#it doesn't get cold here often enough to justify having it

[lettuce-gremlin]

I will not go thrift shopping... Thrift shopping is the wallet and time killer....

[kitasgloves]

SUNA RINTARO is aware of how mean he can get. He knows that he has a potty mouth. He's creative with insults and revels in getting under people's skin. He isn't technically considered the kindest guy in the room but he wasn't heartless. His moral compass wasn't fucked up. His personality of a nosy and sarcastic middle blocker gained him a reputation.

He wasn't sure how you found him yet here you are, capturing both his attention and heart. You combated his backhanded insults with clever rebuttals that rendered him speechless. You matched his sarcasm like no other. You handled his nosiness like an expert. And holy shit Suna thinks, it's impossible to not going to gain feelings for you.

You taught Suna how to be patient. His relationship with you made him realize that he's capable of being a romantic, something he found ridiculous back then. He wouldn't have imagined holding hands while walking down the street, kissing in sidewalks, dates at the park, cuddling under the stars, and falling asleep with you in the same bed. You made Suna believe that he couldn't live a life without you.

But then again, Suna was mean. On the other side of those sweet romantic moments were bitter ones. Another thing with Suna was that he's prideful. He has the need to prove that he's right and to justify his actions. He's petty enough to hurl personal insults at you during an argument. His tone is venomous and passive aggressive, he never shouts at you. But there's an underlying tone of maliciousness that can't get over your head. Suna thinks it's normal for couples to have arguments and that he doesn't have to worry about upsetting you.

However, when he throws you a foul comment about an insecurity of yours, he sees the flash of hurt within your eyes and his heart stops. You always tried to be the bigger person during arguments, often trying to de-escalate the situation and take every jab from Suna because you know it wouldn't be mature to insult him back. But now, it begins to sting.

Suna falls silent, racking his brain for the right words to say. But he's too late, your eyes are already wet.

"What the hell, Rintaro?"

The ache in your voice delivered a dagger through his chest. Suna knew he fucked up the moment you turn away and walk out the door. For once, he regrets having a shitty personality. It's rare enough for someone to tolerate his behavior, and it was you. But he has hurt you all because of his stupid pride.

He begins to think of the horrors. You returning only to collect your things in his apartment and end your relationship with him. His blood went cold thinking about it. Suna thought about being replaced by somebody else, then his blood went hot. When his emotions blocked all logical thought, that's when he realizes that he has lost.

You and Suna didn't speak for days, he granted you some space. When you text him to finally talk, he has never jumped up from his bed faster in his entire life. He meets you by your favorite spot at the fountain at the park, where you both shared your first kiss.

When Suna saw you as he approaches, his chest grows tight. He thinks you're going to break up with him, it seemed inevitable considering the shit he has done. As he stops in front of you, you offer him a tiny smile.

"Hey"

"Hi"

There was silence. Suna was unsure if he should be the one speaking. He has never felt this scatterbrained in his life.

"Rin, I'm sorry I walked away that time"

What the fuck? Suna wasn't stupid to know you shouldn't be the one apologizing. One more thing about Suna is that he horrible with apologies. He rarely said sorry for the shit he did. God, he's such a dick. He's the one who insulted you yet you come back to say sorry. He thinks that you pushed back to he hurt in hopes to fix what happened between you and him. Suna felt like a total asshole.

"No, [Name]. You shouldn't be apologizing"

"...You're so mean sometimes, Rin"

"I'm always mean, even to you babe"

"Yeah, you hurt me real bad"

"I know, I...I'm sorry"

"I still love you Rin no matter how shitty you get"

"You're the only one I know that does that"

Suna suddenly feels small when you walk up to him with an embrace. He lets himself melt in your arms. He closes his eyes and soaks in your warmth. He can't believe he almost lost you, he couldn't bear to experience it again.

"I'm sorry for being a dick, [Name]"

"Don't tell me you're going to cry"

"I'm not! Are you trying to be mean to me right now?"

"Just a little payback that's all"

Suna laughs. Oh, he adores you so much. And he knows he's your big meanie.

[haunted-xander]

Ryne and Gaia are like. Such good parallels and foils to each other it makes me just a little insane.

Like Ryne is sweet and caring and she always wants to help others and make them feel better even to the detriment of herself because she has seen and known suffering and doesn't want others to have to live like that too. If she can make someones life better, even if just a little bit, then she will. But she also puts everyone elses well-being and feelings so far above her own that she often ends up trying to help in a way that doesn't actually solve anything because it still ends up with someone hurt (such as trying to properly fuse with Minfilia knowing it might end up with herself disappearing). She's not a doormat, but she does have some people-pleasing tendencies.

Gaia, however, is the exact opposite. She's prickly and sarcastic and thinks of herself and her needs first and foremost, everyone else is secondary. It's not that she's cold or uncaring, she doesn't ignore people's problems, she just doesn't see them as her business most of the time (A product of being raised in Eulemore most likely). She doesn't consider the long-term outcome of what she does or says, she lives solely in the present and the future is a problem for when it happens.

These opposite traits also play into each other. Ryne inspires Gaia to care more about others and Gaia inspires Ryne to prioritize herself more. Gaia makes Ryne live more on the moment without thinking solely of what the future will bring, and Ryne makes Gaia think more on what her life will be going forward and to actually consider what she does and says and how that affects things. They feed into each others good traits (Ryne's caring nature and Gaia's sense of self) while also helping them deal with the bad traits (Ryne's people-pleasing and Gaia's aloofness).

Their pasts are good paralells too. Ryne was isolated and lonely until Thancred took her away but even then, he was distant and emotionally neglectful, so she ended up lonely in an entirely different way. Gaia had a family and caretakers that she wasn't particularly close to, but after the 'Fairy' started talking to her they got even further away until she couldn't even remember them, and the 'Fairy' was the closest thing she had to a friend even though it was what isolated her to begin with. Ryne had constant companionship but no support, and Gaia had 'support' but no companionship.

Even just. Regarding the whole identities thing they are just. Perfect. Ryne has lived with Minfilia's shadow on her shoulder her entire life and never got to learn who she actually is. She thought that she had to become Minfilia for her life to be worth anything, that it's the only way her existance is justified. The person closest to both her and Minfilia(Thancred) indicated(in her mind at least) that he wanted Minfilia to be here in Ryne's stead(which wasn't really the case but she didn't know that). The only way to get her out of that shadow was to remove her from the identity of Minfilia, hence why her new name is so important(as well as the hair and eyes being her natural colors instead of Minfilia's all too recognizable ones).

But Gaia didn't even know about Mitron or Loghrif until Eden. She had the 'Fairy', but to her it was just some voice in her head which was nice enough to her. To her, Loghrif is just some lady Mitron loved, she has no real connection to her. She has a connection to Mitron, both as the 'Fairy' and as remnant feelings from Loghrif, but none to Loghrif herself(aside from the obvious reincarnation stuff). Gaia has always been her name. It may have been Loghrif's originally, but she is so far removed from that identity that even for all of Mitron's effort to 'return' her to Loghrif, it'd never work. Loghrif is Gaia, but Gaia is not Loghrif. Simple as that.

Eden's story works so well because Ryne and Gaia are opposites in that specific way that compliments each other, rather than pits them against each other.

[97keanu]

*˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Halloweens just around the corner so here's some vampire!John Wick x slayer!Reader head cannons:

♰John's vampiric powers are not only what makes him such a deadly assassin. It's his cold demeanor and ruthlessness to hunt other creatures of the night if paid well enough. What also sets him apart is his appetite. Despite being a vampire, he is what you might call a picky eater. He doesn't typically have a bloodlust for most humans, which allows him to blend in as a wealthy member of their society. He doesn't drink directly from humans often, and often uses connections to get bagged blood at home, although the taste isn't extremely appealing.

♰Reader comes from a long line of slayers, it's in she's blood to kill what stalks the night, and you're really good at it too. In fact, some of your skills almost rival John's, which is surprising for a human. John definitely has interest in you for this reason from the moment you two meet. It's been a few centuries since he's had someone who excites him the way you do. What interests him more though, is that you, somehow, smell so delicious. He's never met a human so strong and with a scent that entices him so. He has to stop himself from hunting you.

♰Speaking of, you two meet by John being assigned to assassinate a local vampire big shot, and you are also assigned by your people to do the same. You both had no idea you would meet, and after you meet, it's a fight to the death. John struggles to control his hunger and his intrigue. You struggle to keep up with such a powerful vampire.

♰This continues until, of course, the vampire you both came to kill emerges and decides to try to take you out first. John is having none of that, if anyone is going to kill you, it's him. John quickly rescues you, and after deliberating the next steps, you both disappear in the night, feeling as if you've met a worthy adversary for the first time.

♰You both feel a strange longing connect for each other despite knowing you're on opposing sides here. John has no idea how he will navigate seeing you again, and at some point ends up keeping a watchful eye on you and your other slayer tasks.

♰John eventually has to step in between you and another one of the creatures you're trying to kill, and upon doing so, you two are met with the confusing situation of how to feel after. John just saved you, a vampire who obviously thirsts for your blood, and you should always be wanting to kill him, that's how you were raised. Something inside you won't do it however.

♰John is in a similar situation. How can he keep doing this? Keep tormenting himself with how badly he wants to drain you, but stopping because he's never met such a fiesty little human. He can't help but to want to keep you as his own, but he knows you're both on different sides here. That as much as some monster inside of him wants to kill you, some savior inside of you wants to kill him just as well, and from the worlds perspective, you would be the justified one.

♰You both must decide where the relationship goes from here.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Hello! Do you know that scene in mdzs where jyl comes to yiling with jc to show wwx her wedding dress?

What is your interpretation of wwx's attitude towards jc here?

I always thought he sounded pissed at him almost the entire time, telling him to shut up, saying it's none of his business when asked a question and getting annoyed at jc provoking him by toasting to the "yiling patriarch"

I've seen some comments where other people's reactions were something along the lines of "glad they're still friends" or laughing at the "banter" in this scene and I have a completely different view on this so i got curious and wanted to ask what do you think? And if you know how is it written in Chinese, what the tone of this scene is?

Maybe I got the wrong idea but it's almost uncomfortable for me how cold wwx is to jc in that scene, and justifiably so considering how jc fucked him over last time they met

Hello there anon!

For the scene in question (Seven Seas Edition)

The hanzi of it:

My translation:

Hearing this title, Wei Wuxian thought again of that domineering long flag fluttering in the wind, and his mind was filled with eight bright golden characters reading "Supreme Evil Lord Yiling Patriarch", and said, "Shut up!"

After taking a sip, Jiang Cheng asked, "How is your injury from last time?"

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s already healed."

Jiang Cheng hummed, "Ahh," After a pause, he added, "How many days did it take?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "It's been less than seven days. I told you, with Wen Qing, there's no need to worry. But, you were really fucking violent."

Jiang Cheng ate a piece of lotus root, "You asked him to break my hand first. You were sitting for seven days, and my arm was hung up for more than a month. "

Wei Wuxian hesitantly laughed and said, "How could I have not been cruel? It was your left hand anyway so it didn't prevent you from writing. A hundred days of broken muscles and bones to heal, three months of waiting isn't long."

Wen Ning's stuttering reply could be heard faintly outside the door. After a moment of silence, Jiang Cheng said, "Is this what you're going to do from now on? Do you have any plans?"

Wei Wuxian said, “Not sure. Those people don’t dare to go up the mountain, and no one dares to mess with me when I go down the mountain. As long as I don’t take the initiative to cause trouble, it's fine."

"Not taking the initiative?" Jiang Cheng sneered, "Wei Wuxian, believe it or not, even if you don't cause trouble, trouble will still find you. There is often nothing you can do to save someone, but there are more than a thousand ways to harm someone."

Wei Wuxian lowered his head, "One force with enough effort can defeat many, no matter the method. So, I will kill whoever comes. "

Jiang Cheng calmly said, "You never listen to any of what I tell you. One day you will know that what I say is right."

He drank the rest of the soup in one breath, stood up, and said: "Awesome. Amazing. As expected of the Yiling Laozu."

Wei Wuxian spat out a piece of bone, "Are you done yet?"

Before leaving, Jiang Cheng said, "Don't see us off. We don't want to be spotted."

Wei Wuxian nodded. He understood that this was not an easy journey for the Jiang family siblings. If others saw this, all the drama they put on for others would be in vain.

He said, "We'll go first."

So, as to my take for this, it's less of anyone is truly angry, as it is waiting for something to happen. The situation is played as a simple meeting when it no longer is, can't be, and will never be. There is a lack of this foreboding that overshadows the scene in the seven seas translation. Something I am not fond of as it uses more banter than Wei Wuxian exhibits in the scene. (Where snickers and the weird tone comes from with Wei Wuxian being surprised he was stabbed basically just brings more ire than I want that doesn't pertain to this question)

I think it's less that Wei Wuxian is angry at anything more than understanding what point they are at and him fully expressing he doesn't want anything further endangering him or the Wens after the defection was over and done with. If they keep low as he intends to, all could move on. Jiang Cheng of course doubts this as he thinks Wei Wuxian can't do anything else but cause trouble in his efforts to help. Two opposing sides of leave well enough alone, or, step in once again against cruelty despite the hurt.

[lady0lunamoon]

Okay! My honest opinion on "Miraculous World: Paris"?

It was AMAZING!!!!

Lot's of action, some funny moments, very emotional and lots of tension!

One thing I especially love is how the Special wastes absolutely no time with getting straight into the action!

Something I hate about many movies is how they just waste so much time setting up the plot that by the time it finally gets to the good stuff, half the movie is already over!

The writers really have my respect for not doing that here! After the opening, they waste no time and immediately get straight to the actual plot!

Another thing i really love about the special is the way they handled Shadybug and Claw Noir!

I kept saying that Shady and Claw have the potential to become the best Miraculous villains ever, even if they get redeemed, and as far as I'm concerned, i was totally right about that because these two are officially my favorite Miraculous villains!!! 🖤

[WARNING!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!]

For one, I love villains like Shadybug who are driven by a desire to not be hurt anymore!

I felt so bad for her when she cried while reading Marinette's diary! 😢

And I found it so touching how she first acted cold and rude towards Sabine but quickly backtracked on her attitude, when Sabine continued to speak kindly to her!

It showed that Shadybug wished she'd have a loving mother like that and she'd actually be grateful for it!

I am truly touched by how vurnerable she looked throughout that entire scene!

💔💔💔

🖤And I absolutely love how sassy and unhinged Claw Noir is!🖤

The guy freaking cataclysmed himself ON PURPOSE FOR NO APPEARANT REASON!!

At least I can't think of a reason why he did that! And even while cataclysmed, he still managed to put up one heck of a fight throughout the entire special!!

And It's very interesting how his motivation is a lot like Monarch's, but at the same time not!

Claw Noir does want his mother back, but he seems more hurt by the fact that his father doesn't seem as upset as he is!

Although it's not that hard to read the signs that Shadyverse!Gabriel infact is impacted by his wife's death!

If I had to guess, it looks very much like Claw THOUGHT his father easily moved on and continued to focus on his work as a fashion designer and forgot about Emily, while what he was really doing was using the butterfly miraculous to create superheroes and trying to stop the Supreme, most likely to create a safe world for their son!

I also love how both Shady and Claw wear different masks to hide their sadness : Shadybug acts cold and unfeeling while Claw Noir is more outgoing and unhinged! Claw is basically that one character who is a little b*tch but is just too charismatic to hate!

[SPOILERS OVER]

There might've been a few things I had hoped to see in the special that weren't there, but that's okay because a lack of one or two good possible elements is still better than the presence of multiple bad elements — which mind you was NOT present in this special at all!

The show often has some moments that really made me cringe, but I couldn't find a SINGLE bad moment in this special!

[SPOILERS]

So the fact that we didn't get much personal father-son drama between Batterfly and Claw Noir (Which was justified since, contrary to what i assumed, they don't know each others secret identities) or the fact that neither CelesteCat's white suit and hair nore Claw Noir's giant Cataclysm triggered Ladybug's Chat Blanc PTSD (because we don't talk about this enough in Season 5) don't bother me much!

My worries about Ubiquity, despite being featured heavily in promotional material, barely appearing in the actual special (because she only had one appearence in all the trailers) were also put to rest! Even though Alya isn't Ubiqity for long at first, she still gets turned back into her a few times! Giving her enough screentime that I see no reason to get mad over her being promoted so much even though she doesn't actually stick around throughout the entire special!

[SPOILERS END]

Whoever says this show lost it's touch should definetly watch this!

Which is another little meta detail I really love in this special :

'Hope' is a central theme in the special, and it was so good that it also gave me hope that the show can return to it's former glory!

Despite a lot of controversy surrounding the show for quite a while now, this special proves that, just like Shadybug, Claw Noir and Batterfly's world, the show itself can also still be saved!

[raayllum]

I saw @jelzorz's post about Sorpeli the other day, and was wondering what are some of your HC's about them?

Previous HCs here <3 and some more as a bonus

Once they're married / Opeli has stepped down as High Cleric, Soren likes to braid her long hair now that she doesn't have to keep it down

During Soren's pining phase in which Opeli quietly but firmly rebuffs him (largely before he makes his Serious Feelings known because he's hoping she'll catch the hint), Soren writes a lot of angsty, lovelorn poetry. You could almost call it the tortured poet's department—[gets shot]

Opeli helping him shave his beard down before he decides to keep it

Already talked about him calling her "Eli" but I think she'd call him dear as her primary term of endearment (although Captain is often very fond, too)

They don't fight a lot as a couple — most of the time when they're miffed it's some back and forth bickering, quiet glares, and some cold shoulders before talking it out after a day or two and later, after only a few hours. However, their differing parenting styles cause the most chafing and learning curve for them. They figure it out

The two biggest fights they have that isn't about early childhood rearing is 1) about him wanting to be with her when she tries to break things off out of fear/reservation because of their Everything, and 2) during the breakup interim period, probably, because Soren goes full into "my job is to die in Ezran's place if necessary" and Opeli can't entirely justify that

Opeli teasing him but also very much liking it when he gets his first white/gray streak of hair. On that note: their relationship causing Soren to have a healthier view of aging and getting older, so he's not bothered or panicking either.

Soren still using the nicknames "Lady Bossyface" and "Lord Breadsandwich" to make their kids laugh (Opeli just smiles and rolls her eyes)

Soren doesn't talk about it much, but he absolutely gets nightmares. Opeli is always a comforting presence whether he wakes her or not, and Soren likes to burrow in and be the small spoon despite being actually bigger than her.

The fellow crownguard tease Soren a fair bit (goodnaturedly) about him liking Opeli for the few that are close enough to tell, and notice his distinct change in attitude once the two start their trysts and later their actual relationship. Castle gossip was quietly wilding

[thyandrawrites]

I gotta say, as much as I normally sympathize more with Reo, reading chapter 13 of epinagi and rereading the main manga at the same time makes me feel for Nagi, too.

Seeing just how often Nagi's thoughts go to Reo, his reasons for snapping at him after the 3v3 makes so much more sense. In Nagi's narration, it's obvious that he holds a lot of respect to Reo as a player, other than a friend. Every time he faces a challenging opponent or sees a great play, his mind always goes to him. When he's not wishing to show Reo all these amazing things, he's reminding himself and others that they must keep challenging strong opponents to justify having left Reo behind. One way or another, their promise is always very present in his mind, and he's giving it his all to make it come true.

But then they run into each other in the baths and Reo is acting suddenly cold. He doesn't want to hear about Nagi's efforts, and he calls him a rival. It would be so easy to take offense to that, to assume—like Reo did—that the other has forgotten about their promise. But it's not here that Nagi's temper snaps. Instead, he takes it in stride, and actually looks kind of fired up for the chance of facing a Reo who will go all out. After all, Nagi understand wanting to take on strong guys, and through this and other subtle details, it's shown that in his mind Reo is still very much one of them. I'd say that he perceives Reo as an equal, if not strictly a teammate at present. This is especially clear when Nagi's first impulse is to still pick him as his first choice when they win. We've established that Nagi doesn't let sentimentality get in the way of having the best shot at achieving his dream (think of the pep talk he gives to Bachira about leaving him behind if he doesn't step up even if he and Isagi are close). So, all of this to say: Nagi speaks with his actions, and he chooses Reo for Reo's skills, not for his attachment to him as a friend. He respects him.

But he respects their dream more, in the end. Just like how he left with Isagi not by any fault of Reo's own, but to examine his own drive for football, Nagi once again makes the choice that would best result in bettering his plays. Not because he doesn't care, but because he's that serious about it, actually.

Again, Reo doesn't make the cut not because he lacks skills, but because his playstyle isn't compatible with the way Nagi's team is evolving. Reo would bring them balance because he's skilled and charismatic enough to singlehandedly whip up their mismatched chaos into a proper team. But being a team would make them worse players individually, and Nagi has enough maturity to know that's a step back for his own skills, not one forward. Not a single moment has passed by so far where he hasn't been putting his all towards fulfilling his end of the promise, or one where he hasn't had full faith in Reo in turn.

And then Reo, who has acted cold and standoffish all this time for seemingly no reason... Reo, who is so skilled but wants to be picked even if it means losing and possibly flunking out of the program, their best chance to get closer to the world cup... The same guy who swore they'd be best in the world, but whose efforts only stopped at winning in the first selection...

that Reo goes and accuses him of not giving a shit about their promise to each other.

I think I would've snapped back too

[vickyvicarious]

This conversation is way too long and I love every bit of it, but here's the greatest hits!

Barok really does care so deeply about Albert. As Albert himself says, he often doesn't show it well, or at least his ways of expressing that care can come off as cold if you lack full context. This is a case in point moment, where if you know he's worried about the Reaper then it's obvious why he's saying Albert can't stay, but if you don't it can read as weirdly commanding denial for mysterious reasons. It feels at odd with his expressed sympathy for what Albert went through, all the more since he is the one who put him through it the whole time.

But it's not that simple! Van Zieks wanted to ensure the best for his friend. The reason he went so hard is because Albert means so much to him. And that's why he had to handle it himself... a wise decision as it turns out, because I doubt other prosecutors would have been so willing to disregard Stronghart's orders during the trial. Also, for as mysterious/cold as he can seem, he doesn't shy away from speaking outright about how much he cares in the right moment. He doesn't talk around his friendship at all, he says it pretty clearly: I care about you. I'm sorry for what happened. I'm glad you're okay. It's really nice.

Also, look at that! He respects Ryunosuke now! Enough to engineer him as the defense somehow, or at the very least to approve of it and acknowledge that aloud here. While he and Ryunosuke are often at odds professionally (for obvious reasons) and personally (due to Barok's prejudices and Ryunosuke's justified frustration with them), they have also been developing respect for one another's ethics, I think. Sure, Ryunosuke talks about how he doesn't understand Van Zieks and doesn't take it totally for granted, but he does seem more willing to believe the man will allow further testimony in order to find the truth, and believes in his skills. Van Zieks talks a lot of smack, but it's clear he's impressed with Ryunosuke's own skill in the courtroom and dedication to the truth. They've come a long way from that first trial together.

Van Zieks is worried about the Reaper getting his friend! Of course he would be but this is still such a good moment. When I think back over the cases, the Reaper's curse 'got' McGilded via Graydon, and the only other clients who have survived are Natsume (who left the country) and Gina (who Gregson plans to take out of the country). As far as we're told, everyone outside of our clients has been killed eventually, even if not right away, so I definitely understand this caution. It's another sign of how much he values Albert.

But also. He plans to leave with him?! That's huge. I wonder how long he intends to be gone - is this just a temporary visit to spend some time with his friend while he gets established, or is he planning to stay away longer? Is a piece of it him trying to avoid the consequences of his recent decisions in the courtroom, or to flee the reminder of his past trauma brought up by all this talk of the Professor?

And a final note - I love that Susato is the one who understands what his motivations are first. She's so insightful about people.

[unabashedpeachgentlemen]

genshin parents pt 2!

liyue edition, mondstadt edition here

Beidou is your friends mom that you wished were your own mom.

Spoils her kids with toys like Diluc, spoils her kids with fun like Kaeya.

She imposes her strong moral code onto her kids, which is a little tiring for you, as what Beidou calls "morally correct" or "justified" other people will simply call "illegal."

LOVES to play wrestle with her kids, although she's definitely gone a little too far sometimes. "Why are there so many holes in the wall?!"

Even though they're spoiled and a little chaotic, Beidou's children are extremely well-behaved (at least to her standards). Once they were old enough to be aware, they were old enough to beware her anger.

I 100% believe she brings orphans home like strays. "Darling, is it me, or are there fewer empty spots at the dinner table tonight?" "I couldn't just LEAVE them in the cold like that!" And that is how you became a parent to 2 more children in one evening.

Ganyu is the sweetest mom. She loves the idea of putting notes in her kid's lunch, but often forgets to actually put them in the lunchbox. Instead, she will go into her kid's room decorate their mirror with sticky notes covered in affirmations.

Despite this, it was definitely a rough adjustment. serving as the secretary of the Liyue Qixing nonstop for literally thousands of years, and then to suddenly be a parent?

She knew you needed her, though. You and her baby.

It was rough, sticking to sleeping and feeding schedules, forgetting if the baby needed 4 or 6 ounces of milk, accidentally falling asleep when it was her turn to watch the baby...

It was rough, but everyday she kept trying, and everyday she got better.

Her kid knows they're loved unconditionally, even if their mom does forget to pick them up from soccer practice from time to time.

Ningguang loves children, we already know that. But loving children and raising children are two completely different ballparks.

She loves her baby, don't get me wrong. But you don't get to be the richest person in Teyvat by being a housewife.

She has their best interests at heart. They go to the best schools, have the comfiest and nicest looking clothes, have the best tutor, and are involved in any extracurriculars they'd like. She's active, but she's not present.

She doesn't realize how not-present she's been until she feels nostalgic one day and goes through a photo album

All of these pictures at different events, showing your baby slowly grow from a baby to a toddler to a child. You're in most of these pictures, but she realizes how shockingly few she's in. In fact, she couldn't even tell you when many of the pictures are taken.

She silently walks into her kids room and sits on the foot of their bed. And then she cries.

For the first time they can remember (but definitely not the last), her kid wakes up in Ningguang's arms. They snuggle into her, savoring the moment. Ningguang vows to make up for lost time.

Xiao is so, so scared when he finds out he's going to be a father.

He's thinking of every possible thing that can go wrong with you, with your baby, he needs constant reassurance. Anything that goes wrong, no matter how minor, he blames himself. He doesn't believe he deserves to be a father.

When he first sees his baby, he is so, so happy, yet still so, so scared. The first time he sees them, his eyes glisten and you swear he's going to cry. But he doesn't.

He refuses to hold them the first few nights. He doesn't feel like it's safe. But he's next to you and the baby the whole time. When you're asleep, he's standing guard.

Eventually one day you practically shove your baby into his arms. For a second, he swears his entire world flips upside down and he's about to collapse and oh archons oh fuck-

He manages to catch his breath and stares down at his baby.

After that, he never puts them down.

Seriously. You have to fight for your baby back.

That's okay, though. Xiao doesn't need to sleep, so he just waits for you to fall asleep and he spends the entire night holding your baby, watching them sleep, feeding them and changing them if they need it...

It's adorable.

Zhongli prepares the nursery practically overnight. He tells you he's just going to set a few things up, and in the morning you're walking into a freshly painted nursery with a crib set up, and a changing station, and a play area...

The next day, he says he's going to do some shopping for the baby. That night he comes back with enough diapers to last the entire infancy, nearly a dozen different types of bottles, toys, so many cute onesies...

It's amazing, really, but you really don't want to know how he managed to pay for all of this.

"Ah, darling, I found this book that's a wonderful collection of Liyue's folklore. Do you think the baby will like it?" "I'm sure they'll enjoy listening to you read to them, love." "But do you think they will like it?"

Carries around an obnoxiously large diaper bag

Reads every parenting book available. Still can't get the baby to stop crying.

Once they start getting older, he's so excited to start passing down different traditions. Some traditions haven't been practiced in centuries.

His kid is that one kid that while they're polite and kind, they also walk around and talk like an old man.

[jewishgir]

going over that really notorious Klance fanfic Dirty Laundry on the podcast and I'm fucking tired of sitting on these thoughts for so long so here's a rundown because I am trying to sleep but can't because I'm thinking about this shit fic:

accusations of ableist and racist stereotypes aside (meaning EVEN IF we assume these accusations are false) this fic has some of the worst (sincere) writing I've ever seen. not hyperbole. not exaggeration.

any time someone brings up this fic they talk about how the author was cruelly harassed into deleting it, but upon digging the "meanest" thing I could find was a message from a Latine person addressed to the author which, albeit heated, did not insult the author in any way beyond saying "you fucking white people" and simply pointed out their problems with the fic requesting they delete it for being racist.

the only time anyone speaks Spanish is when they are angry or emotional, and half the time it's grammatically incorrect google translate Spanish

it's just The Secret Life of Bees but with Klance

the word "obviously" is used in every other paragraph

basic timeline and setting mistakes ie Keith and Lance have known each other since high school; Lance went to Grossling High in Arizona yet Keith has never been to Arizona and also met Lance at college in Oregon

the author clearly has no idea how old the characters are supposed to be. the 70 year old woman is described as "old and withered," and the 2 year old can't walk and needs to be spoonfed.

at several instances the Mexican characters are referred to as "Spanish"

setting changes from chapter to chapter. they're in the middle of the Arizona desert yet they apparently live on farmland that has "rolling yellow fields" and livestock breeding and large, dense deciduous forests along the highway - forests that also have lakes in the middle of them - lakes that have currents like rivers, and are also cold enough to give you hypothermia in t-shirt weather

other basic writing mistakes, like Keith noticing Lance's kidney scar the first time he sees him shirtless, yet failing to notice any scar on his donee despite him being introduced with no shirt on

the author mixes up Lance and Keith's names frequently

often the characters will act completely differently than they are described. Abuela had a pretty characterful introduction sequence and then we're given a description of her that contradicts what we've just read

we are constantly told what a good mother Rosa is despite her not standing up to her homophobic husband when he slights their bisexual son for being bisexual, doesn't stand to defend Keith from Abuela's homophobia until Keith runs out and steald a car, gets angry when her long-lost daughter returns home, and acts cold towards her six-year-old granddaughter, both of whom she did not know were alive or dead up until that point... I could go on

Keith apparently was born in Korea but somehow ended up in the US foster care system as a baby. there are certainly scenarios that could lead to this happening, but we're never given an explanation. idk maybe the author didn't realize Korea also has foster care systems.

characters are introduced and given backstories then promptly discarded when they are done serving the Klance relationship; ie Benji's cancer survivor backstory doesn't actually matter and is only there to give Keith an excuse to touch Lance's skin. after this, he barely shows up.

Sophia. like the entire fucking thing with Sophia. I am actually too angry to properly articulate my thoughts on this but basically she's treated as a pariah for getting pregnant at 17 and getting kicked out of the house by her father; we are meant to think this is justified. the only one who sympathizes with her is Abuela, who is a homophobe who we're supposed to disagree with.

the autistic character is referenced as autistic briefly only in order to add to the struggles Sophia faced as a young mother. otherwise, Alexi does not matter at all to the story. after her introductary scenes, she disappears from the story altogether.

the writing just sucks in general. we are told stuff instead of being able to draw conclusions on our own, even the most obvious things, the similes and metaphors are terrible

speaking of which, the perspective is never consistent. it various omniscient to third person limited from Keith's perspective to Lance's, yet while we think we are in one perspective we get things that only the other's perspective could know definitively, but if it's supposed to be omniscient, we get opinions that HAVE to be from one character's perspective... it's a constant problem

so so so so so so much more wow this fic is bad

[ottiliere]

have you mentioned where you think wageslave hospital dirk would work? because I think he'd work at home depot or something like that and the only reason why he doesnt get fired is because hes forklift certified. whenever customers ask him where something is he looks at them weird and walks away. he was hired for millworks but switched over to being a loader when everyone realized he sucks at customer service. (OR. i just thought. perhaps hed be one of the ppl at walmart that collects the stuff for online orders)

hello dear anon from jun 22. the thing about dirk is that I think he often bounces between jobs due to a combination of many different factors, including but not limited to: poor attitude, awful work ethic, no collaborative spirit, arrives late, leaves early, steals odds and ends that he feels he can be making better use of...more than staring and walking away I think he’d get outright aggressive with customers! he's hostile, he's pent up, and he does not like being around anyone. he's best avoided, and people probably try to for the most part. so it’s possible that he worked a job like this before, and then got fired for his attitude or walked out. he does not have the fortitude for staying at one place doing the same thing over and over again for an extended chunk of the calendar year. he gets restless.

anyway here's an awesome fic my dear friend dane @davestriderdeathcult4568 wrote of dirk committing job abandonment after he starts to involuntarily regress at one of his many nightstocker positions.

dane notes directly for once instead of throwing paragraphs into a blender with lucys -> to someone outside of his own perspective, he isn't empathetic or cool or anything like that. he isn't even really properly tragic. he's your asshole coworker who sits in the back and barely finishes his portion of the work, if that. he's starting shit with you constantly for no reason, taking the most bizarre shit way too personal, saying weird things with the obvious specific intention to be making everyone in the room deeply uncomfortable....he sucks and it's a nicer place to be when he's gone.

the big screaming problem being exemplified here of course is that it doesnt matter how much sense shit makes in your head or how justified (by merit of humor pain whatEVA) you feel in saying or doing anything; people will be out here making their own calls on you for it. desire to communicate and interact with the world around you becomes overgrown and tumorous when the ability to meet people on their own terms never fully forms. theres just something wrong with him i guess.

It's 4 am, you're in the freezer, and you're past giving a shit. Beyond it. Beyond beyond it.

On good nights, you realize you're fed up at some point in the middle of the night. On most nights, you're at a breaking point before you clock in.

Lately, you've taken to ducking out before you're even finished putting up your tags. This location is short staffed, so everyone else is obliged to put up with that much more of whatever shit you can hand them before they stop putting you on the schedule. You've got it down to a science at this point; you're not in the habit of sacrificing any more time or energy to these people than you absolutely need to.

Tonight, though, they're doing inventory, and the other overnight guy hasn't shown up yet. You're stuck here, unavoidably, for your entire shift, and it's not a good night. You've been grinding your teeth for at least the last hour and a half and you're starting to feel it.

You considered leaving anyway, but you've only been here a few weeks and they'd almost definitely fire you for it. That doesn't bother you on principle, but you spent the last month and a half between jobs and you've about had your fill of it.

It's cold enough back here to warrant a jacket, but you left yours in the car. Or maybe it's at your apartment? Who knows. You're not going out for that shit. You wouldn't go back for that shit if they had you working in the freezer all night. And maybe you will be. Maybe you'll stay back here. Fuck 'em. Fuck literally everyone in this building.

The bare minimum. That's all. The bare minimum, and then home. Your hands are on your elbows, you're bent forward a little, and it's the sound of your own choppy breathing that brings you back out of your head. Embarrassing, embarrassing, sitting in the dark back of the store bitching and hunching over like some whiny chick, hugging yourself. When you exhale you do it forcefully through your nose, straightening yourself out and turning on your heel sharply, with the conviction you typically exert.

You almost slam into your coworker; he hadn't said anything as he'd entered the room, probably only a second or two ago. Almost twice your size, definitely at least twice your weight. He's looking down at you and he's going to say something; your forehead was only a few inches from colliding with his collarbone.

How hard would it actually be, right now, to claw this asshole's throat out. Like, it can't be that big a deal, right? It can't be. It fucking can't be. You're wound up right now like something you've never seen, coiled back like a snake set to spring like a trap it is literally only a few scant percentages of centimeters preventing you from reaching up releasing all that pressure -

Really, it's not even funny how your night's been going. The lights are buzzing and it's just you and him back here. Big fucking deal. It's nothing. This is nothing. He's nothing. Who gives a shit. You sidestep him before he can get a word out, carrying the motion of your stride in your shoulders, it's nothing, this is nothing, you're beyond giving a shit, and then you hear him make a derisive little noise through his teeth and you don't even think about turning around, it just happens.

"What the fuck do you want from me fucking walking up behind me asshole you're the one fucking sneaking around showing up late bitching about me?! You want shit from me!?"

He's looking down at you with genuine surprise that you are equally genuinely incapable of detecting at the moment. You're drooling.

"You're fucking stupid, fucking actually retarded if you think I'm going to run around fucking whining apologizing to you you're a fucking, fucking, complete asshole, you've got no idea what the hell you're even fucking talking t-about, I -"

Out of breath, not out of steam. You inhale quickly, shallowly, lips pulled back over your gums.

"Fucking shut UP!"

Your shoulders are raised and your fists are balled up, nails digging into your palms as you turn again, quickly, on your heel, and tear out of the freezer.

You only remember to breathe again when you're in the considerably more open area of the main store, and it's about that time that you realize the true extent of just how little you want to be here anymore.

Fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck 'em.

Out the main doors and into the parking lot, you don't even bother to clock out when you go. You're going to punch the dashboard of your car so hard the plastic fucking cracks.

Across the parking lot and up to your car, you fumble with your keys for a second before you get in. You don't even turn the car on when you shut the door. You just sit there.

Your hands, both of them, fly absently to the top of your head, burying your nails in your skin and tugging against it. You're working your jaw against itself still, glasses knocked crooked when you got in the car, when you turned to leave, when you bumped into him; it doesn't matter, really. You feel almost covered by something, some intangible force compressing you into a different shape.

It goes without saying that you're not crying, but you're breathing like you're crying. Shoulders drawn up again, hunched forward, the muscle fibers in your chest and your stomach twitching without your permission, drawing you together like the strings inside a hollow doll. Face pulled back, contorted, you're still showing your teeth as if it's an expression that means anything.

Tilting your body to the side, you can only manage to draw one of your legs around the steering wheel far enough to hold it to your chest. It's instinctive, and it doesn't make you feel any better. You're lightheaded now, wheezing audibly, clear saliva bubbling on your lips, enough of it to drip visibly down onto your shirt as you stare straight ahead, no longer fully capable of making sense of what's in front of you. You're still not crying.

It's so much more quiet out here than in the store, and so much warmer. Hotter, even, hot, even now in the middle of the night. The sun has been down for hours and it's still hot. You've spent so much time packed into hot cars, and if you were only a little less aware of yourself you might be able to mistake that familiarity for some kind of comfort. You can't, though.

You settle without realizing it into the position you're in, closing your mouth and sniffling to clear your nose, wiping it on the bare skin of your forearm when that isn't enough. Staring ahead, you register neither the dark parking lot nor the dashboard in front of you.

Being here is as bad as being anywhere else, but the idea of leaving is something you can't seem to scrape together right now. You dropped your keys when you got in, on the passenger seat next to you they're sitting reflecting headachey orange-tinted parking lot lights. They may as well not be here at all, though; the concept of driving a car is, right now, too foreign to conceptualize as an option. Even getting out of the car, walking back to the store, to the sidewalk, anywhere...all more terrifying, more definitively punishable in the long run than it is to sit here, alone in the cramped heat.

And it will only get hotter. You can feel yourself sweating; it's dripping down your back, your forehead, your hands are shaking still, no longer from the cold. You're waiting for something, you can feel it, you can feel it, you can hear the heel-toe crunching of boots against gravel, can hear voices, that great oppressive, invisible force keeping you still in your seat, keeping you quiet, keeping you still...

They're getting closer. Dirt driveway stepped on in rhythm, one set of footsteps or more, no definitely more, you're priming yourself now to jump out, run around to the backseat before you're even told to, palms sweating as much as the rest of you is, unable to remember if you're even supposed to be in the front seat right now, unable to remember why you're here, the voices of approaching men getting closer, men more than twice your size, more than twice your weight, more, so much more than you...

You hear the doorhandle open and your whole body twitches reflexively to leap out, but there's nowhere to go. The door isn't open; the men outside on the sidewalk pass by your car without so much as a glance. You watch them go by, shaking. Staring out the window, some great tension returns to you, and you grit your teeth again, wiping the slobber away from your mouth and reaching out for your keys in the passenger seat.

Starting the car, you're rewarded with hot air in your face, a nearly two-decade old air conditioning unit fighting another awful sweaty summer. It'll cool down when you get on the road. Not that you care. You're getting out of here.

The headlights come on and you shift gears, step on the gas, stare ahead at the pavement. Fuck 'em. What a waste of time.

[sleepyowlwrites]

Happy STS, Sleepy!

I admit to being somewhat overwhelmed by the number of OCs you create, and I need a bit of an intro. Who would you say are your flagship OCs?

I think I have three, and they're all guys. I'll give honorable mentions, though, because yeah, I have so many.

R, from Youth Story.

Roland Everett Blakesley is seventeen and a dramatic, flirtatious, extrovert with a vague hero complex. he's a middle child, with light orange-brown hair. he's a tall bean, and a lean bean to boot. R doesn't like his name so that's why he goes by the dumb substitution of a single letter. Youth Story is no plot, just vibes, and the intersection of ten different character arcs. here's R's:

he starts the story by having a rivalry/mortal enemyship with Mark, the - at the time - newest member of the friend group. Mark didn't give R enough attention, so R decided to hate him, and because they both share a single brain cell where the other is concerned, decided to use each other as their personal emotional punching bags - and literal punching bags - and hate each other. R's arc is about recognizing how his actions affect others, and how you can't justify hurting someone just because they allow it, and how self-destruction is no substitution for emotional maturity. he also really wants to be the best big brother to Cal, but he's kind of a perfectionist about it, so if he's failing he'll just fail harder, but his friends being sad about this turns him around. he and Mark make up, and have a very awkward acquaintanceship that eventually becomes a genuine, caring friendship by the place where we leave off.

other notable features:

R is a generous sort, willing to give up his time or energy to help his friends out. he'll complain because he enjoys the dramatics of it, but he really doesn't mind. he's also very physically affectionate, and likes to hold hands or droop himself over somebody's shoulders or participate in cuddle piles. R tends to phrase his sentences like he's acting in a play, and will flirt with anybody, not that he means it. he just constantly sounds like he's flirting plus, he's found that flirtation can be a very useful tool in public. R's favorite and signature color is red, and he wears it a lot, along with a lot of patterned button downs and sweaters. his hair is wavy and nearly reaches his shoulders, and sometimes he pulls it back in a bun. like all the Youth Story kids, he has a superpower! it's projected thermography. this comes in handy because he has a terrible memory.

and that's R! a disaster boi. oh and he's English.

next up is Nyks, also from Youth Story.

Nykolas Argyros is twenty, but he's missing the last four years of his memory, so he feels and acts like he's sixteen. he's got a bit of a baby face, so that adds to the effect. he's got dark brown curls and the sweetest smile. Nyks, despite being the oldest of the group, is often treated like the baby, because he's got this childlike innocence and an angelic personality. you'll love him. everybody does. he's also tall and lean, and quite pale, but more so because of his superpower: phasing. he got struck by lightning while phasing, which caused the memory loss, and he has not great control of his powers now. he loses energy rapidly, especially if he's cold, so he's always attached to one of the kids to share their energy. this doesn't drain them, because I said so. he's the cuddliest bean of the bunch and we have lots of those here.

Nyks' arc is slowly regaining some of his memories, but mostly just gaining a better sense of self. he's so kind and gentle and wants everybody to be happy and forgoes his own happiness as a result. he doesn't really stand up for himself and gets inadvertently bullied by his friends without that being the intention. he's also lowkey the group therapist and gradually learns to set boundaries and not be responsible for anybody else's change in behavior or emotional growth.

other notable features:

since he's so well-loved and such a sweetheart, he's often the reason anybody else in the group makes compromises or backs down from a stance. R and Mark try to get along for Nyks' sake and Nyks is like "or, and here's a thought, you could do it for yourselves and leave me out of it." Irina and Evie don't shout at each other for no reason, Jae tries to be more social, Daniel tones down his enthusiasm. but as time goes on, they learn to do these things for themselves instead of making Nyks the catalyst for all growth. it's wearying to everybody's angel all the time. Nyks just wants to be a person. he really likes desserts, and wearing super soft clothes. his signature color is aqua, but he wears pretty much any other pastel. he also steals people's clothes, especially scarves or hats or jackets.

and that's Nyks! angel boi. oh, and he's Greek.

our final contestant is Jet, from City Story.

Jet is 22, with tanned skin and black hair. kinda has resting grumpy face until he has reasons to smile later on. he works at a motorcycle garage and gets into fights on the street. he's angry. at the world, I guess. anger is an easy emotion and he's very good at it. he runs on adrenaline and spite and consequently is so very tired. he's doing nothing with his life until a) his twin brother Copper shows up after six years of separation with no contact, and b) this girl he met one (1) time at the garage becomes inextricably entwined with his life and suddenly he has a purpose again.

to punch people still, but for a reason this time. to keep her safe.

Rune is also a popular OC, I'll talk about her a little more after. Jet is being forced - by Copper - to develop his unused, stunted emotions, and it turns out he's actually pretty good at them, even the positive ones he used to think he couldn't afford, and is trying to figure out the mystery of Rune while determining that even if he never knows her whole story, he still wants to protect her. 'cause he's a protector, always has been, and likes having a reason to feel emotions or be angry or get into fights instead of being so aimless and tired.

Jet's signature colors are black, red, and grey, but his favorite is dark teal. he is secretly extremely soft for his friends, after he admits that's what they are. Yarrow has to yell at him a few times for it to sink in, but he gets there eventually. and they come along and devote themselves to Rune's cause because they want to, apparently. Jet is so grateful to have these people, and so scared to lose them. but those sorts of emotions are strange and unfamiliar, so he'll stick with what he's good at while it serves him.

and that's Jet! angry boi. he's...basically Thai, but both the city in City Story and the part of the world it's in is never mentioned, and I don't know if I ever will, but when I initially wrote this story as a fanfic, it was for a Thai series, so. we're probably still in Thailand despite the only thing remaining from that fic is that there are twins, one angry, one not.

honorable mentions!

Rune, from City Story. it's told from Jet's pov only, so all we know about Rune is whatever she chooses to tell Jet, and it's that she's been through the wringer and deserves to have people standing up for her and helping her, despite how much she hates to ask for or accept that. she's fierce and independent and clinging to her secrets for reasons Jet can't parse through yet. he'll wait.

Grimes, from Summon Story. she's a twice possessed skeleton who used to be a summoner seeking immortality, 'cause of course there's one of those. they help out Shae when she's starting out as a summoner and searching for her very long lost half-sister. Grimes may be a positive force, may not be, but she's very cool, so whatever.

I don't know exactly who counts, because I can think of specific friends who like specific ocs, but I don't know if they're popular overall.

all the City Story kids are beloved because a bunch of people are reading the draft zero (it's not finished though, oop.) so that's:

Yarrow - 20, street artist and part-time art studen and enthusiastic optimist. simultaneously extremely perceptive and oddly naïve. Hawk - 23, accounting graduate stuck in a depression slump because nobody will investigate the decidedly sus deaths of his parents Moss - 29, the owner of the garage and patron of a lot of low-income families in the area and by that I mean he collections donations gathered through not really legal means and distributes them to the families. Rune helps out with this, though not with the illegal part. if you read the draft there's a non-canon part where she does. Shadow - 21, homeless, because every member of his family has abandoned him one by one. Yarrow keeps trying to keep him, but Shadow doesn't trust anybody to stick around so sometimes he goes home with Yarrow and sometimes doesn't. Copper - 22, Jet's twin, bleached blond hair and glasses, the younger brother and even though they're twins you can tell, has a degree in anthropology, is a social butterfly but is currently devoting his time to the "make Jet feel emotions and be a whole person" project. he dislikes Rune for a while because he's selfish but gets over it.

if you happen to peruse my long list of ocs and find someone else you're interested, I'm always happy to talk about them! probably not immediately, because asks always come in right when I don't have any available brain cells.

thanks for asking, Verdance

[vodkacranberrywitch]

Christopher Briney/ Lola Tung/ Girlfriend

Christopher & Girlfriend - Christopher feels like his girlfriend doesn't like him anymore. He feels a cold energy from her. There is a lack of stability here. He might feel like she could leave him at any moment. In contrast, the girlfriend sees Christopher as someone who she feels safe and happy with. She includes him in her future plans. She loves him and feels like everything is great in their relationship. The energy between them is represented by the sun reversed. The relationship may be stagnant right now. There is a lack of growth and fun. One or both parties may feel bored or feel they are following a routine.

Christopher & Lola - Christopher is unable to move on from Lola. The 6 of swords reversed speaks to being hung up on someone. We will see if they had an affair shortly, but for now, it is clear he thinks about her often. Lola feels like she is restricted in some way with 8 of swords. I have a feeling this restriction is related to her speech because the energy between them is Justice. Something happened between these two and it is hanging between them. I think Lola wants the truth to come out but she is unable to for some reason. This is causing her to feel isolated. She feels like she has to hide something. More on that later.

Lola & Girlfriend - The girlfriend sees Lola as the high priestess. The girlfriend likes Lola, but there is something about Lola that bothers her. Something about Lola is making her wary, but at the same time, she is unsure what it is. This is causing her to like Lola but also distrust her. Lola sees the girlfriend as King of Wands reversed. Lola sees the girlfriend as someone who is dominating. She may feel like this person is a bully at times and emotionally immature. Lola might be uncertain about pursuing a deeper relationship with the girlfriend. The energy between them is ace of cups reversed. This speaks to repressed emotions. Neither one of them are interested in developing a deeper relationship. Things are very surface-level.

Now, onto the tea.

Did Lola and Christopher have an affair- Magician rx. Yes, but there was some manipulation involved by someone.

What is the manipulation concerning - 4 of wands. Happy home. Someone was complaining about their relationship to the other. Tried to not make it seem as serious. I think it was Christopher doing the manipulation as I don't think Lola was in a relationship. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

What is this truth that Lola is unable to express - The Hermit and Ace of Swords. I think through isolation, Lola feels like she has to do the right thing and tell the truth. She may confess to the girlfriend.

Does Lola have feelings for Christopher - King of Cups. Yes!

Does Christopher have feelings for Lola - Ace of Pentacles. Yes!

OMG yall.

Does the girlfriend already know about the affair - 3 of Wands. That's a yes. But I think that this isn't an "I have proof" yes, it's an "I have my suspicions and I'm pretty sure they did" yes.

Does the girlfriend care about this affair - Queen of Pentacles rx. Yes, but she won't say anything or she will act like she doesn't because of a power imbalance. She may feel like she has invested too much in Christopher and she can't leave now.

This is crazy!

Is Christopher going to break up with his girlfriend - 10 of swords. No. Interestingly enough, I think he planned on breaking up with her at one point, but now he's afraid it will cause chaos for his girlfriend or for himself. This is kind of giving me Tom Sandavol "I'm the victim" energy. He's trying to justify his actions still.

Does Christopher feel remorse for his actions - 5 of cups. No. He regrets doing it, but not because of the pain it will cause his girlfriend. This is disappointment because Lola wouldn't commit to him. He wishes he approached her differently so he could get her to date him.

What a mess. Thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any questions.

These readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes.

[btsqualityy]

Back with a heart wrenching drabble ask! So, Mama Min and her mom talking about everything. They lay everything out on the table. Maybe a teenage Kingsley and Kam could be there for moral support! 

"So you invited me here and you're not even going to talk to me?" Your mother asked and you just scoffed from your place sitting across the table from her.

"I didn't fucking invite you here," you snapped, vaguely aware of Kinsley's hand on your arm.

"Easy Mama," she murmured.

"We invited you here, Grandma," Kamryn spoke up from her place next to her grandmother. "Unnie and I just wanted you and Mama to try and work out your differences."

"Your mother doesn't seem too willing to mend our relationship," your mother muttered.

"You didn't seem too willing when you cheated on my father," you shot back.

"You're still holding that against me, all these years later?" She sighed. "Your father and I's relationship was toxic and you know that."

"But that doesn't mean that he deserved to be cheated on."

"Ok, you're right," your mother nodded. "But I deserved to have some love in my life, Y/N. I stayed with your father in order to give you a stable childhood and once I did that, I decided to go after the one thing that I had been missing out on."

"And you had to blow my life up in order to do that?" You questioned. "Do you know how it feels to basically be blamed as the reason for your unhappiness?"

"You aren't but the circumstances that resulted from me getting pregnant with you are."

"And who the fuck told you to get pregnant by a man that you had known for only a few months?" You seethed, jumping in shock when your mother slammed her hand down on the table.

"Now, that is enough," she stated darkly. "I am still your god damn mother, so act like it."

"You act like it," you retorted. "I barely fucking hear from you and you come in here wanting respect that you haven't even earned?"

"I raised you for 18 years."

"No, let's be clear: Daddy raised me," you corrected her. "You left for deployment as often as you could and were gone for literal years at a time. My father is the only reason I turned out to be a somewhat decent person and if it weren't for him, I'd be just like you. Cold, selfish, and hard-hearted."

"And just what have you done to try and warm me up?" She questioned. "You act like you hate me, the few calls and texts that I get up the courage to send go unanswered, and you pretend as though I don't even exist. You didn't even let me meet Kinsley until she was a year old."

"I had an emotionally unavailable parent but my daughters were not going to have an emotionally unavailable grandparent," you shrugged. "That's what you do when you care for your children: you protect them and not just because you're legally required to do so."

"That's it then?" Your mother wondered. "You've just written me off?"

"Mom, I love you," you sighed. "I do but the things you've done and said....it just makes me so fucking angry with you and you sit here like you're justified."

"Just like your father," she chuckled ruefully. "Holding grudges."

"Maybe so," you shrugged.

"Well," Kinsley interjected with a clap of her hands. "This has been productive."

"Not," Kamryn muttered. "Sorry for dragging you here, Grandma."

"You had good intentions sweetie," your mother assured her, reaching over and gently patting her hand. "Some things can't be fixed in a day, though."

"Or ever," you muttered petulantly.

[strongislandsuperfan]

Chess, Not Checkers

Taking power back, one chess move at a time.

"To know how to recognize an opportunity in war, and take it, benefits you more than anything else." -Niccolo Machiavelli

In 2018, James was criticized by Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who told him to “shut up and dribble” in response to him expressing his opinion on political and social issues.

According to Uninterrupted Inc.’s trademark filing, the phrase would be used on “downloadable virtual goods” and “other entertainment services”.

It is painfully obvious that the United States of America is at a fever pitch, with tension at an all-time high. Much of the warfare we see today is more of a cultural "cold war" with opposing audiences threatening "cancellation" by way of social media posts or the old fashioned way, which is with violence.

Unfortunately, some are reducing themselves to levels of pettiness and violent behavior, trying to gain the most immediate satisfaction just to get their point across. Some completely ignore the problem and remain silent, hoping that not acknowledging the problem will eventually go away. Some try to combat the madness with kindness and the humiliation either works in their favor or against them.

Others, are taking a more "Machiavellian" route.

Its been my experience that the art of war approach, while time consuming and mundane, gets the best results. This is the day in age where everyone wants something for nothing or wants the quickest results. Its predictable and expected. Taking an unorthodox approach is rare, often times seen as a route that many do not have the patience or the resources for. In some instances, it requires a level of tact that is missing in our world today.

Take this situation regarding Laura Ingraham and Lebron James, for example.

This is a situation that could have easily reduced itself to a shouting match or a petty tit-for-tat roast session that would be plastered all over social media. In some instances, it has but not enough to ignite a after school fight similar to the 80's film Three O'clock High.

I mention this, after this headline broke today on July 25th, 2022 for several reasons. Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and Laura Ingraham is very much entitled to hers, just as Lebron James is entitled to his, whether we agree or disagree. However, an opinion is just that. An opinion. It shouldn't warrant bullying tactics or someone being "cancelled" until a justified explanation is given.

With regards to Ms. Ingraham's perspective, since the conflict in difference of opinion has made headlines & opened up to an uncomfortable conversation that this entire nation needs to have with each other and amongst ourselves, I find her perspective gross, ignorant, hypocritical and bothersome.

She is the same type of person that will demand that these same athletes or anyone of fame, use their spotlight to take a stand and be a role model for the youth, but when its a perspective someone like her disagrees with or has little to no knowledge of because it doesn't line up with her experience or her beliefs, suddenly its an issue and here comes the ,"This country is going to hell" sermon that we are all tired of hearing.

For the record, I promise you my disdain for her & her ignorant statement has nothing to do with politics or Ingraham being a conservative. I'm pretty fed up with you liberals also and if her attitude came from the "Left", she would get the same treatment. I am no respecter of any ideology, political party or whatever famous person that the world puts on a pedestal just to knock them down later. We are human. We make mistakes. Siding with an ideology will not save you, just because someone with a difference of opinion angers you with his or her perspective. Grow up & get over it!

The point is, we can't demand that someone, in the spotlight, use their platform to stand up for what's right or for what they believe in if we are just going to have a fit about it later. Furthermore, we can't demand that someone lives their life as a prototype role model, knowing that not only is it impossible to appease the masses 24/7, but we cannot demand that someone be held to a standard that we ourselves fall short of or aren't willing to do.

So, for Lebron James to take this action, its not only taking power away from those who still see athletes as spoiled attractions who have no right to speak or to have an opinion, its a chess move that places an unlikely piece that no one sees coming, in position to maneuver towards victory.

Checkmate.