night, hot stuff".

If you want a whole book that's effectively confirming their marriage, Le Fils d'Astérix (Asterix's Son) is probably best, even if it almost breaks their marriage, ha.

Panoramix: He has, with no room for doubt, chosen you two as his adoptive fathers! Astérix, Obélix, you now carry the weighty responsibilities of parenthood for this child. Watch over him well!

Assurancetourix: I shall now compose an ode to the joy of fatherhood!

And now, my absolute favourite. Astérix et le Chaudron. Astérix is exiled from the village for ruining their honour (long story). Obélix immediately exiles himself as well, which results in Astérix crying, "my Obélix!"

Obélix: Yoohoo, Astérix! Yoohooooo! Wait for me!

Astérix: Go back to the village, Obélix. You don't have to follow me. I'm banished.

Obélix: You're banished? Huh! Then we'll banish together!

Astérix: My Obélix!!

Obélix: Did you really believe I'd have let you banish all by yourself? Without me and Idéfix, you wouldn't banish far!

[crying etc]

Astérix: Now that we're together, I'm certain we're going to be able to refill this cauldron!

Moreover, when Astérix resigns himself to the fact that he'll never be able to un-banish himself (i.e. not be able to fulfill the required task to have him allowed back), Obélix promises he'll stay by his side forever.

Astérix: And then, oh well. I'll leave forever...

Obélix: *Sniff!* I'll always leave forever with you!

There's more, but I fear laying it on a bit thick. I hope this answers your question!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book blurb: In the tradition of Jenny Han and Emma Lord, Jennifer Chen’s Artifacts of an Ex is a story of love, art, and finding your way when everything you know has changed completely.

When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.

There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.

Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.

She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.

Review:

When your ex dumps you by sending you a box of your stuff, whats a girl to do except create an art exhibit based on it? Chloe Chant gets dumped after moving across the country from NYC to LA via a box of her stuff from her ex. She decides to start buying other teenagers' break-up boxes and create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. On opening night she meets Daniel Kwak, an aspiring film director illicitly filming his best friend's reaction to his ex's box. Chloe tries to stop him, but what start off as an argument turns into a partnership as they decide to work together... and Daniel might just be Chloe's new crush. Daniel refuses to date Chloe though, he tells her that he's always been the rebound guy for the girls he dates, he's the guy girls date and realize they want to get back with their ex and he refuses to let it happen a sixth time. Chloe insists she's over her ex but when he shows up unexpectedly with a new girlfriend... Chloe's beginning to realize that she might not be ready for a new relationship. Daniel and Chloe will spend time working together and bonding but their feelings will also grow and Chloe will have to find a way to convince Daniel they're perfect for each other. This was an okay romance read it just didn't really spark much interest for me. I liked the idea of making something out of a breakup and how two creatives come together and fall for one another but I just felt like there wasn't much going on and I kind of wish there was a bit more depth. Overall it was okay it just wasn't amazing. If you're looking for teen romance then give it a go maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*