#it does help that i know the identity of like. probably 50% of the asks

[dailybaizhu]

49: celebrating our annual second of screentime!! :D

[effieandtim]

I just love the 80s scenes too and how they totally flipped in 4 eps the impression you got at the beginning. Like Hawk with his perfect life and all of that, but you peel the layers and it wasn't so perfect afterall. And then we have Tim, and we had the impression (through not the most reliable narrator, which is Hawk), that he was basically dying alone with just his sister taking care of him, but in reality, he has friends, he has a support system, he has still the mental strenght to lead a revolution to make the world a better place. He has a purpose now, which I feel it's something Hawk is totally lacking. And I think if in the 50s we see Hawk trying to teach Tim some stuff about life (with I think mixed results), I feel in the 80s Tim will be the one to teach something important to Hawk.

oh i LOVE this observation

i hadnt noticed this but you are so right??? like literally when marcus mentions tim in ep 1 at the beginning hawk is surrounded by family and my first thought was ‘wait is tim alone? he doesn’t have a partner so is he going through this on his own?’

and i think i even said it in an ask after ep 1 that i hope he has friends bc otherwise it’d be even more heartbreaking

and he does! he has maggie and a found family, people who love him and accept him and support him and believe in his vision😭😭

and oh my god that is so true about a purpose - that really dispels the notion that tim is merely a victim and should only be remembered as such. bc thats just not true. he is so much more than that and yes, the support system he has in place helps him immensely im sure

LOVE how this contrasts with hawk who i totally agree we all thought had the perfect life with a family and wealth and career around him - and while im sure all of those things brought him comfort and im sure he loves them, we cannot deny the fact that he was alone

that he couldnt be himself around then and that he was probably tired of it as well and didnt know where and who to turn to

and definitely i think tim will teach hawk a lot and will have a lasting effect on his life. as i said earlier today, it should not have taken tim’s death for hawk to come to terms with his identity or rather embrace it but it is what it is

but oh my god nonnie i love this observation genuinely its so good thank you for sharing it with me😭

[bachissidehoe]

diamonds

chapter 8 of it's classy, not classic [bachisagi]

Miss. 

“Fuck.”

Miss.

“Damnit.” 

Isagi kicks over and over again, tens of balls scattered around the empty goal. It’s a classic trope, playing poorly when something’s wrong, and it bothers Isagi that he’s fallen into such a basic pattern. He’s bothered, and now he sucks at soccer. 

It was clear at practice today that he sucks. If he never got himself into this mess, if he never said that one stupid line in that interview, he wouldn’t suck, and he wouldn’t be having an identity crisis over a guy. 

He runs forward, lining up a perfect direct shot. His direct shot has evolved so much over the past few years, it’s become uniquely his and studied by players from around the world. 

Miss. 

Even his own shot, a shot he practically invented, soars wide of the goal. 

Isagi nearly collapses on the ground, his entire body shaking as he tries to move to collect the balls. He may pass out, he’s been here for hours, probably six or seven hours straight now, doing nothing but shooting, nothing but missing. In fact, he hasn’t eaten since this morning, hoping the small sips of water throughout the day will sustain him enough until he gets his shit together. 

There’s nothing that’ll force him off this field. If he passes out due to low blood sugar, so be it. He’d rather die than lose to himself right now. 

He hoped he’d never have to admit to himself that he’s in love with Bachira Meguru. It’s not fair. His one true love is soccer. Not anything, or anyone, besides soccer. It’s not fair to Bachira either, somebody who’s been nothing but kind and supportive of Isagi when he did nothing to end up involved in this mess. And now Isagi would have the nerve to fall in love with him? To want him to stay in Tokyo even though he’s only here temporarily? 

No way. 

The only thing that will cure this is for Isagi to remind himself where his priorities lie. And that’s why he’s been aimlessly, exhaustedly, kicking balls from halfway down the field, over and over, desperate to forget everything except the feeling of scoring a goal. But apparently, the goal itself wants to see how this Bachira thing plays out, because it hasn’t let Isagi score at all. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to simply lie down and die. 

“Yo!” 

Isagi turns around, his body recognizing the cheerful voice before his mind does. 

It’s only then that Isagi realizes how badly he’s worn down. Bachira’s face is blurry, everything is spinning, and it’s hard to stay standing. He can’t even respond to the beautiful buzzing of his fake boyfriend’s happy greeting. 

“Oh, fuck.” Bachira realizes immediately the dire situation Isagi has put himself in, noticing the bags under his eyes from nearly 50 meters away. 

Bachira runs over, putting his things down before swiftly slinking his arm around Isagi’s back, practically needing to hold him up. “Come here, sit for a little.” 

“No way. I suck.” Isagi chokes out, his voice coming out shaky and hoarse. Honestly, if Bachira didn’t show up, he may have actually passed out. 

“Obviously you do, you can’t be good with no food in your system.” Bachira sits Isagi on the ground against the bench, handing him a smoothie. The strawberry kiwi delight from Honeybee. Of course it is. 

That’s just the thing about Bachira. Somehow he can combine his egoist nature with being the most thoughtful, selfless person Isagi has ever met. Of course he realized that Isagi needed help, of course he stopped to pick him up a smoothie, of course he showed up at the perfect time. 

Isagi would never be able to do the same for him. All he does is think about himself. Even now, while he’s been thinking about Bachira and his newly realized romantic feelings, he’s still only thinking about himself. 

Bachira takes a seat next to him, leaning back and taking a sip of his own strawberry kiwi delight. He sighs. “You’re insane, you know that?”

“Why’d you even show up?” Isagi asks. He doesn’t try to sound like a dick, but he probably sounded like a dick. 

“I thought something was up. I got worried, went to your house, then thought about how you said you weren’t feeling too good after the party. Got even more worried ‘cuz if you went to practice when you’re sick, what if something happened? Then I had a feeling if you’re here practicing, you probably need something to eat. Now I’m here with a smoothie, and I was right.” He chuckles to himself. 

“Why would you take care of me?” Again, all Isagi needs to do is thank him. And he can’t even do that right. 

“Clearly you can’t do it yourself.” He replies, taking another long sip of his smoothie. 

Isagi leans back against the wall of the practice field, seated on the hot turf. He takes a few deep breaths, and finally takes a sip of the smoothie. It really is good. It almost angers Isagi how right Bachira was to bring him this. 

“Feeling better?” Bachira chuckles.

“Shut it.” Isagi snaps. 

Bachira holds his hands up in defeat, sliding a little closer to Isagi against the wall, copying his distant look into the bright blue sky. The silence is a little uncomfortable for Bachira, but he lets the moment exist instead of forcing more of a conversation. He’ll learn to appreciate some silence if he has to. 

He takes a deep breath, rolling his head to the side to look at Isagi. He looks tired, his chest rising and falling as he takes quick sips of his smoothie. Beads of sweat still roll down the side of his flushed face, his bangs stuck to his forehead. But somehow, it’s hard for Bachira to stop staring. He makes a mental note that Isagi’s eyes sparkle in the sunlight. He’d tell him out loud, but he’s just made a promise to himself not to break the comfortable silence. 

“Thank you.” Isagi finally mumbles, his eyes still trained on the sky above. 

Bachira smiles. “1v1 me.” 

Isagi finally tears his gaze away from the sky, turning his head to meet Bachira’s bright golden eyes. “Huh?” 

“Come on, let’s play some.” Bachira hops up, taking the last long swig of his smoothie at once. 

“You don’t even play.” Isagi puts on a confused grin. 

“Sure I do.” Bachira retorts, holding his hand out for Isagi. “You’re all worn out, so it basically makes us evenly matched.” 

Isagi sighs. “Fine.” He still needs to practice, even though he’s been here all day and hasn’t accomplished a single thing. Perhaps Bachira realizes that he won’t go home without accomplishing something, and that’s why he wants to stay with him. 

“Alright!” Bachira places his foot on a ball, standing opposite Isagi. “I’ll start first and try to get past you. If I score, I win, if you score, you win.” He smirks, that same smile he used to do on the field. Back when Isagi first met him. Bachira was the first person who Isagi ever felt cared about soccer as much as he did. Even now, after Bachira hasn’t played for years, he still looks that same way. 

“Gotcha.” Isagi stands at the ready, wondering if he should go a little easier than usual, considering Bachira hasn’t played in so long. But on the other hand, an egoist would never accept that. And Bachira Meguru is the definition of an egoist. 

Bachira slides to his right, creating adequate space to push the ball forward. Isagi watches his movements carefully, calculating all possible pathways he could take to get around him. And knowing Bachira, he’d be most likely to do a fake, right-

Isagi lurches toward the left, avoiding the fake he’s sure to pull on him. Gah-

Bachira performs an expert dribbling pattern, almost as if the ball is on a string, expertly floating between the two of them to Bachira Meguru’s desires, landing on the opposite side of Isagi, his back completely turned the wrong way. 

Isagi gasps, standing in shock as he watches Bachira dribble the rest of the way down the field, tapping the ball into the net, all the while grinning from ear to ear. 

The same thing happens again, and again. Isagi gets the hang of Bachira’s movements quickly, adapting to the bumblebee’s fascinating dribbling patterns and putting up a fast fight until the exchanges started leaning in Isagi’s favor. And suddenly, even having practiced for eight hours straight with nothing but a strawberry kiwi delight in his system, Isagi is dancing right along with Bachira, exchanging goals with a smile on his face. 

This is why he loves soccer. 

“Bachira! You’re still so good!” Isagi passes the ball back to him, prepared for another 1v1. “Why don’t you try out again? You could totally play pro!” 

Suddenly, Bachira’s expression drops, breaking eye contact with Isagi in favor of the turf below. “I’m too far behind.” He answers, his voice much weaker than before. 

“No you’re not, you could easily train and get back out there.” 

All these years later, Isagi has never found anyone he wants to play soccer with more than Bachira Meguru. And he’s been reminded of that today. Still, after Bachira was injured and had a long recovery period, he’s somehow still one of the best players Isagi has ever seen. He could come back, he could do it easily. 

But Bachira looks up, his face riddled with an expression Isagi has never seen on him before.

Wait. 

Isagi has seen Bachira make this expression before. Once. 

Isagi’s eyes widen, and suddenly he’s transported to that day, the day Bachira’s soccer career was taken from him.

It was one of the final qualifying games during Blue Lock, every single person on that field was playing their hearts out, with the Isagi and Bachira duo leading the charge as usual. Bachira danced through his opponents, all the while beaming, the happiest he’s ever been. The passes between Bachira and Isagi were so in sync, competing yet cooperating with each other at the same time. 

And in a second, it was over. One yellow card move from the opposing team’s defender sent Bachira’s foot flying onto the ball, his ankle immediately curling under it. The trip caused a domino effect, with two defenders colliding into Bachira from both sides. All Isagi could do was watch as Bachira went down, two large bodies falling on top of him with their full weight. 

Suddenly it’s like the world was put in a bubble, the sounds around Isagi ceased, echoing through his mind as he watched paramedics race onto the field in slow motion. He couldn’t move. 

And he finally caught sight of Bachira, groaning on his back as he breathed quickly, paramedics shouting at the other players and coaches to move away. Isagi couldn’t see everything, he didn’t learn until later how bad it really was. But he remembers now what Bachira looked like as they made eye contact for that brief moment, and it was just like this. That expression of fear, like his world is crashing down in front of him.

And even then, Isagi didn’t do a single thing. Sure, he reached back out later on to check in, he responded to Bachira’s “congratulations” texts after big accomplishments. But otherwise, he completely blocked it out. He let the pain of that traumatic memory leave his brain, a privilege Bachira Meguru did not have. 

“No, I can’t.” Bachira chokes out. 

Isagi found out some time later that Bachira had broken two ribs, fractured his tibia, and basically tore one of his ankles in half. His injuries were so extreme that it took nearly a year to fully recover with intense physical therapy. Shortly after Bachira’s injury, it became clear to the players that Bachira Meguru’s soccer career was over. 

“I’ll never catch back up. I was out for a full year.” Bachira chuckles, trying to hold it together. Already, even from just the expression and the few words Bachira has uttered, Isagi can tell that he’s still not okay. 

“If that happened to me, I don’t know what I’d do.” Isagi says, immediately kicking himself for saying it. What dumbass would say that? It’s like Isagi went through a list of the most insensitive things to say and picked the #1 most insensitive thing. 

“Me either.” Bachira replies. “I still don’t know.” 

Isagi just stands still, fearing that if he moves even a little, it’ll somehow hurt Bachira more. 

“At that high of a level, being out for only a week would have been too long. So a year, I never stood a chance.” He chuckles. 

“You don’t have to laugh everything off.” Isagi clenches his fists, feeling the sadness and anger begin to pile up. He feels like he could scream. At himself, at the world, at those defenders who hurt Bachira and ended his soccer career. “It sucks, and I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to do all that-”

“Whatever, Meguru. I would kill myself if I couldn’t play soccer, and you’re still here. You’re such a cool person, and you’re so talented, and I’m selfish and just wish I could play soccer with you again.” Isagi rushes through his words, his voice a little louder than normal, though quieter than the screams he wants to hurl at the universe. 

“I don’t know why I didn’t kill myself, honestly.” Bachira sighs, a much more intense response than Isagi expected. 

And for once, Isagi decides to listen. 

“There was this moment when I was laying there on the field, I was scared and I just wanted to play, but I realized this was probably it for me. I couldn’t really hear anything, but I was passing out or something, and you know when your vision is blurry if you look at a bright light for too long?” Bachira smiles that same painful smile, looking at the sun as if he wants to recreate the image he’s describing. “To me, in that moment, those sparkles in my vision looked like diamonds.” 

Isagi holds his breath. He can’t ruin this, he can’t upset this moment of vulnerability. After Bachira’s taken care of his dumb ass for months, after he’s let Isagi take advantage of him, after Isagi has whined and complained in Bachira’s ear, after he’s been whining all day on the field because he likes him. He needs to shut up and hear him for once.

“That was my first ever painting.” Bachira smiles, a genuine one this time.

[hoochieblues]

for the wip ask meme, please can i have as much as you feel comfortable sharing about 'funk hole' (an inherently funny combo of words, onomatopoetically speaking) or failing that the nanananana HANNIBAL (im assuming hummed to the batman theme tune)!

Thank you! You can have both! :D (oprahwinfreybees.gif )

Ngl, Funk Hole's title choice is like 50% 'oh this would be an attention grabber heh heh' but the phrase was also WW2-era slang, capitalising on the anger/fear that people were using country hotels or resort towns to hide out away from the bombardment and fighting ('funk hole' having originally been military slang for a dugout). The press really went after certain areas for this, including Torquay, where I lived for... like six months at one point, and distracted myself by reading a lot of local history. (side note: the majority of my family's from Kent/London, and when you listen to people's memories, or just look a map of V2 bomb sites, you can extra see why the idea that wealthier folks were just paying to avoid the reality of war generated so much rage.)

So, it's a queer romantic drama set in 1940s south Devon, in a (mostly) fictional quaint little country hotel run by an eccentric old lady, with help from her quiet, bookish nephew, a socialist conscientious objector saddled with the first name Raleigh. Poor bastard. Cue the cast of weirdoes living in the hotel - a mix of neurotic oddballs, well-heeled assholes, self-styled bohemians and Artsy(tm) types - until a new guest arrives: a recently disabled ex-pilot recovering from his injuries, his stay paid for by a wealthy relative.

You know where this is going. But I promise it's going to be an interesting or at least enjoyable journey. Probably. idk, this one's still largely notes on a proverbial napkin, but it's got all that good potential: the dissolving myth of 'England' in the post-Edwardian mess of the early-mid 20th century; the rapidly changing roles and boundaries of class, gender, and identity; hurt/comfort with graphic skin graft recovery (I read multiple books about Harold Gillies and now everyone else must suffer); characters forced to come to terms with lives and worlds irreparably changed by things beyond their control... and so forth. With luck, I might actually get to writing up the first draft later this year.

Aaaand then there's the Batman Hannibal AU, a concept which is largely @emungere's fault and that is the story I'm sticking to. It is entirely skates dangerously close to crackfic and is not to be taken at all seriously.

More beneath the cut if you dare.

Essentially, Hannibal is Alfred. Mischa is Batman, Chiyoh is Robin (kinda), and Commissioner Crawford has a perpetual headache. And Will Graham is... Dog...Man...?

The Lecter siblings coped with the death of their parents in different ways. Hannibal largely withdrew from society while Mischa secretly became The Bat, a vigilante who fights crime but does not kill, despite the fact that assholes are constantly breaking into Lecter Manor to rob/murder the city's wealthiest siblings. Fortunately, Hannibal's there to keep things neat and tidy... and cater spectacular menus for his beloved little sister's charity galas.

Things get complicated when Chiyoh lays a little too much smackdown on one of The Bat's enemies, and they bring him back to the estate to recover. This one's still in super early stages, but I cannot resist sharing the visual that would never ever leave my head. I'm sorry. Not very sorry, though.

________________________________

Shreds of moonlight glanced off the brickwork and made ghosts of the gasoline rainbows in the puddles underfoot. The alarm still blared in the distance, shrill and ignored. Wherever the figure had gone, they were trapped in the alleys now. No way out. Mischa stole forward, boots silent on the greasy asphalt.

Chiyoh sniffed. “Smells like wet dog.”

Mischa shot her a frown. Rain beaded the tight slick of Chiyoh's hair, as dark and smooth as her high-necked black suit. Behind the mask, her gaze stayed firm. Mischa felt her lips twitch.

“What d’you expect?” she murmured. “It’s rough out there.”

Chiyoh sighed and looked away. Movement deeper in the alley drew their attention, and they crept forward. Mischa drew breath to call out to the thief, but something shifted in the dark.

A dog ran out of the shadows, a scruffy white-and-brown little thing, barking and showing his teeth. He stopped a few feet from them, stubby legs planted determinedly square, and let out the squeaky small dog version of a baying howl, back end quivering with over-excitement.

“Buster!” A voice called from the depths of the alley. “Leave!”

The sound of scrabbling paws and footsteps filled up the dark, and a dog pack of varying shapes and sizes burst from the alley. If Mischa hadn’t known better, she’d have said the scruffy little dog looked almost smug. Beside her, Chiyoh reached for a blade, but her hand stopped at her utility belt as three of the larger dogs pushed forward, growling.

“I wouldn’t do that. They’re… protective.”

A figure all in black—black jeans, black sweater, black hat pulled low over unruly dark curls—melted from the shadows behind the dogs. A small blue backpack dangled from his fingers. The kind people who hiked a lot zipped their pets into so that Fido could carry his own snacks and water bottle. Each of the dogs had one, but something trailed from the unzipped backpack in the man’s hand. Even in the dim light of the alley, the strings of diamonds glittered.

“You’re kidding, right?” Chiyoh said, her tone flat. “The Westerley robbery. And you… put….”

She let out a long, weary breath. Mischa lifted her chin. The subway vent behind her hissed. Steam rose, turning white against the cold. It snaked around her ankles, climbing the sleek black of her cape. If he knew who she was, he didn’t seem to care, and that irked her. All of Gotham knew The Bat.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?” She glanced at the pack surrounding him, each with their own little harness stuffed with ill-gotten gains. Seven sets of jaws panted, each furnished with awfully white teeth. “Dog… Man…?”

He stepped forward and clipped the backpack onto Buster, who lifted each paw obediently in turn, never looking away from Mischa. When the guy straightened up, he didn’t meet her eyes, but he wore a hard, crumpled kind of smile.

“Funny. No. You can call me The Packmaster.”

“I don’t think so,” Chiyoh said.

Her hand moved in a blur. The blade flew, silver against the dark. Mischa caught her breath, and it was easy to fall into the rhythm of their training, to read Chiyoh’s body language as easily as her own heartbeat, and to know she was just as readily understood.

Together, no one would stand against them.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

3, 6, and 8 with tunnel poly for pride ask game pwease :333 (ik that birchflight and foxfire are my ocs but it's always fun to see your interpretations of them!)

3: How did they discover themself (their sexuality)?

Gorseheart always thought that he was straight until he met Fox. It was really confusing for him because he lived until (insert Warriors equivalent of 50-60 years old) and had an afterlife of probably quite some years before Birch and Fox entered the picture, and only then did he feel attraction towards a male.

I wrote a story about it here!

Emberdawn initially thought that she was straight as well. But unlike Gorse, she was attracted to gals, she just...thought it was normal. You know, just admiring their beauty and laughing a little too long at their jokes and wanting to be around them a lot. It wasn't until she got to the Dark Forest, where same-sex couples were common place (more common than in the living Clans) that she had an "oh" moment.

I like to think that Fox bounced back and forth so much because he couldn't decide. *Sees a pretty she-cat* "Oh, I like girls!" *Sees a handsome tom* "Oh I like boys!" *Sees a pretty she-cat* "Oh, I like girls!" *Sees a handsome tom* "Oh I like boys!" *Sees a pretty she-cat* "Oh, I like girls!" *Sees a handsome tom* "Oh I like boys!" Then he found out he could like BOTH and he lost his damn mind.

I also imagine that Birchflight never understood the whole physical of it all. It was personality and how cats acted that made her attracted, their physical appearance (and gender) seemed very trivial, so when cats went on about how handsome or beautiful someone was or how they wanted to become mates with someone who looked good, she didn't get it. She TRIED to. When she found herself liking someone, she tried to focus on their physical traits and their gender, trying to see if it made her feel more attracted. It didn't. She didn't DISLIKE how they looked, it just...wasn't a huge factor in whether or not she liked them. She would make stuff up "I like his chin-fur" to seem more normal. In the DF she realized she is okay the way she is, and doesn't have to pretend for anyone.

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

When Gorse found out about them he was like :O!! He thought it was so so cool!

For simplicity, he identifies as a multi-sexual polyamorous tom (he doesn't know for sure if he's pan, bi, omni, or poly, so he just sticks with the umbrella term [it's likely either omni or poly]).

Emberdawn likes them the same way someone would like a nice new shirt: fun to have and enjoyable to own, but not SO important that she thinks it completely defines her. She has it to have it, but she would be fine without it as well.

She is a bisexual polyamorous she-cat.

Both Fox and Birch like them a lot!! They both had that feeling that they were weird. Fox for not being able to make up his mind and being sure like everyone else seemed to be, and Birch because she couldn't fit in with how others felt. Having labels not only make them feel like they're not wrong, but it reminds them that others are the same way.

[Found on the refs] Both are pansexual polyamorous

EDIT: it's possible that the reason Fox couldn't decide which he liked (prior to finding out he could like both) is because he ALSO preferred personality over gender+appearance but just didn't realize it.

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

I think I pretty much mentioned it!

Gorse struggled because "wait do I like toms?? Since when???"

Ember struggled because "wait not everyone does that?"

Fox struggled because "I CAN'T CHOOSE"

Birch struggled because "WHY CAN'T I BE NORMAL?"

All heavily internal, but external could have a cause, since no one else seemed to be the same, and Clan culture is very different from DF culture (heteros everywhere). If they had met someone like them a lot sooner, it probably would have helped a great deal.

[the-sidekick-club]

I just read part four of enemy of my enemy is my kid 😁

I love how you showed my beloved egg man’s legacy living on in Shadow Man. I noticed you described his teasing as “egging on a villain”, that’s clever

Shadows is so sweet, joking with Mender to help her feel better. And he does the same with Hirra too? So cute 😻

🥚

We are so glad you liked it :D

It was a lot of work, but the end result was so worth it. Especially since you (and hopefully some others) noticed so many little things!

The egg jokes, while more subtle, and just as eggtastic as always (if we do say so ourselves). And as for Shadows and his incredible wholesomeness, he's not done with Sadie. In fact, I think they're doing something cute right now! Lets check it out.

Hirra and Sadie were studying together for their exams, and while Sadie had choosen to take a break, Hirra hadn't reached a breaking point yet. The two were outside on a rooftop near Lukas’s villan lair, and their respective mentors were both aware of their locations (not that it was needed; this was a time of truce for the two). So when Lukas dropped by with some cookies for the hard-working students, it wasn't too much of a suprise.

While Hirra had fully entered focus mode, Mender was off to the side just looking over the building's. They had thought about reading, but their mind needed a break after all the complex work they'd been doing; getting a medical degree was definitely easier when they could count most of their hero work as residency, but it still wasn't easy. This was especially true considering she took a few classes that she didn't really need, just finding them interesting (sue her if she liked something other than healing and wanted to learn more about it).

Shadow Wraith (who was also in costume, because while there was certainly more trust between them all, it wasn't "reveal your full face and therefore civilian identity and everything attached to that" level of trust) handed Mender a cookie and sat down at a small table near them. The rooftop they were on was an out-of-us rooftop restaurant, so there were many tables, one of which featuring a chess set! Calling over to Mender he asked, "How much longer do you think Hirra will be?" She turned, and not wanting to be rude, walked over and took a seat.

"Honestly Mr. Shadows, proably like 30 minutes. She started this 20 minutes ago, and the typical time for this sort of test is 50. And she'll probably want to double check questions and everything, so all that time should be used based on previous patterns." Mender replied.

Shadows opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a yell from Hirra, "You've been charting my test taking patterns?"

Sadie rolled her eyes and looked back, "Hirra, focus on your test!" At that Shadows let out a light snort and then nodded.

"Well to take up the time we could play a game of chess." He gestured to the board in between them. Mender brightened at the idea, shoving the rest of Shadow's delicious cookie into her mouth and nodding.

"Yes that sounds great! But if I win, I want the recipe for these." The cookies were really good.

"Hmmm, fine, but of I win-" Shadows tried to bargin, but Sadie suddenly had a cunning idea and interrupted him.

"How about this? If you win, I'll tell you what Alexandria's perfect date is! Then you can finally ask her out." She glanced over at Hirra as she spoke, but thankfully the other sidekick had fallen back into focusing.

Shadows turned crimson and weakly replied, "I don't know what you mean."

Mender raised an eyebrow at that, "Mr. Shadows with all due respect, that's a lie. I literally helped kidnap you and Lady Alexandria so Kim and I could prove you liked her; which we did prove by the way. Also, don't think you were sneaky with that 'my lady' back in Dragonfly’s warehouse. I may've been delirious, and she may've been incredibly oblivious, but I still noticed." Lukas was fully marron by now, and Mender, as always, noticed. "Oh don't be embarrassed; it was cute! But please, don't try to lie to me. So, chess?"

The villan let out a deep breath at that, trying to regain composure, and lightly nodded.

Sadie re-brightened at that, and went to set up the game board, choosing to have Shadows play white so she could figure out his style.

She gestured to him, and he made his move. She made hers, and so on. Back and forth the two went. But by around 5 moves in, the hero realized something disastrous that could foil her plan. As much as she wanted those cookies, she wanted the villan to get a movr on and ask her friend Alexandria out! So she was playing easy on him... but clearly not easy enough.

In 2 more moves she could get a checkmate against the villain, and she doubted he would even see it coming. The gameplan had to change, because Mr. Shadows really sucked at chess. She pursed her lips at the board and glanced up at Shadows, still thrown off by the terrible move he'd just made. It didn't seem fake either; he was truly terrible. So she let out a breath, burried her pride, and made the worst possible move.

--

Shadows was confused. Up untill this point, his opponent had been playing fairly well (though he had countered her attacks quite well if he did say so himself) but that move was... interesting. He wasn't sure if it was a trick, or if the Masked Mender was good at opening strategy and nothing else. So he made his move and watched as she grited her teeth, and then placed her queen directly in his rook's path.

--

Sadie glared at the board, incredibly annoyed with her last move. But it was nessacry, for Alexandria. That was the mantra she chanted in her head as she watched Mr. Shadows take her queen with no punishment; the rook survived, there hadn't been any trick. And so she let him take her bishops, knights, rooks, and most of her pawns, while barely taking any of his. And then she let him take her KING. It was... frustrating but, for Alexandria, for Alexandria, for Alexandria.

But now came the good part. Once the villain quietly celebrated his win, she smiled falsely at him. "Oh no, I lost! And I really wanted that cookies recipie. " While the first part was false, the lie was covered by the true disappointment about the cookies, so Shadows didn't notice a thing. "So, a date for Alexandria. First, you need flowers. She is a big fan of flowers symbolism, and normally I would suggest white roses or something, she hates roses and says they smell bad. Which they do by the way. So sunflowers, or really anything meaningful, and she'll be happy. Because this is a first date, a restaurant is a bit much. Have a picnic somewhere out of the way, like on a rooftop here!" And that she paused and gestured around, clearly proud of the place she and Hirra had so cleverly found.

"Also she doesn't like seafo- why aren't you taking notes?" She looked at Shadows in confusion, and then handed him a spare notepad after quickly filling out what she'd already said. "She doesn't like sea food, and also if you hurt her I will have to hurt you. I really like you Mr. Shadows, but that woman is one of my dearest friends, and while I try to avoid hurting people, it isn't always avoidable." At that she looked the villain across from her in the eyes, "Make it avoidable, okay?"

Shadows nodded, particularly amused, but slightly scared. While he could proably beat Mender in a fight without even hurting her (she was capable, but he had many years on her) he knew she wasn't stupid. While the young woman was very kind and loving, that translated to protectiveness, a feeling many heroes and even the general public shared about heroes and Alexandria specifically. The Masked Mender would not fight him on her own; she'd bring the whole Hero Agency with her, and the general public wouldn’t let him rest. Lucky for Shadows, he was saved by the bell before Mender could go into more threats. Well not the bell, Hirra!

"Ooh cookies! Thanks Shadows! Also wow Mender you must suck at chess if he beat you, he is terrible at it." With that Mender was distracted from Shadows and glared at Hirra, and then realised she had to play along.

"Yes indeed," she sighed out, "I'm so bad at logic games like these."

And so the two villains left, the practice test being the last thing either of them had wanted to study together, and Mender's only company was a chess board.

"It was for Alexandria..." she said, still glaring at it. And then her work phone buzzed, and she lept from the rooftop, off to help defeat some random villain who was probably actually fun to play chess with.

[samisnotlegend]

42, 48 and 50! Hope ur having a great day :D

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

So many. So many, I promise you. There are EASILY a dozen or more people on ao3 who I not only recognize, but could tell you exactly what they have said to me in comments. Like word for word. Anyway, among those though, people who leave comments about how a fic of mine has affected them really stand out.

Like with BB, it seems like the fic offers people some comfort in their struggles with daily life. Then in JBF (the greek one) somone told me that they had been crying all day until reading it, and helped them turn their day around. It's crazy to me that the stuff I write can actually affect people in a postive way, so when it does and you all tell me... then yeah. I remember it. Though I legit do remember it all, lol. People's comments and kindness mean the world to me.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Okay I'll be honest with this and answer it as to the fic I read last when I got this ask. It was Dirt and Ashes, which is actually a Naruto fanfiction. It's gory, bizzare, and honestly one of my favorite fics of all time. I seem to reread it whenever I'm really stressed. Something about Sakura living violently helps with the stress...

Anyway, I'll link the last bnha fic I've read here too! It was Asytole, which has been on my list for awhile. I 100% recommend it. Mind the tags, though! It's about bkdk doctors and they do surgery and stuff. I liked how quickly bkdk became smitten with each other, and I liked how Katsuki was revealed to be a very good teacher. It was cute and fun!

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

Hmmmmm I'll answer this one: What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

In chapter 2 of Dead Vigilante Walking, Izuku mentions that the hotel owner's daughter "trapped" him in something, and that he was able to escape and then help the daughter control her quirk better.

She trapped him a time loop. He was there for about 3 months, he defeated like three major villains in that time and also probably exposed his secret identity at least a few times, and thought he was driving himself insane over how to save everyone and also get out of the loop. He then realized that all he actually needed to do to escape the loop was help a little girl who got spooked and accidentally awoke her quirk when she and her mom got into a minor car accident.

Now, the little girl still traps Rogue in a loop if she needs something or is in danger. He knows how to help her out of it though, and can just go save or reassure her until they can deactivate the quirk.

That's obviously not something I could fit into the text of DVW without completely changing the genre of the story, but I like to think that he has gotten into just as many crazy situations as his canon self. The main character syndrome is strong with that one.

I tend to build pretty elaborate backgrounds in my fics as I'm writing. This is by far the silliest example, but Grasshopper in WWID has gotten up to a lot of shenanigans too.

[ruvviks]

for all three of the main boyes: 3, 50, 56 :)

THAMK YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA i am going to be so mean to them. just wait

3) how would they fare in a zombie apocalypse?

mikhail would do very well and then die because he sacrifices himself for one of his friends :/ girl that was unnecessary there's at least five different ways you could've prevented that from happening

50) do they have any insecurities?

mikhail absolutely has insecurities and most of them revolve around the worry of not being good enough for others. he often worries about if he's doing his job well enough or not and can get very insecure about his own skillset as a result :( it helps that his friends constantly reassure him that he's doing great, even when he's not even really doing anything <3

56) what do they smell like?

i refuse to answer this in 2013 wattpad smell combo style so Vibes are going to have to do LMFAO mikhail smells Warm :] kinda like laundry that's fresh out of the dryer or a warm and sunny spring morning :]

3) how would they fare in a zombie apocalypse?

patient zero 😔���️

50) do they have any insecurities?

vincent has a lot of insecurities surrounding his appearance and identity :( at the start of the story (around the time he meets jackie and then everyone else) he still gets misgendered regularly and that takes quite a toll on him, but this is something that goes away during the story and his self-confidence grows a lot because of it. he still feels a bit :// about it sometimes but this is generally easily fixed by bringing it up to vitali who will then not stop giving him attention until he feels better <3 meaning of "attention" is up to your own interpretation <3

56) what do they smell like?

was gonna say "vincent smells like axe deodorant lol" as a joke but. at least during the in-game events he most definitely Does most of the time SGFDHGDHFGJ not in a "cis man who thinks one can of axe deodorant is the equivalent of a shower" way but in a "trans guy who showers daily and then puts on a normal amount of deodorant" way <3

he switches to a less heavy deodorant later and then he smells a lot sweeter :D occasionally with a hint of vitali's cologne because. well. you know

3) how would they fare in a zombie apocalypse?

hides a bite from the rest of the group he's with out of sheer stubbornness and gets at least three other people killed because of it. no i'm not pulling my punches today

50) do they have any insecurities?

vitali has many insecurities, probably more than vincent and mikhail combined but he's being very brave about it and you wouldn't be able to tell easily even if you know him for a very long time already. he doesn't like to open up about his worries and insecurities mainly because he doesn't want to be a bother to others and would rather let it eat him alive than inconvenience someone else with it :(

most of his insecurities revolve around the fact he always felt like he was lacking in one way or another despite working so hard and this comes back in everything he does and says. he is always doing the most for his mercenaries (best fixer in night city istg) but still often worries it's not enough ;-; shaking him

56) what do they smell like?

vitali is the only one who gets the 2013 wattpad smell combo treatment. vanilla and a very nice not too strong cologne in like the Best possible way. this is a bit vague because well what kind of cologne. i don't know i'm not an expert. but he smells amazing ok just trust me on this

oc asks!

[scabbardsystem]

Plural Asking 100 Questions: Part 2!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 11. Who are you out to as plural? barely anyone! only some online friends, and even then, only a few of them actually know this blog exists hkjhg

12. What languages do you collectively / one of you speak? we collectively speak english! sometimes there's some french and spanish thrown in the mix, we have words from our mixed asian cultures as well. and some of us speak with asl! we fingerspell things when we're stressed because it forces us to slow our thoughts down.

13. What is something you can't seem to collectively agree on? LMAO. IF WE'RE PLURAL OR NOT. we're uh. not good. at this. a lot of us really like being plural, and there's a lot of evidence, and this helps us, but we're still really unsure of ourselves, we could all just be fake. harlowe has a lot of sway sometimes. if we ever stop talking and disappear forever, you can probably assume harlowe has finally convinced core that we don't exist hkjgh...? :'] unfortunate. alas!

anyway. we disagree on a lot of other things otherwise, we've always been rather indecisive prior to syscovery, and the realization has only served to reveal it's due in part to the multitude of facets with a cacophony of differing opinions. sure, we all communicate easily without barriers, but that doesnt mean we communicate well hjkhff...

14. If you have a collective Identity (such as Gender or Orientation), what is it? & 15. Do you collectively identify as queer / LGBTQIA+? WE'RE QUEER AS FUCK!! yes we're in the LGBTQIA+ community, we are collectively aro/ace and trans! :]

16. Do you collectively identify as Otherkin, Alterhuman or Nonhuman? we dont know what to do on this front, because while we're not really human, we're not really not human? what do you do if you don't have forms hjkgh... idk, i guess we don't collectively identify as any of these labels, even though most of us aren't strictly human.

17. Do you have a collective rentry / carrd / something along those lines? (feel free to share!) we really dont lmao best we got for u is our pinned post which really isnt that explanatory? faucet doesn't really like us putting all of our info in one spot, even if it would be more organized.

18. What does switching feel like for you? not something we take notice of often! we've compared it to having 24 clipping layers over a main layer before? switching is like sliding our opacity up or down so one layer is more prominent than another. but even at 0% opacity, we still exist co-consciously since the layer hasn't been removed or clicked to be actually invisible! it's just that we're not coloring any of core's actions. we switch and slide in opacity often!! (sometimes we are taken out from the layer pile, and then we can go chill in headspace or whatever, but its rare hkjh)

19. Are you Monoconscious, Polyconscious or something else? we're monoconscious!! :D we share thoughts and memories basically always, which is why it was really hard to tell we were plural at first, and not just a singlet who thought in conversational tones hkjhg

20. What does fronting feel like for you? following the "clipping layer" metaphor from 18, "fronting" is being the most prominent layer(s) on the highest opacity. however, it's also often very blurry because there will inevitably be other layers with visible opacities. so the "main fronter" could be at 93% opacity, but there'd be others at 85% and 76% and 50%, and we'd still be visible. you'd still see our colors on top of the main layer! we all layer on top to tint the way Core interacts with the world. orbital median things.

again, we switch often. opacities are always sliding moment to moment depending on what we need or how we feel or just because. we're front soup most of the time, and if someone's not fronting they're often co-con with us anyway hjkhg WE'RE ALL HERE!! CORE GETS OUR RUNNING COMMENTARY FOREVER AND EVER!!! >:3

[screechingkingdomhottub]

RATING DIFFERENT MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLING SERVICES (UK)

Soo bit about me is im bisexual, trans, autistic, depressed and have had some Bad Coping Mechanisms so trigger warnings for sh, suicidal thoughts, alcoholism and addictions, anything else lemme know and i'll edit this. When I was a young boy, I realised bad things in my brain and after struggling finally got encouraged to reach out for help, here's how i'd rate my experiences. First though, regardless of any of these ratings you should seek help, because even if the help sucks which it might, you get a little boost in your brain that you're trying and it could be the difference between 1 day but that 1 day is special. I believe in you. As someone who has been struggling for 10 years now, it does get better but your struggle doesnt magically stop. So this is in no way me saying "all help sucks dont bother" but the exact opposite like always choose to seek for help.

First we have Mr Big Boi Jo AKA the samaritans, I have reached out to them so many times since I was like 13. The email feature is amazing like being able to sorta control when you are willing to not only send the message but also check the response is wonderful. I'd pour my heart and soul out and then be able to step away and recover from that vulnerability, be excited for when I'd get an email back, if I didn't feel like responding in that moment then I would not have to. But they have a tendency to sign post you quite easily like i've been sent to chris at lgbt , childline, some autism stuff that rubbed me the wrong way. It can feel kinda like you're getting dismissed and told to bugger off. "But that's not what they're doing!" oh right i forgot people in mental health crises should think more clearly, how dare i think they may have thinking issues and be sensitive in those times, ridiculous of me /s so I'm gonna rate them 6.5/10. This also probably depends on who you get. I'm gonna have to DQ chris@switchboard.lgbt because I genuinely forgot I had any interaction with them, they seem alright and I suppose if you're struggling with gender and sexuality they're worth a shot? I'm rather comfortable in my identity now so I don't want to take that resource away from people for any experiment like this. CHILDLINE - Not just that one phone number you call if your parents are abusive. Genuinely childline is so misrepresented due to what we classify as abuse like if you are under 18, you can go on childline and play games, have a live chat feature with counsellors, ask on message boards, view message boards or send as an email instead of the chat. You can choose! I think it would be amazing even for adults but once again, no stealing resources. "But I have DID and it's complicated cause my little needs help-" dude I'm not qualified for that, you probably know more than I do like don't put this on me. I cannot remember one negative experience with them. I just remember being scared and messaging people, OH AND THE NOTES YOU CAN ASK THEM TO READ NOTES SO THEY'RE CAUGHT UP ON STUFF EVEN IN LIVE CHAT. 9.5/10 would be a 10 if I was still a child but I'm unfortunately 23 so im bitter. It may have changed but now but I strongly encourage people to try it because I didn't want to because I thought it was only for kids being physically abused, it's also for like teenagers who are self harming. SHOUT - Oh Shout, you are the most 50/50 out of these. I genuinely use SHOUT more than samaritans now but it can go really bad. I message and am like "hello i wanna drink myself to death" but if i do that on like friday nights or something, the wait times are massively long and I've found some other way to soothe myself but when they are there they do talk very gently, they offer valid resources about things like as pdfs this time not just links to websites of people that can help. It's similar to counselling in person imo so it's about vibes sometimes. 8/10 or wait/10 damn those wait times KOKO - I'm glad it exists but haven't found much help from it personally. I do like that it sorta puts less stress on people that want to help social media accounts in crisis like that's a very important thing we didn't have when I first had the internet and it caused a lot of damage but in terms of the rating of how it helped 4/10.

GP - OMG GPs right? Anyone in the UK that's been to a GP for depression will immediately be thinking "oh right a WALK ADN SOME TEA RIGHT??" because that's always your first offer. Always. I should also mention I never went to CAMHs because of how my GP saw me, I went to a different centre for at risk youths in a different town in the most wonderful and bizarre therapy I've ever had but that place has shut down and there's absolutely no way other people have had that experience because whenever I say this stuff to people they may as be looking at me like I'm talking about narnia. GPs don't really seem to take you seriously until you're 18. But people don't seem to be really listening, your antidepressants aren't gonna stop your depression. They're going to fight it a little bit but you gotta do other stuff to get the endorphins and that's where the walks and exercise come in. People will bitch about theirs not working and they don't listen to what the GP says like "they keep upping my dose cause it isnt working!" then you find out that person has been drinking every other day which cancels those meds out. So with all that said, GPs are getting a 5/10. Some of mine were really helpful, some sucked, age is a big factor.

I hope you are able to use this info or even just now be more aware of all the help you can get in the new year. It's time to get happy again <3

[wastelandbarbie]

its the end of the semester

and I've been compiling all my course content because at like $3.8k a semester you best believe that i've saving that shit for future reference. and my lit prof who i love and get so shy around bc i have like an academic crush on her, was like "why didn't you read your creative writing pieces for the class, I wish you had because they're so good" and like hhhahhhhhh. I forgot how good I can be at writing and much I love written words. if i could upload my consciousness to a digital form and consume only text i think i would ascend into godhood. you couldnt tell me nothing. its because i can read so fast. i looked at my ao3 and saw that i had somehow blacked out and bookmarked like 50 works overnight (reading so fast does mean that I have to remember to be mindful and slow down sometimes). but yeah, apparently i'm really fine in all my classes. i am not going to fail. i might get a C-B in my linguistics if i don't dominate my exam and submit extra credit. maybe a B in my film class? my internship is credit/no credit. and my literature class I think I might get an A. in all honesty, that's very impressive for me. Like I was also working and had like two people in my life in my life die! One due to overdose, the other due to sickness/domestic violence/disability. I didn't know if I was going to break up with my partner or not (I've decided - no). I haven't seen or talked to my mom in like a month. All that to say that, that six years ago, I would bolted/not asked for help. I would have gotten on the 5 and not looked back. I still struggle a lot with consistency. It's why I have to always wear a watch and try to remember to keep up with records. Because otherwise, I won't remember it. I have to remember.

I also have to finish my research essay -> I'm doing something about the protagonist's roadtrip to Mexico and how that relates to something something queer identity/outsider/outlander status that follows queer-looking couples. it's ambiguous kinda teresa & alicia's relationship, sexually and racially. ppl noted that some editions (library copy, older) has the description on the back say they're both hispanic, even though we're all pretty sure alicia IS a white woman, right? no, she is. I have two letters for that, which is probably more than enough.

The genre is epistolary, a roadtrip to homeland. Need to start talking about how the author has contributed to this literature (1980s Latina/Chicana, sisters of the eighties), where we will be looking to the Lopez article, the literary history. Where does Ana Castillo lie in this pantheon? (would like to use source comparing Cisneros/Castillo form, but will have to choose one for this part, or). Need to talk about this specific entry's significance. Why are we studying this one, etc. etc. etc.

[cityninestay]

The perfect place to find your next vacation rental!

If you’re looking for the best vacation home rentals online, look no further than City nine Stay! We have a huge selection of amazing villas, apartments, cottages and more that are perfect for any getaway, holiday or vacation rental! Whether you want to spend your time in the hustle and bustle of the city or in more secluded areas with fantastic views, you can find all of this and much more at City nine Serviced Accommodation Chester Stay! We’ll help you find exactly what you’re looking for to make your next stay perfect!

Why Book a Villa Instead of an Apartment?

If you’ve never stayed in a villa before, they can be a bit intimidating at first. You might imagine rows of identical houses in a development, or something out of an MTV reality show. But when you arrive at a villa for rent, you’ll realize that these rentals are just like any other Accommodation Shrewsbury option - except you get more space and more privacy. The best thing about them is that they are often in rural locations where there is plenty of room for kids to play and adults to relax by themselves. Think about renting one next time you travel with friends or family!

When Can I Check In?

It depends on where you’re going. In most cities, check-in time is typically 4 pm. If that time doesn’t work for you, let us know and we’ll try our best to accommodate you (and if we can't, there will be a hotel that does). Check out time is 10 am on your checkout day. You can stay in a Citynine property up until 11 am on your checkout day if you need more time for cleaning or packing—just let us know ahead of time so we can make sure it works with housekeeping schedules.

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isn’t a deposit and if we haven’t rented out that property yet, then we will refund you 50% of your payment upon receipt of cancellation notice.

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[thfeministmovement]

Why do women get paid less? Why can’t they vote? Why are women only meant to be housewives and daughters who weren’t allowed to leave the house? You are probably thinking that I am not making sense… “we aren’t in the 50’s anymore”. Yes, I know, but that doesn’t mean that women aren’t facing issues like this today. There are still many women around the world fighting for their basic rights. We are forgetting that women are humans. How can we help? We need to spread awareness, educate others around us. These are all questions that I have about this topic. Questions itself aren’t enough. We ask questions to gain knowledge and understand the world. The topic we will talk about is the Feminist movement. What exactly is the Feminist Movement? According to the internet it is, “social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women.” There are many businesses and organizations putting in the effort to raise awareness.

When did this movement start? It started in 1848- 1917. “The fight for women’s suffrage in the United States began with the women’s rights movement in the mid-nineteenth century. This reform effort encompassed a broad spectrum of goals before its leaders decided to focus first on securing the vote for women. Women’s suffrage leaders, however, disagreed over strategy and tactics: whether to seek the vote at the federal or state level, whether to offer petitions or pursue litigation, and whether to persuade lawmakers individually or to take to the streets. Both the women’s rights and suffrage movements provided political experience for many of the early women pioneers in Congress, but their internal divisions foreshadowed the persistent disagreements among women in Congress that emerged after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.”

There are many companies and brands that support the feminist movement. The companies are, Abbot, CVS Health, Johnson & Johnson, Estée Lauder Companies. The biggest feminist organization is National Organization for Women (NOW). They have 500,000 members. The American Association of University Women advanced equity for women and girls by advocacy. “American Association of University Women advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) is a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches and 500 college and university institution partners.”

How does the National Organization for women view this and what actions are they taking? They want to bring equality for all women. “The largest organization of feminist activists in the United States, NOW has 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since its founding in 1966, NOW’s goal has been to take action to bring about equality for all women.” The National Organization for women organizes marches, rallies, and many more. “NOW activists use both traditional and nontraditional means to push for social change. NOW activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and bring lawsuits. We also organize mass marches, rallies, pickets, non-violent civil disobedience and immediate, responsive “zap” actions.” Their actions helped increase educational opportunities, employment and business opportunities for women. Additionally, they are supporting abortion rights, fighting racism and discrimination. “championing abortion rights, reproductive justice along with other women’s health issues; opposing racism; fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas,”

References:

https://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/four-waves-feminism

https://seramount.com/articles/womens-organizations-you-need-to-know/

https://now.org/about/who-we-are/

My website:

https://rtaha73.wixsite.com/feministmovement

https://at.tumblr.com/thfeministmovement/why-do-women-get-paid-less-why-cant-they-vote/3g6whkmvas97

[winchesterwhorehouse]

This isn’t me calling anyone out, just an observation about the fandom: we often mislabel enmeshment as “codependency.” Pop culture already does this, as does the show itself, so I don’t blame anyone for confusing the terms.

True codependency is a relationship dynamic with a very clear savior figure who “helps” (enables) someone with an untreated addiction, mental illness, etc. to their own detriment. The rescuee monopolizes the savior’s emotional labor without a real desire to change their behavior or take responsibility for themselves. The entire relationship hinges on the rescuee’s Big Problem(s). It’s an unstable person taking advantage of a people-pleaser whose self-esteem hinges on the care they give. It’s the girl from 50 Shades of Grey trying to reform and save her emotionally troubled boyfriend. Enmeshment, meanwhile, is a sort of “fusing” that is generally unhealthy but largely EQUAL. Sibling enmeshment is also called “emotional incest” by social workers. Which is why Wincest really IS canon! Emotionally speaking, it’s canon! Sibling enmeshment is sleeping in a car together as adults, knowing very intimate details about each other’s inner lives (and sex lives lol), being possessive, fearing abandonment, thinking in terms of “we” instead of being an individual, requiring the presence of the other to be soothed, the list goes on. It shows up in siblings who have experienced deep trauma together as children. So. Sam & Dean. Deeply enmeshed!

First of all ily for this ask, it has to be the most interesting thing in my askbox since I joined tumblr. Now

Taking the common points, personal boundaries are blurred and permeable. Sam and Dean fit this description in particular because of their clear lack of the same

Like here

Dean barges in when Sam's in the restroom. That's probably understandable as kids but for adults? I'm not so sure

(also this) And this is only just their physical lack of boundaries but we know it goes beyond that

From the other signs of enmeshment, one that was particularly fitting was

Finding it comforting that the other person thinks and acts like you or shares the same interests and worldviews as you

This is Dean's attitude towards Sam in a nutshell. He needs the reassurance that Sam's thought process and reasoning is entirely like his. He hates the idea of Sam being independent and immediately falls "lonely" even though there might be people (his own father) around him all the time, which goes right along with these other signs

• Finding it difficult to have alone time, including both mental and physical space

• Feeling threatened by the other person's dreams, desires, or wishes, especially if they don't involve you

[4.21]

SAM: Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean. We'll do this together

DEAN: That sounds great. As long as it's you and me. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now

Feeling guilt or shame when advocating for yourself

Sam apologises for "leaving" Dean in purgatory and carrying on with his life with Amelia

He has time and again expressed his guilt for going off to college rather than following his father's orders and staying behind with Dean

He blames himself for the apocalypse and feels like he let Dean down ["You want to know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down"]

Enjoying the other person's closeness or dependency on you

In a town where other victims were lured to death by a siren presenting itself as one of their best fantasies, Dean's siren took the place of an admiring, idolizing little brother who'd follow his every say. He loves the idea of blind faith from his brother

Basically, from what I can see, enmeshment is stronger, unhealthier, more devoted, more fucked up and yes! It is more fitting to the Winchester brothers

Codependency means over-reliance on your partner but enmeshment means you don't see a partner, instead your identities become one. You sort of interwine among yourselves which Sam and Dean clearly do--

what's mine is yours, what I think of, you'll know, my body? yours, our souls? connected, my happiness? you

Like you mentioned, it's fusion and while it's fucked to the core I LOVE IT

[jelazakazone]

Liminal spaces in ep 6 of Heartstopper

As always, endless thanks to @barrows-teeth​ and @herewetumble​ for their insights and editing help and BT’s lovely gifs! Find the master post here. 

Episode 6 starts with Nick googling “best lgbtq+ films'' on his phone just before his mum says “Mamma Mia.” Nick rejects this suggestion and his mom leaves the room to dish up pizza. Nick is still looking at the list on his phone, snuggled next to Nellie, when Sarah Nelson comes back and suggests “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Nick looks like he wants to say something else, but just says “yeah.” 

As they watch the movie, Sarah comments that they had to watch the movie every evening when Nick was 11 and she knew it was because he liked Kiera Knightly. Nick resists “Mum!” “What, she’s a very pretty girl.” “Please stop talking!” They turn to watch the movie and we can see Nick struggling with the recognition that he is attracted to Kiera Knightly as well as Orlando Bloom. (Many have commented on how relatable this scene is for their bisexual awakenings occurred similarly.) 

We have seen how comfortable Nick is in his kitchen with his mum and I think the living room is an extension of that space. He’s not ready to come out to his mum yet, but he’s more able to fully consider who he is. 

Back in the fuller privacy of his room, he listens to the bisexual vlogger and seems to start coming to terms with his own sexual identity. 

Meanwhile, the girls are having lunch in the canteen. Darcy quips “this is an interesting lunchtime gathering we’ve got going on here” as Tara and Elle both poke at their phones. Tara has just posted about her relationship with Darcy on Instagram and is getting mixed reactions, so she is happy for the distraction Darcy provides when she asks what Elle’s up to (looking at Timothee Chalamet’s Instagram? :)). Tara says “probably texting Tao” and they coax out of her that she does have a crush on Tao. “I knew it,” squeaks Tara. It is clear Elle has settled in and found her place with Tara and Darcy—a stark contrast to the day she walked in and the door closed behind her, leaving us all with an instant of panic — was she trapped in a lonely hell? 

We have another scene of Charlie and Tao interacting with Harry outside school near the picnic tables which goes according to toxic masculinist ideas of heteronormativity. “Watch out Dicknozzle,” Harry spouts. Tao retorts, “if you want my attention that badly, why don’t you just throw something at me, like your last remaining brain cell.” Harry is left speechless and on his own turf, at that. 

They walk past Nick and Imogen sitting on one of the tables. Tao gives Nick a disgusted look. Nick looks at Charlie like he feels sorry about something. 

Tara is sitting in an instrument room, flipping through mixed comments on Instagram again. Darcy joins her and Tara warns her to “mind the door, that’s the one that locks you in if you let it shut.” Darcy reminisces that this is “the room...the special room, [they] got locked in and had [their] first kiss.” I love the fact that their first kiss was literally in a locked closet, before Tara was out. The orchestra teacher finds them and chastises them for being late for rehearsal. They remark she’s literally the only one in a 50 mile radius who doesn’t know they are together. So, maybe part of that closet still remains (and reminds us that we are always coming out). 

In the orchestra room, one girl says to Tara “I never would have guessed you were gay, but it’s so cool and brave of you” and a few minutes later, in the background, we hear girls responding with disgust to Darcy’s comment about same-sex schools being a waste from her perspective “as an absolute lesbian.” Where the closet was a safe space for the girls, the open classroom is not. 

Nick and Charlie are lying on a blanket in the park and Nick says “How did you realize you were gay?” This is the first time we’ve seen Nick talk to someone about being queer. He’s been researching the topic in the privacy of his own bedroom (and obviously kissing Charlie in secluded locations) but this is the first time the topic has been raised in a more public environment. Charlie is secure with his identity (“It’s always been boys”) but Nick makes faces and Charlie guesses Nick “didn’t feel the same when he was little.” 

This is reminiscent of the park with Imogen, when Nick was saying he had buried his real self and he was trying to figure out where he fit. Now, he says again “I don’t know what [sexuality] I am.” But with Charlie, he can be more clear about the topic and the open air reinforces our impression that Nick is becoming more comfortable with sharing his full self. Charlie even says that Nick doesn’t have to figure it out right now and that even he didn’t wake up one day and say “oh, look, guess I’m gay now.”  Society informs who we are. We aren’t defining ourselves in a vacuum. But when a couple walks by with a dog as they are about to kiss, Nick sits up suddenly, breaking it off. He is not ready. 

Nick accompanies Charlie into the gym for rehearsal and asks if he can attend the performance. Charlie moves away to get his drum kit set up and Tara walks up, taking Charlie’s position on the floor. They make a little small talk and then Nick tells Tara that he and Charlie are sort of “going out, but please don’t tell anyone.” Tara says “It’s funny how things turned out between us,” referring to the kiss they shared 3 years ago and they both agree that irony is not lost on them. 

Nick asks if the girls are out to their friends, and Tara talks about posting it on Instagram. 

Nick is clearly grappling with how much of himself and his relationship with Charlie he is comfortable putting out there. I think it’s interesting that the conversation is happening in the school gym, a location typically known for heteronormative relationships in sports. 

Nick takes Tara up on her invitation to join her and Darcy for lunch on the field. On the other side of the fence, we hear Harry bullying Tao: “Not having lunch with your boyfriend?”  Meanwhile, enclosed in their own private bubble, Nick shares “I’m not really out, yet” and “I don’t even know what my sexuality is” while chatting with them. Darcy and Tara accept him for who he is, regardless of labels. Again, it’s interesting that this is happening on a sport field, another spot typical for reinforcing heteronormativity. Darcy suggests a double date and Nick agrees, saying, “I like milkshakes.” 

In front of the door to the orchestra room, Darcy encourages Nick not to come out if he’s not ready. Nick asks Tara if she’s sure she’s gay or if she might be bi. Tara says kissing Nick was one of the things that convinced her she didn’t like kissing boys. As they stand outside in front of an open door, Nick reveals they are the first people he’s told about Charlie. Nick is starting to open his own door and come out a little bit more. Tara asks him if it feels good. He smiles. “Yeah, it really does.” AND WE ALL MELT.

 Charlie is on his bed, lit up by the sun, waiting for Nick to come ‘round. Tori appears in the doorway and seems to know what’s up, even though Charlie can’t admit anything to her. On the floor, the boys are studying and Nick lets Charlie know that he has told Tara and Darcy that they are dating. Charlie’s bedroom has changed for Nick from a space of confusion to refuge to safety. 

As Nick leaves, he tells Charlie about the proposed milkshake date and Charlie eagerly agrees. Nick opens the door, leaving it for Charlie to close. He looks back and waves goodbye before turning around and walking away. This time, there is just nice, bright sunlight as the door stays open. 

First to appear at the milkshake cafe are Tao and Elle. They are being their silly authentic selves out in the fresh air, but not at all open about their feelings for each other. And neither knows about Nick and Charlie, yet. The six friends sit under a tent and chat while having their milkshakes. Tao suggests having a second round. Nick and Charlie leave first to get the shakes. Charlie asks Nick out on a proper date (sometime) and immediately takes it back. It is as if the fresh air has pumped up Charlie’s courage for a split second. Luckily, he is with Nick, who thinks it’s a lovely idea. 

When Tao goes to help get the second round, Elle finds out her friends have been plotting without her consent to try to set her and Tao up. She is upset about this because she doesn’t want anything else to change. Nick and Charlie return to the table while Tao waits for the last two and Elle finds out that Nick and Charlie are together. It is worth noting that they are under the tent (the relationship is still a secret to all but these five) while Tao is out in “dark,” alone. 

In the gym, Nick sits with Charlie at his drum kit. They are bathed in a beam of light. Nick says he’s been researching bisexuality and he thinks that might be him. Does Charlie’s drum kit have a protective force field around it? Maybe so. 

Meanwhile, Tara has run out of the room to escape the persistent homophobia surrounding her. She retreats to the secret (make out) instrument closet and Darcy follows, forgetting to leave the door open. Tara didn’t realize how differently she’d be treated after she came out and “just wants to live her life.” Darcy insists they can do that. In the meantime, Nick, Charlie, Elle, and Tao have been running from door to door looking for them. 

As they all run back to the concert, Tara and Darcy hold hands. Nick reaches out for Charlie’s hand and Charlie grabs it just as they pass a brightly lit window. Elle follows, waving encouragingly at Tao who lags behind. Tara and Darcy are leading the way, modeling one way of being out, and Nick and Charlie are following in their footsteps. 

[ramcharantitties]

Ch 3- Ram's investigation

bandook meri layla

Ram rocked left and right on his chair, staring at the gun in front of him. In today’s conference, the officials gave him a case- confidential and probably a suicide mission. And to his bliss, he was specially assigned the infamous Art Expo case. Find out why Gangarao died and who killed the two partners. Name, identity, everything about the murderer. 

Babai sat on the edge of his bed, going through magazines and newspapers that might hold information on the organization in the art expo. 

On his personal note, Ram already knew many things. Like a woman is involved in all this, the guarded painting probably had the bomb, there was no “buying” party, and a huge organization will be in spotlight because of this. It could be a terrorist attack, a riot, anything.  

Ram closely dismantled the gun. Nothing out of ordinary, the same metal and hinges. But what caught his site was the ink print on the inside of the frame. A RC was printed in tall fonts with a circle around it.

 “Babai!” Ram called out and Babai scrambled to stand up, hurrying towards Ram. “The gun has RC printed on it.” Ram announced. 

“But, wasn’t the RC name of the organization the art expo was all about?” Babai asked, recollecting the information given to him. 

“And Jenny has been following them for so long- it’s not possible that they were a con, building a fake identity so soon.” Ram muttered, standing up. He crossed the room, a hand on his waist.

“That only means that whatever RC organization had been operating under covers for so long, nobody had a clue how big of a threat they are.” Ram said. “The way they beat you up to protect their secret from being exposed, I am sure it is a big threat,” Babai said, looking at Ram’s scar on his forehead. 

“But shouldn’t they be having tougher security? If the country’s most powerful people are meeting, how could they conduct it at a place where civilians were asked to come?” Babai asked and Ram looked up. 

“Because the plan was something else, the explosion was a casualty.” Ram connected the dots. 

-

Ram got to know a man who might help them with finding out about the print on the gun. 

Across the roads of Delhi, Ram made his way to the crowded streets of Chandni Chowk. The hustle and colors of this market resonates with him- the million stories in every store blurring his own, the crowd making his identity disappear. For a while, he feels out of body, he feels good. Ram feels as if the boulder on his chest melts by the chattering. 

    He feels like that with Akhtar too. The innocent, doe- eyed man has made a home in Ram’s stone heart. Akhtar’s chatter and understanding of the world, his hunger for knowledge and Ram's stories and experiences, Ram smiled thinking about him. As if a fictional cue, he heard the familiar voice of his friend in the crowd. 

“Anna!” Akhtar spotted Ram, running towards him. Ram’s eyes followed the voice, to find the bearded man making his way. “What are you doing here?” Akhtar asked. “I was just here for some work” Ram nodded and Akhtar stared at him. ”Are you going somewhere?” Akhtar asked and Ram nodded. “Can I come with you?” The excited punctuation of Akhtar’s question stopped Ram in tracks. “It’s work related” Ram said and Akhtar’s smile fell. “So what? I won’t bother” Akhtar muttered, and Ram smiled, swinging his arm around Akhtar’s shoulder. “Chalo fir”. 

They went through broken building blocks and empty, shady spaces. Under the bridges and over the stepping stones, the boys entered a grim looking store. Ram knocked on the door, and a man in his 50s appeared out of a room. He was balding from the top, white gray beard making its way till his neck. Ram nodded and leaned on the counter, with the man sitting down on his chair. Ram took the frame out of his pocket and placed the part on wood. The man raised his eyebrow, looking out of the window. Ram stood up, alerted. “You will die, you know” the man said and Ram smiled. “Is it really that bad?” the man chuckled. “Of course it’s bad- it's a woman. They always bring bad news” Ram didn’t have time for all this bullshit.

 “What else do you know?” The man gulped, standing up. “Nothing else” he said, picking up the part. “How do you know that it’s a woman?” Ram asked nonchalantly. “Inside news” the man said, stepping back. “And who gave you the news?” Ram made eye contact with the man, before the said man sprinted towards the front door, pushing Akhtar out who was outside in the process. Akhtar, startled, looked at Ram and followed the man. Ram made his way through the back door and followed the parallel path to reach the man. Before Ram could get his hands on the man, he was already trapped in Akhtar’s strong grasp. Ram smiled, snatching the man’s collar. 

After some beating, Ram took the part of the handle back and the crying man held up his joined hands. “I don’t know anything” he cried, and it only angered Ram more. “Fine” he said, and took the dirty brick lying nearby. “Wait!” the man yelled, already in a defense position. “Near the market of Qutub Minar, there is a shop. It’s on the inside, behind pillar 15. They might know something” 

Ram left the collar of the whimpering man, swiping his bloody knuckles on his trouser. “If someone asks you, or saw us, tell them we are your debtors” The man nodded vigorously, and they left the place with new information on hand.  

About three hours later, Ram stared at the RC sign on the frame, rolling on his chair. If there was an arms deal happening in the expo, no one from both the buying and selling party should know about the outcome- then why was the bomb set? And even if it was decided that the bomb will explode at failing of the deal, as he heard through the walls, it was life threatening for members of RC too. What was the point of the explosion? 

In the middle of Ram’s brainstorm, Babai bursted through the doors in panic. Ram sat up, worried. “You went to that store right? Where the dons get their guns mended?” Ram nodded, and Babai sat down on his bed. “Someone burned him and his store.”  

tagging- @dumdaradumdaradum @voidsteffy @infusedchaos @nerdreader @thewinchestergirl1208 @bishh-kanya @yehsahihai @nyotamalfoy