#its not even this particular read that bothers me bc it also bothers me A Lot when ppl go hahaha woman coded like thats Not It

[old-knightsvow]

this applies to tom meta too. you don't have to change anything in the meme it's just implied. nit even particularly tom gender meta i just think tom in general

[enlichened]

every now and then i just think about art again and what I want to do/why i want to do it and i always come back to the same conclusions or lack thereof. it just sucks to feel like you have to have a Brand or a common theme throughout your artwork when actually i want to paint fine art but also funny video game joke no 37. basically i want to make every different type of art ever but that feels more like giving up on what i truly want than just picking one or the other.

[r4vn]

—THE RABBIT AND THE FOX

farleıgh x reader

w.c: 3,664

disclaimers: nsfw, 18+, rough sex, overstimulation, dominant!farleigh, use of titles (sir/ma'am), primal play, sensitive!reader, pinning down, chasing, 'iicyify', predator and prey, teasing, fingering, groping, unprotected p in v (stay safe out there guyz), crying, aftercare!!, hot and steamy smut

–synpopsis: you can't sleep one particular evening due to arousal, and you think your friend may be able to help. you wander the saltburn home to find farleigh, and to help you satisfy your submissive urges.

a/n: helloo!! im super excited for yall to read this one bc its based on the stories like the turtle and rabbit or the fox and the hare where one is "being chased" yk? and so i merged it with the sex game called "if i catch you i fuck you." i've seen a few times on the internet lol. editing will come later as always for tyos. I HOPE YOU ENJOY. ♡♡

「divider by @/ cafekitsune」

you were staying at your friend farleigh’s, home for the summer. the only people in the saltburn estate were you and him, and his cousin venetia but she was gone for the weekend. farleigh inherited the home from his aunt and uncle when they passed away. his cousin, felix ran away to the states so farleigh gladly took it. you stayed in the room next to him. he was fairly sweet for his sassy personality and it lured you in even more.

it was late in the evening, around 1am and you couldn't sleep. it was painfully quiet in the house. you were bothered, heavily bothered. your hand was in your pajama pants and you touched yourself with one hand, the other on your mouth trying to be as quiet as possible. you flickled your clothed pearl, causing your hips to buck occasionally.

"fuck." you whispered hastily. this wasn't enough, you needed more. you wanted farleigh, needed him, and you were going to get him. you'd been seducing him all week by wearing the shortest clothing to bed or grazing your back against his front when you walked past him.

when you finally had enough, you took your hand out from your pants quietly and opened your door to exit. you walk towards farleighs room and slowly tried the doorknob and saw it was open. you walked in as quietly as possible just in case he was sleeping, but to your surprise he wasn't in bed. he wasn't in the room at all actually.

you knitted your brows and looked in the bathroom, it being empty also. exiting his room, you wander silently around the house, thinking about where the brunette could be present. you checked the library, then the tv room. you were getting restless now, you wanted to jump his bones. you decided to check the kitchen, thinking maybe he was hungry and not looking for a different setting to smoke a cigarette.

and as hoped, there he was. as you walked into the doorway of the kitchen, farleigh was standing next to the marble island, smoking a cigarette and eating a couple of pieces of chocolate. you chuckled, catching his attention with a startle.

"jesus, you scared the shit out of me." farleigh mumbled, slowly smiling as he took another puff. you walked over to him slowly, hopping onto the counter. you swung your legs gently as the mere sight of him made you develop a second heartbeat.

"wouldn't of scared you if you were in your room and not wandering this big mansion of a home." you shrugged with a smile. farleigh stayed quiet, only diverted his eyes to you. he studied you, briefly scanning your whole person before half smiling.

"well," he inhales the cigarette smoke deeply before sighing. "i'm here, you found me. now what do you want?"

"you." you responded casually, taking a piece of chocolate. it immediately melted on your tongue, giving you satisfaction as you stared at farleigh with low eyes. he was subtly flustered, stiff and gingerly flushed in the face at your reply.

"you– ahem– want me to do what?" he continued, leaning on the fridge to face you. he held eye contact, making sure not to look at anything but you.

"i want you to do me." farleigh didn't say anything, clearly getting more tense. he finished the rest of his cig in one breath, leaning off the fridge to walk towards you. he stood right in front of you, [e/c] eyes mixing with his umber brown ones. no words were exchanged as he leaned over to place his cigarette bud in the small dish next to you.

"what do you want me to do with you?" he asked in a lower tone. your stomach flipped, wanting to take him right here on this marble counter. he was so tall that even on the counter you still matched his height. he slid in between your legs and you leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"i want you," you kissed his cheek once. "to play a game with me."

"what kind of game sweetheart?" he mumbled, turning to the side to give you full access to kiss him wherever. you smiled against his skin, going lower to his neck. you left a wet, slow kiss, causing him to suck in a slow breath through his teeth. his hands gently gripped your thighs, scooting you closer into him.

"a game of 'if i catch you i fuck you.' i run and you try to find me." farleigh chuckled, causing a chill to run down your spine. you looked up at him, biting your lip. you were already ready to climb him like a tree but you restrained yourself for the thrill. you gently pushed him away to hop off the counter, slowly backing up away from him to run.

"count to 100, aloud." you instructed, farleigh smirked, standing where he was as he crossed his arms.

"1..2..3..4.." you giggled and quickly made your exit from the kitchen, also mentally counting yourself. you trembled just a little because you were nervous. but you loved the adrenaline rushing through you.

"18..19..20.."

you jogged across the halls trying to get on the farside of the mansion, faintly listening to fsrleigh's counting. you decided to head for the the second floor and made your way up the stairs.

"36..37..38.."

now, you began to slow your breathing and decided you were far enough. you wandered around the second floor as you heard the brunette count. you adored the style of the house with its intricate wooden carved door frames and furniture. even the old wallpaper. you briefly think about farleigh pinning you down into the couch and ramming into you. the thought caused the heat between your legs to tingle. you whimpered as you imagined it.

"61..62..63.." you slid down the wall in the hallway and reached into your pants again. you didn't have long but you were struggling. your hole pulsated at the thought of the tall male in you. fuck you wanted him terribly. you rubbed your cunt desperately with farleigh's hand in mind. your hole lubricated itself, being so close but so far to your climax. your mind felt so cloudy and pleasurably quiet you nearly forgot farleigh was going to be after you soon. you quickly stood up began to gradually walk away from the stairs.

"97..98...99..100. here i come, [y/n]." farleigh called out in the hall down from the kitchen. he kept a small smile on his face while walking around the first floor before heading to the stairs. he heard them squeak as he was counting so he headed up them, making sure to avoid the squeaky panels.

"you know, the day i saw you, i knew i needed you." farleigh spoke out. you peeked around a corner to see farleighs shadow from the moonlight. you immediately began to cut through hallways to create distance.

"that night i rubbed one out at the thought of you. pumped my cock so hard dreaming of it to be you on top of me." you held your mouth, making sure not to whimper at his confessions.

"and since you've been here, i've tried my damndest to keep jerking off to a minimum of once a night to not get fucking erectile dysfunction, heh. i just tease myself through the day, nearing cumming at times." farleigh chuckled, wandering the west half of the second floor. thinking about farleigh trying to hide a boner while touching himself made you incredibly hot all over. you wanted your hand around his cock and mouth on the tip soon.

"i touch myself thinking about you farleigh. you make me drip." you finally respond, quickly moving to another direction. talking had to be minimum or it would give away your location. you occasionally moved through rooms with doors. you didn't do it much because you felt like it was too sneaky so you did it about every series of seconds. farleigh chuckled again, humming.

"you such a tease, baby." farleigh stated, hearing the slightest giggle. he took a right, continuing to walk and talk. it was several minutes into the game and farleigh was getting restless. you could hear his gentle groans and growls sometimes several yards away. your limit was also getting to you. suddenly, you slipped up. you heard farleigh's steps just at the other end of a hallway around the corner. you panicked.

"stop right there!" you squeaked out, farleigh immediately doing so.

"[y/n]? ..you alright? i stopped walkin'." farleigh called out from the blind corner. you gulped out of anxiety. your heart wanted to jump out of your chest. you swallowed the lump in your throat before speaking.

"lets–...lets have a game break. 5 minutes. you sit against your wall of the corner i sit on my wall, deal?" you explained, hoping for an agreement. farleigh stayed silent, thinking to himself. did he want to devour you right then and there in the middle of the hallway? yes. but does he love the chase? absolutely.

but if playing a game of chase means devouring you in the end, he wouldn't dare decline a game.

"fine. break time, 5 minutes." he declared. you hear shuffling before seeing farleighs hand planted in your field of vision. he sat on the floor as told. you slowly walked over and sat criss cross, placing your hand in his field of vision. you heard him chuckle, causing you to smile like an idiot.

"can i take away my hand now that you can see i’m sitting with you?" you smiled, taking away yours first.

"yes, hello farleigh." you greeted. farleigh sighed gently, trailing his pajama-lined, half-hard boner with his nails gently.

"hey baby ..what do you wanna do for the next 4 and a half minutes?" farleigh asked, leaning his head back on the wall in bliss. he made sure to count every minute in his head. you sighed gently, dipping your hand back into your underwear impatiently. a sharp exhale escaped your lips and you quickly tried to cover it up with a fake cough.

"i want to hear how i turn you on, how i make you feel inside and out." you breathed out. farleigh laughed again, palming himself through his silk bottoms.

"you make me feel so hot and bothered all over, [y/n]. you get me so pent up i can't risk leaving my room and seeing you or i'll be walking around with a hard on all day." the brunette scoffed playfully. you smiled at his words, gasping slowly as you entered a finger in your entrance. you became weak, the walls of your heat pulsating in need for more.

2 more minutes..

"you probably already do know i purposely push up against you whenever i walk past in front of you. just to get ..y'know..a feel–..to see what i'm working with." you bit down on your lip, hard, remembering the time you walked passed farleigh in the kitchen. you could have sworn you felt his bulge between your ass cheeks. you touched yourself endlessly that night. the break was about to end in a little over a minute. you took your fingers out of you and stood up. an idea popped into your head before you began taking off your pajama bottoms.

"yeah? ..well.." farleigh silently stood up, licking his lips. "why not get a feel for it.." he quickly turned the corner to grab you "right now–" except there was no one there. you had already made your escape so smoothly.

farleigh looked down to see a pair of purple bikini cut panties on the tile floor. he arched a brow, picking them up to see a dark wet spot in the crotch area. the blood rushed to his head, the arousal finally catching up to him. when he brought it to his face, he licked and sucked your juices off the fabric, holding his crotch. he felt an intense pulse in his hands and had enough. his final string of patience snapped.

"[y/n]..come out now. there is no more chasing, only hunting." farleigh groaned with a low laugh. he turned at another corner only to see you exiting at the end away from him. the brunnette ran after you now, a smile staying on his face. you squeaked, seeing him only yards away. you immediately took a turn on the east side of the building. farleigh decided to go another way to cut through the hallway connecting yours.

he heard your feet slapping against as you got closer. he stayed at the corner you were nearing and as you ran past him, he swiftly grabbed you and pulled you into him roughly. he groaned into your neck and shoulder as you briefly screamed and squeaked. though your yelps slowly smoothened out into gasps and shudders of pleasure. one of farleigh large masculine hands held you securely against his front while his free hand tenderly roamed the skin of your thighs and abdomen.

"caught you." he whispered into your neck. he breathed heavily against you with his free hand trailing up your hip and he slowly pushed yours into his, causing his body to shiver in response. you felt his warm cock against your ass and wanted to fuck him terribly.

"now take me." you gasped out, pressing your ass further into his clothes shaft. he abruptly threw you over his shoulder, and began walking with a clear destination in mind. you giggled at being held like you weighed nothing, yelping as farleigh smacked your ass.

"quiet." you quickly obeyed, moaning as farleigh rubbed you through your pants. he quickly got to his room and threw his prey on his bed. he wanted nothing more than to use you over and over again till you trembled under him, a crying mess. he wrapped a hand around your neck and pinned you down on the sheets, splaying your thighs open to the wet crotch area of your thin cotton pants. farleigh dove down between your thighs, sucking and wetting your clothed cunt even more. he could see the mere outline of your pussy, watching it ever so slightly pusate. it was incredibly erotic to him.

"beautiful." he muttered. your moans danced through his ears like a wonderful violin. you couldn't help yourself because that deep ache in your core was finally being satisfied. farleigh swiftly removed your pants with his free hand, immediately leaning down to taste you. a wave of pleasure washed over you and you nearly lost all strength under the brunette.

"god– please farleigh–" you begged. you were already so close. his tongue flicked over your clothed pearl like he already knew your weak spots. the tension line wanted to snap for you so soon but farleigh of course did not allow that.

"already? so soon baby ..hold it. i wanna use you all night." farleigh mumbled into your cunt. you nodded, gasping as he suddenly added two fingers into you. you yelped, the overwhelming amount of ecstasy washing over you. you were so so so close. but he was just barely grazing that spot you so desperately wanted touched.

your hands wrapped around the one arm restricting you, moaning into the air. your walls constricted every few seconds and you cursed like a sailor. your legs struggled to stay open so they closed around farleigh's torso, shaking like a leaf in the wind. you were in heaven.

"f-farleigh– hng– right there...right there–" you cried out. farleigh couldn't take it anymore. he wanted to feel what you were feeling. he finally lap up your juices once more before pulling away. your body immediately relaxed, trembling every few seconds like shockwaves.

"don't worry, were not done yet." farleigh hummed, pulling off his night clothes. he stripped you of your shirt and pushed your thighs back into you, nearly folding you. he had a full view and he made sure you did too. your eyes watched intensely as his tip teased your entrance, gasping as he would almost enter.

"hey, look at me.. look at my eyes only. i wanna see it written all over your face as i enter you." his eyes captured yours and you didn't dare look down at the salacious sight just yet. you nodded as a signal for him to continue, farleigh immediately doing so. your jaw dropped almost immediately. you felt his cock, inch by inch, filling you. but you didn't look just yet, because farleigh's expression nearly made you cum just by looking. his eyes were rolled back just slightly, lips parted and his brows knitted together in a way that made him look so submissive.

"[y/n]–" he shuddered. he broke eye contact first to watch your hole swallow him up, moaning a broken 'oh fuck–.' you looked down too and moaned at such a lewd sight. farleigh held your throat just a little more securely before ramming your cunt in. you moaned his name, and maybe a few 'yes sir's' and 'right there sir's' as he pummeled your pussy.

your core felt tight and hot again. he was hitting that spot perfectly. you couldn't take it anymore.

"im sorry sir– fuck–" you whimpered, letting your first orgasm take over. your eyes rolled back and your walls constricted tightly around farleigh. you mewled and moaned as he didn't stop his pace. your legs shook violently and your vision flashed white.

"slut, you came without permission." farleigh stilled all his movements, watching your hips still buck for more. he pulled out and flipped you over on your stomach, causing you to yelp in surprise.

"well if your going to cum over and over, it might as well be all on my dick.." he concluded. you nodded eagerly, his hand pushing your head down into the pillows. your hole was on full display for him to admire as he thrusted into you again. you wrapped around him perfectly and he wanted to fuck you on the daily. the amount of pleasure you were giving him gave him a head high.

"just like that sir– hng–" you moaned, that sweet spot of yours being the only thing he was hitting. you controlled your breathing so you wouldn't immediately cum again but it gradually became difficult.

“you feel so– fucking– good [y/n]–" farleigh praised between thrusts, moaning into the air above him. his hands gripped your hips firmly so if you tried to run, there was no use. you had to take him like a good girl.

farleigh would slow down occasionally, not to catch his breath, but to watch as your hole basically sucked him off. he would also focus on the physical aspect and how your soft warm walls felt. he'd graze right above your cervix, where your sweet spot was. he'd watch you gasp every time he brushed up against it. he was done playing for his orgasm. he was going to get it now.

farleigh scooted closer to your hips so every thrust got rougher and deeper. you loved every second of it. it felt so good it hurt. thought you were not in pain but in overwhelming ecstasy. your vision got cloudy and your eyes glazed over with tears. your fingers gripped onto the sheets while farleigh had his way with you.

"can i cum please can i cum–" you cried. your entire body shook violently as your core burned for a release. farleighs hips faltered due to being so close. he was ready to burst.

"fuck– cum now baby– cum right on my di–" he groaned. both of you mutually climax. farleigh moaned your name as he pumped you full. he felt dizzy while his hips buckled violently into you every few seconds. you on the other hand, trembled and incoherent, began to cry from overstimulation. you moaned at every post orgasm thrust, trying your best to be good. as soon as farleigh pulled out of you, your body went limp, your whimpers finally getting to farleighs ears.

"baby, baby. c'mere." he coaxed, he gently picked you up and sat you in his lap, kissing your cheeks. you sniffled and giggled lightly, wiping your face.

"im okay sweetheart, i swear." you reassured. farleigh mumbled an ‘i know' before kissing you tenderly. he sat back against the headboard and held you close. when he pulled away, he kept his forehead against yours.

"you did so good, babe." he whispered, causing you to blush. you rubbed your legs together, causing you mewl suddenly. you were still so sensitive and farleigh noticed.

"let me help." he suggested,slowly opening your legs to reveal a grool covered pussy. you whined and closed your thighs on his hand.

"[y/n], trust me." he said, catching your eyes. you share a small moment of silence before opening your legs again. his middle and ring finger gently massaged your overstimulated clit and caused you to hiss. your hips twitch again, grabbing onto his arm in protest.

"im s-sensitive–"

"and rubbing it through the sensitivity usually helps. so breathe, you're doing so good." he planted a kiss on your cheek while the two of you watched his fingers caress you. he kept a steady pace and the sensitivity eventually decreased. you sighed deeply and laid on the brunette chest, enjoying the erotic massage of some sort.

"heh– you were amazing, [y/n]." he smiled at you, taking his fingers and placing them in your mouth. you gladly licked his digits clean of your juices, flushing a pink. you felt like a slut but enjoyed every second of it.

"mm ..lets go again in 20 minutes." you said while getting comfortable in farleighs arms. he laughed at your cuteness before sitting with you in his arms, enjoying the view of the moon in his window. it was going to be a long evening.

© r4vn ²⁰²⁴, do not repost my work.

hope you enjoyed teehee c:

[akutasoda]

Hi pookie <33 Did you drink water or have any food today? if not please go do so and then read my req, health is important <33 Okay so for my req, I would like hcs and/or scenarios w ranpo, chuuya, sigma, and anyone else you want, with a reader who felt very hot and uncomfortable at night due to hot weather, and thus decided to sleep w/o a shirt, and obvi wearing pants and all that but instead of a shirt she's just wearing smth like a sports bra.

So basically, the reader's s/o gets all flustered and uncomfortable and shy and stuff and ask for permission to do normal stuff like "is it okay for me to hug you?" and "are you sure you're comfortable sleeping w/ me?" I feel like it would be so adorable asjkdaskjdksadj. (Also the reasoning behind this very specific, I was feeling rlly hot one day at night so i took off my hoodie and slept like that, and my mind went "hmm...this could be a great prompt" so yeah ;-;) I also would not like any nsfw content ig bc it makes me super uncomfortable, i live for fluff <33 You don't need to take this req if you don't want to, I hope you're doing well and wish a lovely night/day to you <33 stay safe <33

i can stay, if you want?

synopsis - after particular warm nights, you decide to shed some clothing - how do they react?

includes - ranpo, chuuya, sigma

warnings - gn!reader, fluff, slight crack, reader is gn but mentions bra once, reader is mentioned to be shirtless, wc - 855

a/n: hi! health is important! i have had food and water and if you're reading this make sure you have aswell! stay safe yourself <3

ranpo edogawa ★↷

the agencies accomodations weren't exactly a five star hotel but no one complained as they did there purpose. but the most common problem for them was the heat - they weren't exactly well ventilated. most often had to purchase their own or put in a request but not ranpo.

ranpo cared little for the heat. while he disliked it, it didn't bother him that much. but when you began sharing with him it became noticeably warmer inside the small rooms.

and when one particular night became rather humid it affected the both of you. the shared futon was stripped of most bedding and even that didn't really help seeing as ranpo was very clingy. he always said that he couldn't get to sleep if he wasn't cuddling you or you were cuddling him. even if ypu were sweating.

so the solution you came up with was taking of a few layers. temporarily ripping ranpo off you to take off your shirt. ranpo didn't really clock back on until you layed back down next to him. and when he realised his face exploded into red, he was glad it was so dark.

while you weren't exactly naked as you had pants on and a bra should you wear one, but it made him slightly unsure wether he could still hug you. you noticed this hesitation and simply laughed at him saying something along the lines off 'its still fine if you want to cuddle' and that's all he needed.

he quickly got over his flustered state and snuggled back into you. he still was slightly embarrassed in the morning but very quickly learned not to be so embarrassed.

chuuya nakahara ★↷

when you first moved into chuuya's residence you were quite impressed. you were well aware that he made quite the pretty penny but this really hammered the idea home. literally. so it was no surprise that durong warmer day's and night's the rooms were quite well ventillated.

chuuya wasn't the fan of heat. while he wouldn't be picky and most the time didn't mind, sometimes the heat made him sweat a bit too much and he started getting that uncomfortable crawling feeling. but he still never prefered it.

but nothing could prepare either of you for some really warm nights. and there wasn't much else to do about it. even when all duvets and extra blankets were discarded it still felt uncomfortablly warm for you. so while you were getting ready for bed you decided you could do without the top.

you didn't think much about it as you still had most clothes on but the minute you stepped into the shared bedroom you didn't anticipate chuuya's reaction. and you didn't notice. mainly because even though his face was flushed with red he didn't say anything.

he felt as if he couldn't and he didn't even notice himself become hesitant to cuddle you, not until you asked if something was wrong. he simply coughed out a 'are you sure your still comfortable with that?'. you giggled to yourself before saying a simple 'of course'.

while he wasn't entirely comfortable yet, he did really want to hug you. so he did and very soon he got over it and if you continued to do this everytime it got too warm, he would always ask first.

sigma ★↷

he always was so hesitant about every little detail of your relationship. he wanted it all to be absolutely perfect and you had to keep reminding him that as sweet as that was it's not always obtainable. so moving in together was planned to an absolute T.

even when you proposed sleeping in the same room was enough for him to panic. he wanted to, but he was scared to rush things even if you proposed the idea. but you two eventually got there even if he was very flustered at first.

sigma was never one for heat. it made him uncomfortable and while one of the first things he ever saw was a desert, he still disliked it. so the warmer the nights got the more hesitant he was too sleep in the same room seeing as the heat that radiated of both of you could be suffocating.

yet you never minded, perhaps you both settled for a fan or rid the room of any duvets or blankets but eventually you convinced him it was alright. but ot was still overbearing for you.

so much so that you weren't even thinking when you sat up and peeled off your top layer. the action woke sigma and he had to double take to properly register the fact you were indeed now shirtless. if he wasn't embarrassed before, he was now.

he immediately scooted over scared he might cross a boundary like this. and when you asked him what's wrong he responded with 'are you sure your still comfortable hugging me?'. you smiled to yourself and told him 'of course'.

though he was still hesitant and his faced remained red, he continued as before. and even when he woke in the morning before you he got reminded of the situation and got very embarrassed very quickly again.

[obliviouskara]

top 5 supergirl episodes?

full disclosure i haven't seen the entirety of supergirl (ive literally only seen like 7 eps & its all season 1) so this list will probably change over time (bc im starting to painstakingly watch the show - imagine slowburn but watching a series) however ive watched like a ridiculous amount of supercorp edits so im going to base my choices on the parts where supercorp exist ha!

5. Season 1 - Red Faced

this would probably be the only none supercorp related yet still somehow my personal fave for a few reasons. i love this scene in particular bc it shows that cat grant cares for kara and what cat says here is very relatable. no matter how harsh cat can be at times, cat was a girl's girl here. she gave an advice which was helpful to both supergirl and kara. she had every right to rip kara viciously apart but instead she took a completely different route. i like the line she says here.

"You really need to figure out what's really bothering you." "You really need to find that anger behind the anger. And you really need to figure out what's really making you mad."

i think this was also the ep where kara acknowledged where some of the anger was coming from. even with zero dialogue and with mel's incredible acting skills she was able to convey so much emotions during that scene where she releases all her anger towards the red tornato. From losing her parents, losing her planet —her home, for losing everything and maybe even angry with her parents for the choices they made for her. it was such an incredible and very emotional scene.

im putting the rest in read more bc of how unnecessarily long this post has become

4. Season 2 - "The Adventures of Supergirl"

this should be easy. this was the first time kara met lena and changed the trajectory of every queer person watching this show and lena first delivered the first of many many questionably fruity (gay) lines fjlkajdla

"You couldn't have fooled me."

also bc of this scene thank you very much

3. Season 2 - "Luthors"

if there is one particular scene that convinced me to even give supergirl the time of day its obvs this one and lena "suspiciously straight" luthor delivered one of the most iconic lines on television in my opinion and now forever engraved in my mind. let's not forget lcorp CEO lena luthor took the time of day to fill catco employee kara danver's office with flowers like it's a regular tuesday but oh well

"now you'll have someone to stand up for you. always" "supergirl might have saved me but kara danvers, you are my hero."

screaming, crying, throwing up

2. Season 2 - "Exodus"

tada! i mean, look at it! how heroic! i also find it funny how grateful and confused lena was that kara danvers was having coffee with supergirl late at night but still

Season 2 - Ace Reporter

so this isnt at all groundbreaking bc honestly, 5 isn't enough and anything that has supercorp will be my favorite even though again i havent seen the rest of supergirl yet but we're ignoring canon so we're ignoring that fact too. i think this was the ep where kara was comforting lean about jack's death. i personally have a love and hate relationship towards this scene for many reasons but im a sucker for supercorp and there was a clip where kara hesitated and looked like she was about to plant a kiss on lena's head but then hugged her instead and i think its beautiful and im a sucker for kara leaning in towards lena

BONUS:

im too lazy to figure out where these clips are from which episode but this. i love every scene and its more like these below are my reasons for watching supergirl and has nothing to do with being my top 5 bwahaha

oh did i mention i also happen to have a weird obsession with superrojas i will not rest until i reach the ep where andrea rojas exist

[pixiecaps]

i hope you're already asleep it's so late for you but on the topic of the finale ending honestly i understand why people are so upset by it, i think it royally sucks, but imo it was created entirely because they really needed some way to wrap things up and i think almost everyone would agree that it shouldn't have and wouldn't have ended that way had things been different and had the server not needed to end so abruptly.

like idk you KNOW i'm a canon compliant guy but for this thing specifically i genuinely don't consider it canon and think it should fully be ignored, and i think basically everyone involved would be fine with that. also honestly in my mind everything purgatory and after is non-canonical in that it shouldn't have happened either and the reset is definitely not canon so that makes it easier for me to ignore it completely. i think what players and admins stated about their characters is canonical within reason and otherwise i don't think any of it matters all that much because of how the server ended. like to me i know the reality is that that is how it ended and we don't have any other ending to go off of but because of the circumstances there's just no way i could consider it canon and i already spend all my time dreaming up ways to rewrite all the shit that happened before then, nevermind a garbage hastily written ending that only wrapped up one plot thread (the eggs) and didn't even do that correctly (it completely retconned so much about the eggs and i know a lot of lore got retconned and changed over time but it's particularly agregious).

idk where i'm going with this insane rant in your inbox i really don't i just wanted to give my thoughts on that ending and how i take it as a fandom creator because i often see people treating it like it was a legitimate ending even though they hated it and i'm like this is fandom!!! we can ignore it entirely!!! in fact many characters' endings explicitly defy that ending, that was just the way to wrap up the idea of the egg event in some way that made sense. i totally get people being upset by it, i was too, but i was also upset by the previous. five months? of stuff so i kind of can't be bothered to be annoyed by this particular thing.

again this is nonsensical i'm just saying i think we should all ignore it and i've been saying that since the day of bc it was just so obviously not the kind of ending that would've been written under different circumstances. let's all make up better endings forever and ever amen.

anyway hi pix if you're reading this in the morning i hope you got beautiful sleep and dreamt of snoopy and roier all night

hiii 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 i was in fact asleep by the time you sent this:3

that was another point i discussed with someone els where yeah it sucked because they had to wrap it up and “tie everything together” so i agree on that. everything with the qsmp ending wouldve been different under different circumstances.

you’re incredibly real for not considering canon up to a certain point where everything got messy. i think since we’re both very canon compliant people you can understand where im coming from with that frustration and being irked by how everything played out. it was going so well and then 📉📉📉. and heres the thing you know how much i love purgatory okay cause i do but god its truly one of those events where it shouldve been explicitly uncanon i feeeeel. so much of the lore it introduced and everything clashed with everything we had already established and not informing the creators of anything was such a poor choice. but anyways you already know the whole rant.

i do appreciate the reminder of its fandom who cares. i live by that i just get Even More emotional when sleep deprived and was like wow fuck everything and this stupid fucking ending so thats why i made those posts kkkkkkkk. but ye GOOD REMINDERS ITS FANDOM ENDINGS ARE OPEN TO REWRITES AND OUR OWN INTERPRETATIONS!!!!!!!

i did get beautiful sleep ty bell<3333 i hope you got beautiful sleep as well<3333

[horizon-verizon]

What is your opinion regarding the leaks of B&C ?

From what I’ve read, it’s going to be extremely different from the book version. No Maelor and no Sophie’s choice, Haelena doesn’t offer her life but offers some necklace and then leaves the room whith her daughter, leaving her son alone with two assassins (so technically, she doesn’t see B&C beheading Jaehaerys), the main target of B&C is Aemond instead of Helaena’s sons. Ultimately, Condal tones it down to the ground.

If all this is true--Horrible. They siphoned much of the emotional weight & horror of that moment by not doing, as you say, the Sophie's choice thing. A kid's death, esp murder, is always terrible and horrific. What made this particular moment so unique and its character of "horrifying" was that Sophie's choice where Helaena is forced into--somehow, someway--value one child's life over the other or risk ALL her kids' lives. What should be an impossible choice becomes very possible. What is taboo, Helaena is forced to be complicit in one of her own's kids' murders (we have to imagine these kids, too, as they look to her for safety in fear, perhaps crying their eyes out or maybe quiet & hoping...). It transforms from one taboo act into another, arguably more viscerally disturbing one: filicide (murder of one's own child) & particularly the filicide of an actual child. (Yes, I know that B&C likely always planned to make her choose, but we the readers AND she didn't...it was supposed to be a twist. Unless you read AWoIaF, which still doesn't include the raw details & dialouge F&B does.)

Yes it was not willful murder on Helaena's part, but again, any loving parent who was told to choose or suffer terrible consequences to another child with no way of knowing how to get out of of said situation/no defense/no strategy, and they decide they have to choose...only for the murders to traumatize the already fear ridden chosen child by making it a point to them their mom was fine with their death for another child even for a second and that she chose...It's maddening. Of course Helaena went mad. Even with her being coerced, she would have to learn how to reconcile with the fact that she made that choice AND thus she would feel she was an actor in her kid's death! And she just couldn't.

The guilt and fear, her already being so young when she had the twins and basically not having that much support from Aegon (yes I know she's a princess and would have servants and nurses take a lot of the care, but the fact your husband can and is doing fuck-all--can't even be bothered to really stay around his kids--presents its own sort of "mental load" on her and most noble women). In terms of how she'd be able to pull herself together, there was a lot was stacked against her and the ability to do that.

Helaena is already a nonperson in HotD, the show fails to actually make her interesting with how they used her dragon "dreams" that are not dreams. In the orig story, sorry to say, this moment was also one of her only distinctive moments. And if it is true that she runs and finds Alicole fucking, she is sharing that already limited reality/space/importance/personal action to a the woman they still don't really know what to do with. Helaena, to me, seems as if she's automatically is either/both not characterized but a device to characterize Alicent & Cole AND loses more of the very little subjecthood she had both in book and show--again, bc that choice she makes is a CHOICE. As much under pressure as it was. A choice that determined how her and the surviving kids lives would look like when faced with those such as Blood & Cheese.

Yes, I don't really "cry" that much over Helaena, but it is more than obvious that she and her kids were totally innocent . Those with the least agency allowed or available to them. Why remove what little there was or take away some of that valence for a tawdry sex-interruption scene/trope that could have been anytime else? (Again, if Alicole fucking at this time exists in the season.)

It seems the writers really don't like their characters making plot-forward or character-affective choices (a few critics, some fans. and I've said this for some time now).

[honeykngdom]

the caretaker | iruka umino

Pairing: Iruka Umino x 19+f!reader Synopsis: It's particularly rainy that Sunday morning. You have places to be, and the rain certainly wasn't going to stop you - a pothole in the road might, however. How embarrassing, now you're late and wet. Oh, God, please tell me you didn't see that? WC: N/A - nothing but fluff. Word Count: 5.5k A/N: tbh I fell in love with the idea of iruka being soft and taking care of me, so I decided to write something to fulfil my own need since I couldn't find anything to scratch that itch. Reader is a Sarutobi bc the plot required it. If you liked reading my work, please know my requests are open & I offer taglists for new content I post! :)

Read part two here!

It was raining outside. Under any other circumstance, Iruka wouldn’t have minded. Except that it was cold, and wet, and it was Halloween. And normally, Iruka didn’t have arrangements for Halloween, so the terrible forecast wouldn’t have been a concern – except that he did this year, and the rain was impeding on those particular plans. 

For the last two years, Halloween landed on a school day. For the most part, he was bogged down with lending an additional hand after class. In prior years, he didn’t bother to celebrate the holiday simply because he hadn’t had the time. It appeared that wasn’t a sufficient answer for Master Jiraiya. 

The Sannin arrived in town just the night prior after a gruelling month of training with Naruto; he was dining at Ichiraku’s with Kakashi and Asuma. They feasted on ramen while Iruka listened to the tales of their various training. He was always impressed as a teacher of the Academy to listen to the growth and strength that students of his past accomplished in their own personal endeavours. Especially with Naruto. The boy was an enigma, Iruka decided, one he was keen on rooting for. 

But no amount of compliments to Jiraiya and his masterful work with Naruto could spare Iruka from the dreaded conversation; what was going on for the holiday in the village? Iruka all but hung his head in his ramen bowl as the conversation around him ensued. It was unsurprising that Kakashi knew the goings-on of celebrations within the village; the man knew everything about everyone, for the most part. Asuma, not unlike Iruka, also didn’t typically partake in the festivities, but appeared rather intrigued at the prospect of joining his fellow comrades in a night of fun. 

Iruka tried to avoid it; he was busy grading, preparing next week's lessons, and watering his plants – to no avail. Jiraiya all but insisted that Iruka join them for the evening. No if, ands, or buts about it. This brought Iruka to his current predicament. Not only did he have plans for the evening, it was also pouring with rain. 

He watched the puddles from his perch on his small balcony attached to his second story apartment. The streets were painted a dark grey from the moisture, curbsides overflowing with an ongoing stream that seemed to come from and go nowhere in particular. The tea in his hand was far from serving its purpose of keeping him warm, which was a pity, given it was the last of his favourite herbal blend. Iruka signed petulantly, circling the remainder of the cup's contents in a slow motion.

When he heard the yelp, he nearly leaped from where he stood to the sound. Looking up to search the street once again, he noticed the laying figure of a young woman. From the way her wicker basket sat several feet away from her, Iruka determined she must have fallen in her travel. He watched her for a few moments, noticing that she was slow to rise to her feet. Ultimately, he decided if anything, he needed to ensure she wasn’t injured. 

In your rush to make it to your aunt’s get together in time, you had stupidly forgotten to securely fasten one of the ankle straps on your rollerblades. Under normal conditions, it wouldn’t have proven to be too much of a problem; but when you’re speeding down the road and forget about the pothole just on the left hand side, it certainly can be. 

You probably should’ve moved. You were in the middle of the street, after all. Sure, it was raining and there was likely no one coming that you could be a bother too, but nonetheless. You were laying in the dirty street. In a puddle. And you’re pretty sure your ankle would begin to swell just about any moment. 

“Just great,” you muttered to yourself, unable to contain your annoyance any longer. It was nothing but obstacles since your eyes opened that morning. You ran out of your favourite tea blend, and in your search of finding something new to pair with your morning eggs, you burnt the last of them. You had no hot water when you went to shower – something that now seemed futile, given that your hair was soaked in rain water and mud. And, you were running late.

You heard the slam of a door followed by the approach of footsteps. You turned slowly, using your arms to push yourself up off the ground with a groan. 

“Are you alright?” 

Looking up, a gentleman stood above you with an umbrella in one hand and the other stretched out as an offer of help. He looked so comfortable in his training pants and turtleneck – comfortable and dry. You went to grab the hand he held out, and grimaced when you noticed the scrapes across your palm mixed with pieces of gravel. 

“I’ve been better.” You conceded, brushing your hands across your pants as soon as you were standing upright. You noted a tear in the knee in one pant leg and frowned. “Thank you for coming to help me, though.” You turned to the man that was now bent over and collecting the various items that had fallen from your basket. Oh, no – the taiyaki! “My desserts!” 

Rolling forward to grab the basket, the movement of your weight from one leg to the next sent a shooting pain throughout the entirety of your ankle and up the front of your leg. With a short cry, you went to collapse to the ground again, but found yourself caught by a pair of firm hands. 

“Woah, easy! I think it’d be best if you get that ankle checked out.” Iruka felt horrible. There was something about the way your face broke at the sight of your soaked taiyaki that made him feel all the more guilty, although he hadn’t the faintest clue why he would. “Those are death traps you have strapped to your feet.” 

You shot a look up at him. “They are not!” 

“That so?” Iruka’s brow lifted in challenge, slowly removing his grip from your arms to allow you to steady yourself on your own feet. From the look of pain that pulled your brows together, he had proven his point. “It should be looked at.” 

You sighed petulantly. Looking up at him now that the umbrella was situated over both of you, you allowed your brain a moment to register the man standing in front of you. You knew Iruka. You were only a few years his junior, so the pair of you never shared a class or completed any training together. But he was a familiar face, and a friendly one at that. 

“I appreciate the concern, Iruka. But I’m actually running late.” 

“I don’t think you understand,” he began, shaking his head slowly as he explained, “you’re not going to make it very far in this condition, and certainly not in this weather. Aren’t you in pain?” 

Of course I’m in pain, you thought coarsely. “I promised my nephew taiyaki, I’m bringing him taiyaki.” 

Iruka paused. As much as he wanted to argue that it was imperative you seek medical attention, he could appreciate that you felt you had a duty to fulfil. He often felt that same sense of duty when tending to his students. He took a moment to assess the situation, gnawing on the inside of his cheek while he processed. 

“For Halloween?” 

You nodded your head. “It’s his favourite holiday, and I love that he loves all things scary. I make him taiyaki every year and we eat it after we carve pumpkins.” 

Iruka fell into silence again; the two of you stood under the shared umbrella surrounded by the pouring rain with your basket full of the ruined dessert hanging between the two of you in your hands. If you weren’t soaked to the bone, and your ankle wasn’t screaming with pain, it might have otherwise been quite a pleasant little moment. 

Finally, Iruka spoke with an even and controlled tone. “I think it would be a good idea if you let someone take a look at your ankle. Besides, you can’t bring these to Konohamaru,” he held up one of the fish-shaped waffles between his fingers, “he’ll just come to the Academy tomorrow and tell everyone all about it. Do you want all the other youth to hear about how your taiyaki was soggy?” 

Could this be considered blackmail? You wondered, skeptically eyeing him. Probably not. But he was making a good case, unfortunately. 

“If I go to the clinic now, I can kiss the rest of my day goodbye.” 

Iruka paused, pursing his lips together in a firm line; then he sighed. “I can take a look at your ankle for you.” 

This time, you hesitated. You watched him for a long moment, searching his face for any indicator that he might be just saying that for the sake of being polite; but from where you stood, he appeared nothing if not sincere. While you didn’t entirely love the prospect of letting Iruka see your foot, there was still the matter of your wet clothing. 

You grimaced. “I’m not sure.” 

“At most, it’s probably a sprain. You can ice it for a bit and then I’ll wrap it for you.” He replied, his face remaining calm and even. 

You looked down, tugging at the hem of your shirt. “I’m going to drag mud in.” 

Iruka sighed. “Are you always this stubborn when offered help?” 

You almost laughed. “Unfortunately. Bad habit, I guess.”

“How about this: I’ll help get you back home, that way you can change into something dry and then we can set you up with a temporary fix for your foot.”

Admittedly, that was a better option. The feeling of your pants clinging to your body from the rain was beginning to irritate you greatly, and you were itching to get out of these clothes. “Okay, that’s not a horrible idea.” 

Iruka lifted the corner of his mouth in a half-grin, shifting the umbrella from one hand to the next. “Do you think you can manage if you hold onto me?” 

You shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.” 

The pair of you only made it to the top of the hill and around the corner before you halted entirely and shook your head. If you lived closer, it may have been feasible, but you still had another eight minutes to go. No chance you’d make it. After another five minutes of arguing, Iruka opted to pull you onto his back. It was decided that it was the easiest option to get you back to your apartment without putting further strain on your ankle, all while keeping you both safe from the rain. 

The short walk back to your home was quiet. Iruka needed to use both hands to hold you steady, leaving you in charge of keeping the umbrella upright and over the both of you. Sometime along the way, you became increasingly aware that you were soaking his clothing with your own — something you felt terribly for. You wanted to apologize for it, but you knew Iruka would shrug it off. Always the gentleman. 

“Here, let me help you.” Iruka knelt down once you were safely concealed inside your apartment. Remnants of your baking clung to the air and the space was still warm. You watched as the man’s fingers worked to undo the straps on your rollerblades; you quickly placed a hand on the wall beside you to steady yourself when he loosened the laces. “Can you step out of them?” 

Albeit painful, you did manage to remove your feet and place them flat on the floor. Iruka placed your rollerblades next to a pair of sneakers you had just to the left of your front door, then stood and immediately began removing his own footwear. 

“Do you own a tensor bandage?” He inquired, placing his jacket on the hook next to the one you had opted to leave at home just twenty short minutes ago. 

“Somewhere in the bathroom,” you pointed to the door across the way. 

Iruka nodded once. “I’ll go look for it. You find something dry to change into.” 

He left you where you stood and made his way across your tiny studio to where the bathroom was. He shut the door behind him, offering you a moment of privacy; it was when the door was closed and you were alone that you finally took a moment to process what was happening. 

Six years ago, you would have simply died to have Iruka hold you close, in any regard. Thankfully, you no longer felt like your tongue was swollen every time he happened to say hello when passing by in the streets. Overtime, the silly school-girl crush dissipated into respect - a mutual respect. You weren’t entirely sure when it happened. Maybe after Konohamaru started at the academy. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, you quickly rummaged through your closet for a pair of clean joggers and a matching sweater. Peeling the rain-soaked jeans from your legs was the least enjoyable part of the process, but one you were grateful for. The flesh of your thighs were so cold it felt as though it was being pricked by thousands of tiny needles. 

By the time Iruka exited out of the bathroom, you were pulling your sweater over your head. He found the tensor bandage and was stretching it out between his hands, his eyes lifting up to meet yours from across the space. “You look more comfortable.” He smiled. 

“I am,” you conceded with a nod and a smile in return, “thank you for getting me home. I’m sure you have better things to be doing with your afternoon.”

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. “No bother at all.” The man appeared sincere, coming to sit down next to you on the tiny loveseat nestled at the foot of your bed. He pursed his lips together tightly and patted his meaty thigh twice. “Alright, let’s take a look.” 

Removing the sock from your foot was the last thing you had wanted to do, but it couldn’t be put off any longer. You gave a quiet sigh, then reached down to slip the material of your sock away from your foot. Iruka helped guide your ankle into place on his leg; he then spent a few moments surveying the tenderness, his fingers gently touching along the swollen area. He kissed his teeth, offering a slight ‘tut’. 

“I think you may need something to help bring the swelling down.” He finally decided.

“I’ve got a bottle of painkillers up there.” You sighed, pointing over to the cabinets above your stove. “There’s also a bag of frozen vegetables in the freezer, could you grab it for me?” 

Iruka was quick to retrieve the items; he filled a small glass with some tap water and made his way back over to the loveseat to sit next to you. He set two tablets into the palm of your hand and watched you throw them into the back of your mouth before he handed you the water to swallow them down. When he was sure you had taken them, he took the glass from your hand and placed it on the table in front of him before gingerly placing the frozen bag of peas over your ankle. 

You couldn’t help but still feel embarrassed. Surely he had better things to do with his Sunday than play caretaker for you. “I’m so sorry.” 

Surprised, Iruka looked over at you. “What are you apologizing for?”

You shrugged once. “This definitely isn’t the best way to spend an afternoon, let alone your Halloween.”

The smile that Iruka flashed at you was warm and comforting. “Trust me, this is more up my alley than going out to celebrate.” 

You rolled your eyes. That felt hard to believe. “What, you don’t go out with Asuma and the others?”

This time, it was Iruka who looked embarrassed. He brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck in a guilty manner, his eyes slipping closed as his cheeks lifted in an innocent smile. “I have a great deal of respect for your brother,” he admitted, “but Jiraiya can certainly be a little enthusiastic. Large gatherings aren’t exactly my idea of a good time.” 

You blinked twice, then snorted. “Are you scared of the jōnin, Iruka?” 

“Absolutely not!”

“Master Jiraiya’s enthusiasm is not a good enough excuse to opt out of Halloween,” you retorted. 

Iruka sighed. “What if I say something stupid?” 

You couldn’t help but laugh again. What a silly thing to be worried about, given that your older brother had his own fair share of stupidity. However, you also knew that Asuma also held most people at arm's length at all times, and so the remainder of the village didn’t have the privilege of knowing the Asuma that your family did. For the most part, he was rough around the edges; most certainly the suffer in silence type. But over the last few years during his budding relationship with Kurenai, another side of him began to make its appearance. Someone softer, more tender. 

“If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t.” You lamented. “People say stupid things when they’re halfway through a bottle of sake.” 

The man next to you seemed to visibly relax. “I suppose you’re right.” 

“Besides, if Master Jiraiya invited you, then you’d ought to be there. I don’t really think anyone in the village turns down a request from one of the Legendary Sannin.”

Iruka seemed to consider this. Admittedly, he would never let it be known that he just simply didn’t care for the antics of the holiday. In his youth, Halloween was the perfect day to plan for. He’d spend hours upon hours pulling together the most elaborate pranks; as responsibility came to the forefront, Iruka found that he spent less and less time giving a second thought about trivial things like holiday celebrations. Not having a family to celebrate with may have also played a part in that. 

“What about you?”

Confused, you replied, “What about me?” 

“Do you have any plans for the evening?” Iruka inquired, quickly followed by: “I mean, apart from trying to deliver moist desserts to a poor unsuspecting child?” 

“To be fair, Konahamaru is expecting them.” You couldn’t help but snicker at his words. He was teasing you, and despite the fact the pair of you had not engaged in a steady conversation in almost four years, Iruka teasing you felt natural. As though he had been doing it his whole life. “But no, no plans. I probably would’ve been home after spending the afternoon with him and spent the evening watching a bad thriller and eating leftovers.” 

“That doesn’t sound like an awful time.” He lied. Did she do this every year? Understandably, bringing sweets to your nephew seemed like a wholesome tradition – returning home like a hermit to indulge in the most basic and mundane of activities? 

Well, Iruka couldn’t really judge. If he had it his way, he would be staying home tonight. Glancing down at your iced ankle, he decided if he was lucky enough, he could maybe weasel his way out of it.

You shrugged. “Not as fun as hanging out with my brother, I suppose.” 

Iruka tensed, lifting his hand to the back of his neck to scratch the area lightly. It was still damp with rain from outside, but he was no longer cold. Actually, he noticed it was quite warm inside your studio. “Can I ask you a favour?” 

“Anything.” It came out embarrassingly fast. You hoped he couldn’t see the heat creeping up your neck. 

He appraised you for a long moment, then shook his head. “Nevermind. I couldn’t ask that of you.”

You decided not to press it any further; truthfully, you were a little annoyed. Now you were curious. What had he wanted to ask you? “I think I should probably wrap it now.” 

Iruka nodded, dutifully tending to your ankle. Using both hands, he gently guided your foot from the table to his lap; he spent time examining the wound closely before unravelling the tensor bandage. He began at the base of your foot, then slowly brought it up in careful motions around your swollen ligament. When he was satisfied with his handiwork, he tucked the loose end of the bandage into one of the loops and repositioned the bag of frozen vegetables over your ankle. 

“I appreciate you helping me,” you said after a moment. Admittedly, everything that happened to you up until this point should have had you in tears of frustration — nothing had gone right. Yet, from the moment Iruka joined you outside in the rain to offer you a helping hand, the anger began to melt away. Now, the only thing weighing on your mind was the fact Konohamaru would go his first Halloween in six years without you and your shared desserts. “It’s nice to have a friend.”

It sounded so foreign coming from your mouth, but you were sincere. 

“I won’t keep you any longer.” You said suddenly, feeling silly for not sending him off sooner. “Wouldn’t want to keep Jiriya waiting, would you?” 

Iruka sighed. “I suppose.” He was slow to move, staring down at his hands that rested in his lap for a few moments longer before he turned towards your body. “I have a few hours before I’m expected anywhere, and I think I should make sure you get something to eat first.”

“Iruka, I’m fine.” You assured him. 

The man nodded in agreement, but remained seated. “I hear you, I just think Asuma may think differently of me if I were to head out without making sure you were set for the rest of the evening. What kind of a man would I be if I left you now?” He said it nonchalantly, but there was a heavy insinuation behind his words. 

You sighed, “I highly doubt Asuma would care.”

Iruka looked pointedly at you, “Would Asuma do it?” He asked, waiting patiently for your answer. When you lowered your eyes to the table in front of you, the man next to you chuckled and nodded in satisfaction. Because he was right – Asuma wouldn’t have left anyone’s side without ensuring they had everything they needed. You chalked it up to the way you were raised; your father had been an attentive man, and your brother seemed to be following in his footsteps. “That’s what I thought.” 

Unwilling to argue with him, you accepted defeat and leaned back into the cushions of your sofa. “Fine. If you feel you must,” you grumbled lowly, trying to sound annoyed albeit unsuccessfully – Iruka appeared amused – and folded your arms indignantly across your chest, “what were you thinking?” 

The man simply smiled, pushing himself off the sofa to wander over to the pantry just next to your fridge. He spent a few moments browsing through the various items you had leftover in your fridge and cupboard, compiling a batch of ingredients onto the countertops. 

He paused after a while, a sound of displeasure breaking the silence. “No eggs?” 

Guilty, you sunk lower into the pillows. “I used my last two this morning.” 

Iruka looked over his shoulder to where you sat. He didn’t appear to appreciate that answer, and after shutting the fridge door, he made his way over to where he had left his shoes by your front door. 

“Where are you going?” You asked, embarrassed by how quickly it had come from your lips. 

He looked over to you again, his expression blank as he responded. “Heading to the market, I need eggs.” 

You looked over to where your bag sat at his feet and sat up. “I have some change in the front pocket —”

Iruka held up his hand to stop you. “Nonsense, I’ve got it.”

Iruka looked so out of place standing in the middle of your tiny kitchen. He towered over the top of the fridge, needing to bend considerably in order to investigate its contents. His shoulders and back flexed with every movement; you found yourself mesmerized as he diligently diced the veggies into fine slices, absolutely enamoured with the current visual taking place. Admittedly, you never wanted it to end. For a moment, you allowed yourself to live in delusion. Having Iruka up close and personal like this made you long for something more permanent. 

An hour later, Iruka set down a large bowl overflowing with a heaping pile of steaming deliciousness. “Tantanmen is served!” 

You watched as he sat down across from you, noting the way he left his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and kept the apron around his waist. It was amusing to see Iruka so domestic; you only knew him as a prankster growing up, and in his later years, as a dutiful and dedicated teacher. To see him in any other light was strange, and yet, still refreshing. 

“It looks incredible,” you couldn’t lie even if you wanted to. The scents that now filled your apartment had you practically drooling by the time dinner was ready. 

“I wasn’t sure how much spice you could handle, so I went a little easy on yours.” He admitted, watching you intently as you took the first bite. When you closed your eyes and hummed in delight, his mouth broke open into a wide-toothed grin. 

“It’s delicious.” You claimed, happily digging in for a second bite. “Wish I could cook like this.”

“Asuma doesn’t bother to teach you?” He inquired. 

You shrugged. “When we were younger, sure. But, it’s been sixteen years since our mom died. I can’t imagine he remembers all of her recipes.” 

Iruka hesitated with his next question. “Do you remember much of her? Your mom?” 

“No.” You frowned, pushing the noodles around in the broth. “I was six when she was killed. Most of any memories that I have of her include watching her practice medical ninjutsu, more so when Kushina was pregnant.” 

“That’s right,” Iruka nodded, “I had forgotten Biwako was one of Kushina’s midwives.” 

You sat back, staring down into your bowl of ramen. “Seems like so long ago, when you consider everything.” 

The man pursed his lips, watching you quietly for a moment before he leaned forward onto the table. “Do you ever think about following in her footsteps?” 

You smiled, mostly to yourself. “Sometimes. I’m a fair kunoichi, don’t get me wrong. I’m just not sure if maternal practice is the best suited for me.” 

Iruka nodded. “You mean that you prefer to be in the field.”

You shrugged sheepishly, meeting his gaze. “I blame Asuma for that. Reckless as he is, he may as well have his own team of medical-kunoichi.” You sighed deeply, dropping your eyes. “Not that I’ve been out in a while. Since my old man died, well . . .” you trailed off, chewing on the inside of your cheek. 

“No one thinks any less of you, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I’d like to say I believe you,” you mumbled dryly, “but people treat me differently now that he’s gone. Not bad, but almost like they feel bad for me. Like I need their pity.” 

Iruka folded his arms on the table, “I hardly think anyone pity’s you. You’re a Sarutobi, for God’s sake.”

“Sure feels like it.” Now you just felt silly, pouting at your grown age like this. In front of Iruka, nonetheless. 

The man across from you sighed, unsure of how else he could comfort you. Iruka had watched you train plenty of times; from his classroom at the Academy, he had the perfect view of a few of the training fields that chūnin and jōnin gathered at to practice. He would be lying if he said he didn’t watch Asuma help you work on your hand signals from time to time, or that he found it amusing when you became frustrated.  

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” he said after a while of silence. The softness of his voice surprised you. “I know that living this life can be difficult for most, but I would like to think that your father and mother wouldn’t want you to feel like this. Hiruzen spoke about the will of fire so often, I felt like I needed to make it my personal mission to ignite it within the youth of our village. 

Sometimes I forget about how much will the rest of us harbour. I see it in Asuma everyday. I see it in Kakashi, and even Naruto and Shikamaru. They show up for their teammates and their friends every day, they make the choice to continue to aid the community and village in their own unique ways. Whether that be through completing missions at the benefit of protecting the village, or through enhancing their own strengths with vigorous training. It exists in all of us, and undoubtedly within you, too.” 

Unable to hide the blood that rushed to your cheeks, you looked down into your bowl and moved around the noodles. Iruka was right. Maybe you did need to stop being so hard on yourself. 

The pair of you sat across from each other for at least another hour or two before either of you realized the sun was setting behind the tops of the apartments; the rain had cleared, but the streets remained damp with puddles. A part of you was a little disappointed the afternoon had flown by so quickly. Spending time with Iruka turned out to be incredibly relaxing, and it turned out the two of you had a lot more in common than you previously thought. 

You decided that you liked the way he smiled with his eyes. You liked the way the area around them crinkled whenever he lifted his lips into a grin. His hair was beginning to fall in stray strands from his neatly formed ponytail, and while you didn’t understand the logic, it made him all the more human. Intimate, even. Iruka was always seen pulled together, despite working closely with some of the most rambunctious youth the village had ever seen. Even during his sparring matches, a single hair never fell out of place. 

The broad shouldered man was leaning into the counter as he washed the small batch of dishes you had accumulated throughout the day. You told him to leave them and protested profusely, but he waved you away with a laugh in reassurance.

“Are you going to end up meeting with Asuma and the others?” You asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“Why don’t you come with me?” He asked in return, turning away from the sink. “I’m sure no one would mind.”

You almost laughed in disbelief. “I wasn’t necessarily invited.”

Iruka shrugged nonchalantly. “I fail to see the problem. Like you just said, Asuma’s going.”

You thought about it. Surely you would get some grief about not making it to see Konohamaru, but being able to join your brother and his friends in the festivities. Not that Asuma would truly care — if anything, you were more concerned about how he may react to seeing you in a bandage. Protective as ever, Asuma was. 

“Should I really be walking around just yet?” You wondered, looking down at your ankle with uncertainty.

Iruka wiped his hands on a small towelette, his head tilting to the side as he appraised you for a brief moment. Then, he replied, “If it gets to be too much, I will carry you home.” 

From the definitive look in his gaze, you could tell he was sincere. You felt like you had no other choice but to chalk it up to the simple fact Iruka didn’t want to attend this gathering any more than you did, but a small, miniscule part you really wanted it to be because he enjoyed spending time with you. 

“You’ll carry me all the way back?” 

He nodded once. “And you can always lean on me if you need to take a load off, though, I imagine we will be able to sit.”

We will. It may have been wishful thinking, but you wanted to believe that meant he would stay by your side the rest of the night. Suddenly excited with the prospect of spending the remainder of your evening with him, you finally decided to nod and brace your hands on your knees. 

“Alright. I’ve just got one more favour to ask before we head out anywhere, though.” You admitted sheepishly, looking sideways at him. 

He only chuckled, something that always sounded carefree. “Name it.” 

“I may need help changing into something a little less … casual.” 

This time, it was Iruka who appeared to scramble to hide blush that creeped into his own cheeks. Flustered, he nodded but for the first time, suddenly looked completely frozen.

“Don’t worry,” you giggled, noticing the way he gulped noticeably when you began to unzip your sweater, “I won’t tell Asuma that you had a peek.”

[cryptids]

I think it's been about like 3-4 years now since I resolved to try and leave a comment on every fic I enjoy enough to read all the way through to the end, and I do pretty much all of them (the few exceptions are always when I'm reading before bed and accidentally fall asleep then forget to do it lmao) So uhhh.... for no particular reason, here are some things I've learned over time? This is just me personally though so ymmv of course.

It becomes a lot easier to think of what to say after you've been doing it for a while. At first I used to really struggle with what to write and putting stuff into words?? But is easy for me now.

The commenting itself also becomes a habit after some time and stops feeling like something that takes significant extra effort. It's just second nature now and really does feel easier.

I only get a response from the authors on maybe like.... 1/5th?? Of the comments I leave. It can be disheartening at first (especially when it's a really long or heartfelt comment that took you ages to write) bc it feels like the writer isn't seeing it and you're just posting into the void lmao. My only advice is just to try not to let it discourage you... I know a lot of writers don't reply bc they're shy or aren't sure what to say, or they intend to and forget, or they just haven't checked that account in years. Tbh I just figured there's no way to know if my comment will be seen, but it's worth leaving them anyway bc the times they are appreciated always makes up for it like tenfold.

If you can't think of much to say or don't have the energy, simple stuff like "I loved this" or even just some heart emojis still seem to be appreciated in my experience.

Please don't feel too embarassed to leave comments on super old fics!! I've commented on some fics from 10+ years ago, and gotten delighted responses from their authors who were super happy to know people still enjoyed them.

Please don't feel embarassed to be the first commenter on a fic either. This could just be bc I'm always in rarepair hell but I can't even tell you how many fics I'm the singular comment under, even ones that have a lot of kudos and bookmarks. I promise its not weird to be the only person in a comment section, and yours might encourage others.

Making an account makes things quicker and easier than having to put your info in for anon comments each time. I have an empty ao3 account I use only for commenting and bookmarking, I recommend that for anyone else like me who is not a writer themselves.

I'm not bothering with "don't comment rude or entitled things" type of points or "how to write/structure a comment" bc there's already a lot of posts like that from fic writers, this is just some things from the pov of a regular commenter that I learned through my experience.

I think my final thing worth saying is that if you have any anxiety issues with feeling self conscious like I do, you might worry a lot that you're "being annoying" by leaving comments (especially if you end up leaving multiple by commenting on different chapters). But I've expressed this worry to a number of writers over the years and all of them have told me that its actually the opposite to annoying and they love it. So please let their words reassure you as well gsjshdjs

[onlyjaeyun]

I think my head is going to explode.

He asked if she was ok.

Lowkey that is huge.

(AND SHE FREAKING KNOWS ITS HUGE. SHE TOTALLY KNOWS.)

And it’s bothering him that she’s not ok. He hasn’t lost interest he’s freaking worried. That’s why he hasn’t been back. But she doesn’t know that. Omg.

What is he going to dooooooo? (Because this Hoon is delicious. He is a man of ACTION always. Nothing simmers in him too long before it comes out one way or another. That’s why he touched her in the first place. That’s why he beat up Jaemin. That’s why he said something to Fuma. His feelings really do drive him and honestly I love it.) Is he just gonna show up? Kidnap her and force her to go get her nails done? My money is on randomly showing up…Like Riki’s at his house for some whatever thing so Hoon just goes down and starts banging on her door and she answers wearing his shirt (because the forgetting him is NOT going well)…

I don’t want to pin all my hopes and dreams on this but like… I’m really rooting for him to do something healing here. I mean maybe he’s not there yet but MAYBE HE IS or maybe he is so high key desperate for her body (at least that’s the excuse he’ll tell himself) that he’s willing to take care of her a little to get what he’s craving.

GAH! I don’t know. I have no idea where you’re going next but MAN am I desperate to get there. Like there is no denying he’s bothered by her pain. It’s there. He’s angry about it—but it’s full there on his angsty little tumblr. Her pain truly upsets him—but forreal that is nothing new (just ask Jaemin).

I know you’re cooking up some way to bring them back together. (And I’m obviously dying to know what it is) I figured (because I feel like you’ve hinted at it?)—though I could be totally wrong—but I figured that they would start to fall for each other again even before they realized that their initial fallout was due to a misunderstanding and maybe I’m delulu but I’m wondering if this particular moment is going to be the start of that like…manifesting? Because I mean I know the hate is there, but there’s also something else—something deeper and it’s so clear and I just love how hard both of them are trying to pretend that something doesn’t exist.

But you can only fight being someone’s soulmate or whatever for so long ya know…

see what i mean? how is this not the most beautiful commentsry on a piece of work youve ever seen?? I LOVE WRITERS SO SO SO MUCH 🥺 thank you for this baby, i really hope you know how much i appreciate your asks, they really make my day :(

i love how you commented I KNEW IT on the last chap bc i knew you'd say smth and i got so gigglybfkenfoemfl ngl i wasn't gonna make him beat them up just warn and scare them a little but this ask and your thoughts inspired me to do more bc it fits his character so well so thank you so much angel 🥺💗

i don't wanna spoil too much but your thoughts and assumptions about his feelings for her changing is definitely quite close to what i have in mind and i love how similar our brains work 🤭🤭 can't wait for your resction when you read the next chapter bc our baby's been a little unsure about herself and well, hoon's the one who might give her a hand or two to desl with those bad thoughts..all im gonna mentionnis a mirror!🤕

[psychewritesbs]

hi! i didnt have much success when looking through ur blog to see if uve addressed this alrdy so apologies if u have.

i was curious to know ur thoughts on jjk's portrayals of gender, esp women/femininity. if u have particular insight from a psych or philosophy bg, id be interested in hearing that (warning, i have a v feminist critique lens)

ik u love gege's writing 😅 but his handle on female characters/femininity has given me such a difficult relationship w jjk, and its v difficult to have discourse on it. on one hand, we're introduced to sm interesting realistic women, tbh i actually never stanned a woman in manga before jjk. but imo it cant be denied that gege is a sexist writer. despite how realistic jjk women r theyre all .. halfwritten? i cant think of a single one who isnt underwritten, not fully explored, not utilized substantially in the plot, etc. and there r sm ex's of extremely minor male characters in jjk who r given more thematic relevance than frequently recurring women that just underscores that gender gap imo

this isnt solely a gege problem ik but what bothers me in particular about jjk vs other mangas is how gege addresses strength, even in the light of nb/androgynous characters, and how it feels as if gege's def of strength is inherently masculine? even despite going so far as to give us a philosophical battle shonen w diverse reps of gender and emphasizing individuality that encompasses both femme/masc traits

how a reader interprets whether a jjk woman is strong or not is obv subjective. like, i think shoko is strong but shes not depicted as such bc she doesnt have a combative technique whereas yuki maki nobara or mei r depicted as "strong" bc of their battle abilities. but it also feels as if those women r strong bc they take on "masculine" traits/mindsets whereas there r no clear depictions of "femininity" making women or men stronger. even utahime who falls into v classic shoujo girl tropes is seen as weak despite teaching her students v proficientally in battle strategy (mechamaru v mahito is a good ex of that imo), as compared to how gojo teaches his (ie dumping them into missions for experience). but thats not what gege ever chooses to highlight

femininity also doesnt even seem to make men/nb characters stronger. the ex's i can think of r naoya as a vagina (lmao), geto as a mother to curses, yuta as highly attuned to his emotions, kenjaku as yuji's mother -- those r things that support these (mostly) men's strong sense of individuality but like, those arent really the things that lend those characters their "strength", u know? like geges just sprinkling in androgyny for the spice 🧐

what is feminine vs masculine, how an individual embodies those traits in their gender identity r already complex topics. im obv generalizing a lot here, but i just, idk despite how many other nuanced philosophies gege explores, what is strong/desirable in jjk still falls down to all-out fighting abilities/physical prowess, emotional detachment, isolation, extremism, etc -- all things we harp on toxic masculinity for. and even when he critiques that, theres no cogent counter solution/way to be strong that gege provides, much less one that incorporates "femininity" and women

maybe im just asking for too much from gege after having read so many great representations of women and gender by female (and male) mangakas/writers but.. i shouldnt be 🙄 he can utilize his female characters more imo, esp when he can clearly set them up so well. and im sure theres things ive misread about jjk and its portrayal of femininity, theres plenty of holes in my thoughts ^^ anyways, this is obv not a great topic to bring up in a fandom that is so polarized between dudebros and women w unaddressed internalized misogyny.. so i welcome any and all thoughts and interpretations on ur end! (also omg im rlly sorry this got so long)

I love you feminist anon, if I may call you that lol, I just always name my anons 😂. I am so grateful that you sent this.

I feel like you've very eloquently explained the deeper reason as to why I personally can't relate to the female characters in jjk. If I'm honest, I like them and think they are fun and good enough representations or attempts at depicting the archetypes that rule their personalities.

As you say, however, some of them remain rather superficial and underutilized... and please forgive me anyone who loves them, but some of them feel like they are basically dudes wearing skirts.

No offense to dudes who wear skirts or people who like men who wear skirts or anyone for that matter. It's just that, as a personal preference, I like female characters that wear skirts, pants, leggings, etc and have equal amounts of masculine and feminine energy.

So, even if I find they are good enough, I've never necessarily loved jjk female characters, because, as you also say, I've read/seen one too many amazing and iconic female characters by other authors...

And it's not like I think you're asking for too much from Gege in wanting better female characters, it's just that, as you also said, I like his writing and I read jjk precisely because of what it's doing for my masculine psyche. Like... quite literally.

So perhaps I'm more forgiving than you are because of it? Because in all reality, there are female character moments in other manga that I have to give the bombastic side eye to, and jjk isn't one of them.

Let's taco'bout it more under the cut.

So, that said, I have to admit that you might not find a lot of "feminist oriented" content in my blog because my feminist lens is reserved for dealing with lame dudebros in my real life, and also, I honestly do not know how to wear the lens on the same level of depth as you do.

Also, since my blog's lens is depth psych, I very much focus on femininity and masculinity as psychological qualities that exist on opposite ends of a continuum regardless of biological gender. You'll see me refer to femininity and masculinity like this throughout my answer.

So because of this, I'm coming at the whole issue from a slightly different angle than you are. The way I see it, I think the way the jjk female characters are written and thematically utilized (basically everything you said), ultimately comes back to how Gege's exploration of femininity is limited by his own sense of self, and very much likely biased by the sociocultural landscape he grew up in.

I don't know how much you know about Japan, but Japan has one foot in the future, and one foot in the past...

And like... ok I'm totally oversimplifying the whole thing. All I'm saying is... Gege is a man who grew up in a man's world, sharing his view of the world through jjk, which is a story about initiation of the male psyche that is published in a magazine for young boys.

Do you see the pattern there?

So If you feel like his female characters are underutilized and underexplored, and that thematically jjk focuses way too much on masculinity and masculine definitions of strength at the expense of the feminine archetypes he does present (like Naoya as a vagina LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL)... well... to me, we're basically looking at the limits of his own relationship to his femininity, which, this relationship is in turn an imperative precursor for psychospiritual development in depth psych. More of this in a bit.

Anyways, that's my anticlimactic reasoning for why I am more forgiving about the issue than you are. To be honest, I've been so consumed exploring my masculine psyche through jjk (because personally my feminine psyche is more developed in certain aspects) that I just never focus on the female characters (that is not to mention what I shared earlier).

ANYWAYS, I fucking love what you wrote about Gege's exploration on power from a masculine perspective because you're 100% spot on. What I'll say to that is that, to me, from a depth psych perspective, that's kind of the whole point.

I invite you to look at it from this other level of perspective (in addition to the whole "Gege's psych is a product of his upbringing"): the whole idea of individuality and focusing on the sense of self as a measure of "The Strongest" is being shown as an incomplete part of the equation...

... that leaves "the strongest" ultimately feeling dissatisfied.

This is a sentiment echoed by several characters because ego strength (masculine definitions of strength) is ultimately an unbalanced measure of strength precisely because it ignores feminine values and measures of strength.

Who knows where Gege is taking jjk at this point, but I will admit I am hoping he is going to explore this in more depth because, central to Jungian thought and depth psych is the idea of the Buddhist middle path and union of opposites.

In Jungian psych this means that, when you have an unbalanced ego attitude like that, something has to give so that the pendulum swings in the opposite direction, which gives the ego the experiences it needs to integrate the "opposite" attitude. This ultimately results in a more holistic and balanced perspective for the ego.

That to say that I'm wondering if Gege is going to make the pendulum swing in the opposite direction with the whole "individuality" idea since self-preservation is a "masculine" trait. Again, psychologically, it's all about balance, and right now, the story is out of balance in favor of the masculine traits you mention.

But... to bring it back to Gege's possible limitations around his perception of femininity and how developing a healthy relationship to his anima (femininity) is a precursor for psychospiritual development... what if, on a meta level, jjk is depicting part of Gege's journey towards integrating and deepening his relationship to his femininity and what you're seeing is the beginning of that journey?

Hint hint Tsumiki! maybe I'll write about it someday

This is the thing... In depth psychology, more specifically what is called "the psychology of fairy tales", fairy tales and myths are stories that depict the thinking patterns of a peoples through metaphor and symbol. The characters in these myths and stories are thus characters playing out dramas in our own psyches. So basically, think of jjk as an objective exploration of Gege's subjectiveness (psyche).

Admittedly, even if the pendulum swings in the other direction (more feminine definitions of strength), you might find that his exploration is rather shallow or that it falls short of your expectations for what you'd like to see from a feminist perspective. And you wouldn't be wrong for it, it's just that Gege is probably not on the same level of understanding that you have about femininity because he's, like you and I, a human on a journey of self understanding and growth reflecting on how his environment has shaped who he is.

The same goes for women with internalized misogyny. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know, and coming to an understanding of it is a process that doesn't take place overnight.

So I think the only part I'll disagree with is that Gege is a sexist writer. But that's perhaps because I'm being a bit too technical in what sexist means? i.e. masc supremacy or hating women and perpetuating stereotypes. I think that rather than being sexist, his unconscious biases are showing, which is why someone like you can pick them out.

I do understand where you're coming from though, and admittedly perhaps I am being too forgiving of him.

Last thing I'll say is that I've said a couple of times that wanting for jjk to have these iconic female characters feels like an exercise in futility. In retrospect, I now understand that it's not that anyone shouldn't want for jjk to have iconic female characters, but that doesn't change the fact that jjk will probably remain the wrong manga to look for them, and that's something to make peace with because it is what it is.

So, here's to hoping we get a chance to see a deeper representation of feminine values in jjk or Gege's next manga. Because, if he's done such beautiful work with the masculine psyche, like you, I'd be curious to see what he makes of a deeper exploration of the feminine psyche.

Between you and I, I'd actually love reading a proper battle bl from Gege. And I mean proper. Like... gays so canon that even the dudebros can't deny it.

ANYWAYS... giiiiiiiirl what an ask 😮‍💨. I don't think I've done it justice tbh. But hopefully I made sense? I really do love what you wrote. It was very eye opening to see this age-old argument spelled out the way you did it. So thank you again for sharing your thoughts!

If you over have any other thoughts on the topic I look forward to hearing from you!

I rambled too so... hopefully I made sense 🤣.

[galatariel]

Sorry i don't know if you want a complaint and you can delete if you want but something that has really bothered me lately is that gifmakers have to put so much time and effort into genuinely creating good gifs and get like 100 notes at best and smut writers write wish fulfilment fantasies about how a real life kpop idol acts in bed with their headcanons and get 10k followers in like a few months like how can people even morally agree with that

yeah i mean idk i dont want it to be twisted like im going after a particular acc or writer but realistically (and unfortunately) thats literally just what sells to the people like these 10k followers would also *want* to read that too 😭 bc like dont get me wrong ive read a few good fics in my lifetime (the lotr all expanding universe one that changed my life forever 8000 pages saved in pdf form for me on my devices) but nsfw fics of real life celebrities have oft weirded me out bc like yeah the idol might be hot and u can be like omg theyre sooo fine [redacted ***** **** ****] but theres like boundaries that have become so normalised to cross and consume im so sorry if this makes no sense im so tired

anyway ive detracted and to ur original point! i do agree but ultimately what can u do 😭 im happy w what i do on here and as i am but unfortunately so many great ccs have left for that very reason after putting so much effort and love into what they do and getting no response but thats not just an issue w kpopblr its literally tumblrwide

[nicromancytarot]

thank you for explaining in such detail!

my problem is i cant seem to let go of this one kpop idol, ik its so unrealistic that we would ever date and i bitterly regret not doing something cool like music before the internet came about its been an interest of mine for pretty much over a decade and due to unhelpful situations i never stuck to anything or not being sure of what i wanted to do. my other issue there is a bit of an age gap, not by a much but its like i cannot stop thinking of them, even if there r other celebs i could be obsessing about i still always seem to go back to this one idol in particular even if theres dozens of other idols i could crush on or theres other groups i might follow it still seems ro lead me back to this one idol specifically and its very annoying. i cannot even take a break from liking him its constant every other day he pops in my head like a fucking lightbulb and i immediately then regret not doing something really cool with my life bc then maybe id have small chance of meeting him at least but alas never going to happen

i have only dreamt of them once or twice i forget the exact amount yet that was only after i had watched a reading for them so that was bizzarre bc a) i dont dream much, b) if i do they usually dont make much sense anyway and c) i have yet to have any dreams of kpop idols full stop like askde from one other idol i have barely had any dreams feature idols except for this one guy, twice, i knew it was him right off the bat

my other issue is any other celeb i have ever liked recently have been of similar water sign to this idol almost like a weird pattern. i have been told my fs is footballer (premier league? i presume could be wrong theres other leagues too and i have been to several matches albiet not recently) but i dont know how much to believe in it, i asked someone else they said it was soulmate connection, i asked someone else once again they said i had seen them but not met them and they didnt think much of me

yet i keep going back to this other kpop idol all the damned time i swear im not their fs and im not connected to them in any way again i dont think anyone would bother dating me at this age with my lack of dating experience might not interest anyone and tbqfh im not fussed if i dont date but im still curious as to who they are or if id truly love them but at the samr time again i dont particularly want to be so delulu about it and be like oh my god i have to date them i need a relationship and be so desperate about it i think that would be off putting if it was forced like that

sorry for my rambling but it was such an interesting topic that i hope u dont mind me sharing my experiences so far with tarot and lately an interest in divination

I like to think that any connection we make whether it be through the internet or in person, there is always a reason for it, this person could be the gateway to you understanding how you’d like to be treated in the future by your next partners and future spouse. It’s definitely normal to have a crush on a celebrity so don’t feel bad about that, you’ll definitely meet your future spouse soon enough with the right decisions and choices, by that point you’ll hopefully be able to let go of this idol that you feel so much for.

Perhaps they were connected to you in a past life and that’s why they still serve such a purpose in your life now.

My future spouse and I served a few lives together where we were all different things, going from soulmate friends in one, to absolute worst enemies in the next, and then owing our lives to each other in the one after that. I’m not quite too sure of his purpose in my life this time around, I assume this is my last life so it would make sense to connect with him one last time in the physical.

You may find that this idol is someone who shapes you to be the person that you want to be, perhaps he will push you to get back into music, I’m also working on becoming a musician lmao, that’s how my future spouse and I shall meet (which makes almost no sense since he pretty much will be out of the influencing circle by then, but whatever fate wants I suppose) He may not be there for you to be romantically involved with, but his presence could cause you to try and make something out of those discarded dreams of yours, which could eventually bring you to be with your future spouse.

[the-storming-sea]

also also read ur intro post just now may i politely ask about your opinions of asian media and rep. is it specifically for fantasy? or just lots of genres with general trends or themes youve noticed? 👀

omg i wrote that so long ago and my brain is kinda fried so i'll be a little brief. may expand on it later but eh its all good. these are just rambling thoughts

a lot of asian rep in media mostly revolves around the east asian experience, which is valid bc god knows they need it, except often times it leaves out literally everyone else in its wake, or it keeps grouping up certain asians together. currently south east asian cultures are particular victims of this. But sometimes what ends up happening is that there is a "fantasy asia" world where the world is not technically Asia, but it might as well be given the inspiration behind it. in my personal opinion its kinda orientalist and a bit fetishistic of the 'exoticness' of asian cultures. Like it wants asia but without all of the real people in it

like for example the world in raya and the last dragon. it was great seeing someone who looked at me on screen but goddamn they couldn't at least set it in south east asia, let alone have distinct cultures instead of just taking little aspects of culture and making fantasy. it was a great movie for diaspora sure, but anyone actually from south east asia was disappointed. Xiran Jay Zhao compiled a two part video on it that elaborates more on it better than i could right now–i say compiled bc she doesnt do much talking in them aside from the beginning of the video; everyone else talking in it is south-east asian.

another fantasy world heavily inspired by Asia is ofc atla's world. my problem is that While its a good representation of east asian cultures, south east, south asian, northern asians, and western asians are left behind.

and what bothers me is that there are many places where they can fit in. Like the swampy tribe areas and the ancient firebenders from the dragons era feel like they should be south east asian inspired somewhat, and if you wanted to make a commentary on how these lands have been taken over and colonized (or at least there was an attempt on colonization) would be interesting. or how it feels like it makes more sense for katara and sokka to be more north asian inspired than american inspired. and of course there was the one (1) south asian inspired character who was. more of a caricature than anything else. im not saying the indigenous american rep is bad. obviously any representation is great, especially for indigenous americans. But if you are going to create a clearly "asian inspired" world (like nearly every aspect of this world is asian in culture and the main character is clearly a buddhist monk, it would be hard to argue otherwise), then at least take inspiration from asian cultures?

(side note people making fun of the swampy fog people is not great. does not feel great. regardless of whether they believe they're south east asian rainforests or the american bayou)

other small things are more of fan issues than creator issues. specifically the way people treat some anime characters like they're white instead of japanese/asian and then hold them to white cultural standards. all might is a great example, where despite being named Toshinori Yagi and being from a world where the mc has green eyes and green hair, people still think hes white bc hes blonde haired blue eyes and loves america? which–side note, you dont have to be an american to love america, lots of older people who got really into the american dream still like america. another thing was when i read a bnha fanfic that described someone as looking "asian" which. yeah i sure hope so. the story takes place in japan. and then theres some people not recognizing that asians all look very different from one another even if they're from the same area of the world.

more recently ive noticed the fandom racism in dungeon meshi specifically towards shuro, who despite being from a fantasy world is clearly japanese, and from a japanese-inspired culture. and its his culture which leads him to respond to laios in the way that he does. im not saying its racist to be upset that shuro responded to laios that way, but like. different cultures come with different cultural views and different ways of responding. shuro and laios come from two very different cultures. it happens.

this is kinda a lot and may not make sense bc im super tired rn jhfdbgdhjfbgd but i didnt want to forget this ask and just never respond to it

[xenosaurus]

NO OKAY BUT THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS CHANCE BECAUSE I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS ALWAYS (and this ask will immediately identify me to anyone who knows me bc im literally the only person in the world who cares) but please never read N.K. Jemisin's "The City We Became." She's won three hugos in a row and thats very impressive, nothing but love and respect to my sister who has Made It and Paved the Way for more of us to go forward. I haven't actually read her hugo winners and i'd like to, but unfortunately i started with The City We Became and now i hold a Grudge.

Why:

on the surface this book is a Cool Woke Twist on lovecraftian horror set in new york city. the basic premise is fun: the avatars of the boroughs of new york forming together to help their city become a fully fledged cosmic entity of a sort. the villain here is the literal spirit of gentrification, and while theres a lot of good things that could come from that set up, the actual execution makes it an absolute agony to get through. everything is so hamfisted and somehow smug about recognizing the most basic ideas. its too smug and condescending to appeal to anyone in the center, its ideas too juvenile to appeal to anyone in the left, and its weird flat characterization of the villains as The Most Cartoonishly Evil Cops/N*zis You Can Think Of kind of makes the conflict feel... empty. It's hard to explain without experiencing it, but i cannot recommend anyone actually read it. or maybe u should just so i can finally talk to other people about this, maybe im insane for feeling this way.

some favorite moments of mine, in no particular order:

-the multiple instances of a side character being introduced, having their race and tragic backstory exposited in one sentence, and then they vanish, never to appear in the narrative again

-white supremacists attack the indie art museum on twitter. thankfully they start a counter hashtag and the entire situation wraps up in under 24 hours. they go from "we have to fire all of you bc of pressure from these assholes" to "actually its fine" bc of twitter. i dont even think its supposed to be part of the magic of the city or whatever. its an incredible sequence.

-"he shot out of the pool like a child fired from a hot buttered child cannon"

-theres a bit where the author sets up a neat fight between a character who does a cool transformation and a REALLY neat monster. u will not see that fight play out. that scene isnt in the book. just the leadup and the aftermath. why even bother.

-one of the main characters has a tumblr but its obvious the author hasnt like... used tumblr. this isnt a major sin but it is funny

-really have to state again that theres a line in this book that reads "hot buttered child cannon." this also isnt a sin, this is maybe poetry.

-its labeled as adult fiction, it feels like its trying to go for grit and gore and sex in places, but its also weirdly shy about engaging directly with a lot of that stuff. this one might (MIGHT) actually be a style thing, admittedly most of my nitpicks surround one specific character who has a reason to be Like That, but i also have issues with her as a whole that i do not have space 2 get into here. regardless, a lot of this book feels like ya somehow, but the concepts its playing with and some of the scenes DO also make it feel too adult to really suit that either. its... weird.

its kind of a mess in a lot of places, and honest to god it sort of drags in the middle. if you DO pick it up, i recommend the audiobook. the narrator does a fantastic job, and they do some fun sound design in a few places. unfortunately the story itself is kind of hollow. it has a lot of diversity, but the way so many of those diverse characters are tossed out for brownie points and discarded, the way so many characters go into these preachy little rants about VERY basic ideas like "white supremacy bad" its just...

im sure that the author meant well. this book wouldve raised the bar for its representation in like... 2014. maybe thats when she started writing it, idk. unfortunately it came out in 2020 and i think it just feels Dated in a very strange way.

u dont have 2 publish any of this also ofc, im just always here to Unrecommend this book. unfortunately theres a sequel and some part of me is holding out hope that the author fixed some of the things i took issue with in the intervening years, so im bound to this series via curse. even if i hate this one, i know theres gonna be at least one more, and maybe *that* one will fix it-

do not be like me.

This ask was a ride from start to finish. I feel like I was shot out of a hot buttered child cannon.

[horizon-verizon]

There's a very particular kind of exhaustion I feel when I see how the black family dynamic was and is handled on the show. I'm chewing on this to figure out how to say it and be coherent, but I think it bothers me that Balla and Rhaena are perceived as Velaryon and I don't like that it bothers me.

Normally, I would love to not eliminate the mother, her family and her lineage in history, it would seem great to me if they used her more than as "the woman who gave birth to them."Given how close and intertwined the Velaryon and Targaryen families are (especially the children) that the double heritage is recognized is logical and expected.

Here's the thing: it's not that Baela and Rhaena are recognized as Velaryon, it's that they are completely erased as Targaryens by erasing their relationship with Rhaenyra and Daemon.Now Baela is a dragon rider like her mother and Rhaena is resentful of not having grown up with her grandmother.

All the relationships that the girls are interested in are with their maternal family and all the grandchildren that Rhaenys is interested in are Laena's daughters.There is an intentional cut, a separation, that isolates these three women from their Targaryen side,all under a narrative in which they were violated and robbed of their true birthright.

This is where the part comes where I feel bitter and that is that these opinions do not seem to be based on a feminist reading (in fact some come directly from people who hate Rhaenyra and they simply use these other women to criticize her) but it comes from a racist reading. I have the terrible, uncomfortable feeling that Baela and Rhaena perceive themselves as more Velaryon and linked to the Velaryon side and everything they have *must* relate to the Velaryon because they *look* like Velaryon.

From here I have rewritten what I wanted to say several times because I wanted to express myself well and explain myself but I ended up rambling because how as someone who comes from a mixed family many of these readings reek of light segregation because the place of Baela and Rhaena and the expulsion of Rhaenyra's children from that is based on their physical appearance to keep them divided.

I have the terrible, uncomfortable feeling that Baela and Rhaena perceive themselves as more Velaryon and linked to the Velaryon side and everything they have *must* relate to the Velaryon because they *look* like Velaryon.

Maybe. It's hard to tell right now. I think it's generous to expect these white writers to really capture this experience of some mixed peoples as it actually is. I'm not sure if the "twins" feel that in the show either. The writers don't have the tools to realize that experience, the point of reference, the consultation, nor the direct experience so its surface level. And in part bc they don't even have grasp for how "race" relations work in Westeros as there is little reference for mixed families, so they hang back and lightly use their own reference for race relations.

I think it's more:

them perceiving that-- in lieu of this separation of Black women from their Blackness [below]--that they rebound to using the girls' Blackness to mark them as "too" different from the Targs to really be a part of them, which shapes how the characters move and navigate around each other

to appeal/in shared belief to some Targ antis who scream "the Targs are colonizers!" And to those PoC/black people who say the same of the Targs, it reads as complimentary because Blackness gets separated from "Targness" without losing the "cool" stuff entirely.

Because, even as white supremacy seeks to make race overpower ethnicity or heritage entirely, it also will use objectifying interpretations of ethnicity to define its own categories of "race" and which people "deserve" what. Precisely bc it separates and isolates!

Here's the thing: it's not that Baela and Rhaena are recognized as Velaryon, it's that they are completely erased as Targaryens by erasing their relationship with Rhaenyra and Daemon. Now Baela is a dragon rider like her mother and Rhaena is resentful of not having grown up with her grandmother. All the relationships that the girls are interested in are with their maternal family and all the grandchildren that Rhaenys is interested in are Laena's daughters. There is an intentional cut, a separation, that isolates these three women from their Targaryen side, all under a narrative in which they were violated and robbed of their true birthright.

NOTE: this is all in the case that they do make Rhaena the emotionally and socially isolated girl that some people predict she will be based on Phoebe Campbell's words. And rant incoming.

It becomes so much more real when you think of how they wriggle in Helaena as the Queen, Jace's or otherwise, excusing it as "Baela 'deserves' her own seat to rule as ahead of sorts"...but then Baela as Queen Consort is still not like most other Queen Consorts, bc she comes directly from Daemon Targaryen and has the would be dragonriding Velaryon lineage (w/the Lucerys-Rhaena marriage) doubly supporting Jacaerys! And she's raised to be a much more active participant in politics, more assertive, more conscious, more self-possessed than Helaena (not to Helaena's fault, bc that's on how Ott/Alicent/not-Viserys raised her). Rhaena is more assertive than Helaena, don't let the social coding of the color pink and high femmeness fool you! Also, what would Rhaena be doing with Baela as the Lady of Driftmark? No lands of a prominent house to oversee, or less of chance than she had before, if she didn't marry Luke? And how they try to argue Jaehaera's death made no sense when it makes all the sense in the world. Or that it was too horrible for a child and that GRRM just had biases against the greens or was somehow just an abusive man who endorses child death and murder....when that has been the point of the entire Dance, which they likely also deny, too and round and round we go.

This is all beside the fact that the Velaryons would have to refer to Daemon and prob Viserys before they could totally leave the seat to one of the girls bc....these girls are TARGARYENS! It is their surname, the house they are a part of bc last time I checked, no King or great event changed this custom or affected it in any way!!! Not like with how Jacaerys' name would change to "Targaryen" after his ascension in the agreement Viserys (the king) makes w/Corlys, and that was for ONLY those claimants/descendants b/t both their houses whom they share, not everyone else in the realm! With Rhaena, in the show, they poise the Velaryons as sort of possible refuge from her neglectful and disappointed father Daemon and the loneliness of her other's absence emphasized by Rhaenyra's presence (and the lack of Rhaenyra-Laena which poses Rhaenyra as much more a stranger "imposing" on Rhaena's life). Part of the whole "men are naturally violent" agenda for any sense of power.

People have reasoned that Rhaenys is "isolated" from the Targs because it is her own grandfather and cousin who dispossess her children's/her right to the throne after years of her pride to be a part of this family. Rhaenys already passed over in the final deliberations in the G.C. of 101--however, it's pretty clear that she was enthusiastically on Rhaenyra's side, the woman that HotD turned resentful towards. One of the women Rhaenys risked her life for. (@pessimisticpigeonsworld has a great post abt women being isolated from each other & female friendships stereotypes HERE).

If the show really has gone down the route Phoebe Campbell is describing with Rhaena, then the show is creating a storyline for the women of the black (except Rhaenyra) where to be a Targaryen is itself to impossible to be while being female. While there is some truth when we think about the progression of assimilation into Andal patriarchy, it simply goes against what is suggested in canon for this set of Targs. Daemon is not like Jaehaerys or Aenys or Maegor...the guy fully dies to remove the biggest threat to his wife's and their kids' safety AND claims. Saera and Viserra, for the most part, do not seem to have grown the sort of knowledge that the dragon twins have and without the trauma [again, the twins had "it" before any of their family dies]. And I already mentioned Rhaenys' devotion to Rhaenyra that comes easier witht he fact that even before in the GC, Rhaenys had been passed over in the first review and it is actually her son Laenor who was passed over for her "side" to be completely blocked. For Rhaenyra to become queen is to still "stick it" to Jaehaerys and all those lords who voted against her and her children!

Even still, Alysanne, Rhaena, Daenerys Stormborn, Daena, Elaena, etc. are all women who have take great pride in being Targaryens! There are so many citations of their words AND actions about it: Daena naming her son after the Prince Daemon and sleepig with Aegon IV instead of bound by Baelor her brother; Rhaena saying she is the Visenya to Alysanne's Rhaenys (implying maybe Jaehaerys is Aegon); Daenerys and her brothers! They never (or very rarely) thought it undermined their femininity or womanhood, and vice versa. They made new meaning of it or tried to. And they all do fight for their agency, & sometimes they obtain and keep some that wouldn't be there if they hadn't fought for it! This must mean something! Do not Black women have to fight for getting still less than their white counterparts in work spaces (Fannita at TikTok and all those stitiches)?!

Black women, on the whole, do not eschew their Blackness--or really they can't, but many wouldn't even if they could--to reaffirm their womanhood. It's actually twofold: anti-Targness AND the continuation of the systematic attempts to separate Black women from her Black heritage or make these things contradictory so that a black woman can never be truly "real", onto herself as her own agent, or have something to springboard and keep developing a sense of self and values from that may oppose white supremacist sensibilities towards "divide and conquer". And I'm not talking about black men, I'm just talking about Black women in a white supremacist world that seeks to make an object designed to go nowhere, do nothing, etc. Because if you cut off a person's heritage....how can they move the world around them? Another reason why PoC women love Daenerys Stormborn, who makes meaning of her ancestors without totally denying their wrongs and evils for altruistic ends. She found strength in herself, but the way towards that was to review her "past" which not not childhood only but the cultural context of which she was taken from. Idk how to say this, but while it can be part of a healing process to just abandon everything and start somewhere new, that is not what the show is doing bc you can hardly call the Velaryons "new" or free bc we still have Corlys' sexism and insistence on a male heir AND the Velaryons--if we believe Phoebe--are still rejecting Rhaena, so this paradigm is still not safe for her either and that whole idea falls apart to what it really is about!

Oh, and just bc "blackness" doesn't quite exist in the same way for Westerosi as for real Westerners, doesn't mean that real Westerners with a background in living with in a white supremacist world with viewers who live in a white-supremacist world are not looking at these girls as Black AND are not consciously and subconsciously making writing and characterization choices that are inspired by racism.

Also, the Targaryen girls/dragon "twins" becoming more "Velaryon" girls instead of their more popular (lets bfr) and awe-inspiring heritage of magical dragonriders. The Targs are just more in the center of the narrative, and many nonBlack people--most of the most vocal ones white or self-hating black and nonBlack PoC--do not see Black people as fully human or someone they can self-insert or see a perspective through. Or "relate" to.

So you're not wrong, anon, for racism motivating fans & the writers to see it this way. I see it, too. Honestly, danylanzhou of Twitter might be better able to answer the part about heritage and isolation and Dany's arc than me, but I hope this somehow helps?