#like how much would that factor in or would another person be like 'that's bullshit you know youre a Uaisdufa based on the stardate'

[andragoras-in-vanity]

i literally have anxiety about being single for fall again, i cant do this again and im still not living in nova scotia like im supposed to be and no one cares. my stomach literally is ripping itself apart because this fucking sucks and im touchstarved but im so sick of spineless little boys i cant even risk a hookup, which always make me feel like shit anyone like im cheating on someone ive never even met, and i dont know what to do about it, someone help please. in any way, just please help me.

[calware]

dear calware, I'm not sure how much you know on the topic of Doc Scratch, but I was wondering, why is the common consensus around him that he's like a creepy pedophile? after rereading his messages with Rose, he seems more tone deaf and weird than a fully on creep. is there something I'm missing?

scratch isn't "literally" a pedophile (or a hebephile, which is the accurate term for this situation) which we know because of this

but at the same time, that is still the Way he's written

(i'm sorry if this following explanation is confusing.... i really do not have the right wording to describe it) it's almost like a metaphorical representation. he's a child predator in every way but the actual sexual attraction. the way he's written references the behavior of actual child predators and is meant to signal to the audience that this is the Kind Of Character he is. it's a literary tool(?)to tell the audience that he is literally taking advantage of characters in various ways (as well as straight up abusing damara) while at the time comparing it to child sexual abuse

but if you do want literal actions on his part, he does Literally groom young girls and they are his targets for manipulation

also, directly from the author commentary (which. is not 100% serious at times. but i do think it sometimes offers some actual insight):

I know I just said a bunch of stuff about [DD] maybe being a creep. But look, this is just my OPINION here. I don't think he's actually being creepy about this. I think he has a genuinely parental attitude toward Aradia and wants to see her succeed in her violent and underhanded schemes. See how he wants them to conduct their business with efficiency? He's way too professional to go Full Doc on these girls.

Another peek at Rose suggests she's still at it with her creepy uncle, Doc Scratch.

Then you have a few beats of conversation which bring Equius to mind, such as the creep-factor

[Dirk and Equius] have this creepy-guy streak running through them, with strange or offputting interests, and seem to get a quiet kick out of making others uncomfortable through demonstrations of these fascinations. [...] I'd say these self-examined qualities are just drawn out, isolated, and inflated both for dramatic effect, and also as critical write-up of those qualities existing within many human beings in general, which I would like to think is grounded in a creative process involving a certain degree of humility about some of this bullshit. I like all these characters here, but that doesn't mean I think their unpleasant qualities are good. It just means I am harnessing and heightening those qualities for creating strong villainous portraits.

We start getting the sense that the entire purpose of this conversation, from Doc's vantage point, is just to passive-aggressively manipulate Rose into peering directly into one of his cursed testicles. Wait, my youth pastor is literally barking like a dog right now for some reason. Probably because I put him on a leash and tied him to a post in the backyard. I guess I fucked up again? I mean one of Doc's seeds.

Maybe it's fair to say I have a higher than average tolerance troubling content. But even I have to admit to shuddering a little when I read Doc's creepy lines toward Rose. I think Doc's creep factor toward girls is most likely channeling part of Caliborn's personality, which almost seems to revolve around his horrid attitude toward women. For Caliborn, this weird combination of wrathful misogyny, yet fixation and obsession with certain girls, is obviously central to the type of real-world profile he's meant to portray. But when his personality is more muted among the collective in Doc's head, those qualities come across as more "restrained," "polite," and "flattering," which arguably just makes it all creepier. The result is a creepy dude profile that also exists in the real world, sort of adjacent to the Full Caliborns out there. There seem to be many stripes of this kind of unfortunate male behavior, which all exists in a broader family of sub-Caliborns. The Docs, the Eridans, the Cronuses… They're all sketchy in different ways.

Doc sitting back just to "watch" is another creepy Equiusism. Remember that was a thing with him.

I wonder what Jade would think if she knew she had in her possession since childhood one of Doc's testicORACLES!!! Oracles. The word I meant to say was oracles, not anything else. Anyway, like I was saying, how would Jade react if she realized every time she played with one of her beloved toys, she was actually fondling this weirdo's plump, juicy oracle. I know you think my youth pastor may have something to do with this peculiar outburst, but you're wrong. I "dismissed" him recently, because he told me with great pride that I learned everything he had to teach me. I don't need anyone to keep me from shoving my foot in my mouth anymore, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know. Now let's watch this grieving teen receive a demonic message from an evil puppet's big fat nut.

bonus commentary from book 6 that has nothing to do with the post:

We're reaching a specific kind of story partition. Not the end of an act, but the end of a year. Also an end of "disc," which is a kind of meta-partitioning I just made up for the purpose of closing the book on two years of content, as well as being a good meta-device for introducing the Doc sequence we're about to get into in the next book.

"next book"...... sad

[tossawary]

Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

[sleepyspudbrainrot]

Carry You Home (Pt. 2)

Roman Reigns x Lale (OC) | 18+, NSFW, eventual smut, fluff | 1954 words

Pt. 2 of that fluff piece... hopefully y'all enjoy this part as much as the first.

And let me not forget to tag ... @southerngirl41 ❤️️

The next morning, Lale found herself with her face buried in the chest of the man beside her.  His muscular arm thrown across her waist, his breathing even as sleep held him longer still.  She sighed softly, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she debated the likelihood of being able to slide out of his grasp without waking him.  A slight shift in movement proved that likelihood to be slim to none.  A rumble vibrated through the males chest as he shifted, drawing her closer to him still. Her cheeks warmed, but nonetheless she settled comfortably against him once again, her head making use of his broad chest as a makeshift pillow.

At some point sleep claimed her once more, the buzzing of her phone on the side table the only thing obnoxious enough to wake the both of them up.  First Joe this time, careful not to move too much in the hopes that Lale would remain asleep.  However, she was much too sensitive to her phone, and given that it was more than likely an alarm…

“Shit.” Lale sat up right, her phone slipping through her fingers to land in her lap.  “What time was your flight?”

The next half hour was a blur of movement.  Two separate showers, the scramble to pack up her things, as well as the sprint to his room to gather his things as well. Which she, of course, felt obligated to help with. Thankfully he’d only really pulled out what he’d needed, leaving most of his things still ready to go.  Once they’d gathered both sets of luggage, they made their way out of the hotel to the waiting cars.  One car for the both of them, perhaps a benefit that she’d come to appreciate when her heart wasn’t trying to beat out of her chest. 

“I haven’t slept like that…” In months? In years? Lale honestly couldn’t remember such a sound sleep, especially with another person.  

“Your welcome ma, if you ever need some more of that… you know how to reach me.”

His smirk tugged at something within her.  It also served as a reminder that she did not in fact know how to reach him.  “Did you get enough sleep Joe? Because I feel like you’re missing one key factor in that…”

The man sitting beside her raised an eyebrow, turning to look at her. “And that would be?”

“When did we exchange numbers?”

She fiddled with the phone in her hand, hesitant to offer the device to him.  It was a step in a direction she wasn’t entirely certain of.  A crossing of boundaries, from ringside interviewer and wrestler to something more.

“Well? What are you waiting for… at least if you’ve got my number, we can avoid me having to look for you next time.”

He didn’t have to look for her for the entire month of june.  He had his matches, she had her gigs on both Raw and Smackdown.  There were glances exchanged and entire text conversations had.  Ones that usually ended with one of them, nine times out of ten her, falling asleep and continuing the conversation the next morning.

It was one of those same conversations that she was engrossed in as she sipped on her morning cup of matcha.  A soft smile taking permanent residence across her mouth.  

“Who’s got you smilin’ like that La?”

Lale felt the presence over her shoulder before she could truly see it.  Cathy Kelley had snuck up on her in the hotel’s coffee shop.  And she could very clearly see exactly who was making her smile like that. 

“I’ll give you two guesses… might need a third, but I’m sorry I just can’t justify it given that you’ve seen too much already.”

Cathy laughed, sitting down across from her at the table near the window.  “You two have definitely become fast friends… could’ve sworn you had a thing about friendships with the male wrestlers?”

Lale blinked, “Did I say that?” She absolutely had and new her line of bullshit wasn’t convincing Cathy of anything. “I figured it was the least I could do after he was there for me… it felt… wrong? To just ice him out after that.”  Even though she hadn’t exactly told him what was wrong, even now a month later.  

“Well… you’re not going to hear me complain.  You need support.  You can’t just soldier through everything on your own ya know?”

While Cathy was in fact correct, Lale couldn’t help but snort. “You and I both know that’s not how my father raised me.”  Her phone buzzed in that moment, the mention of her father a call to the universe that she clearly needed the update from her mother that scrawled across her screen.

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. ‘He’s officially turned in his drivers license.’  Reality crashed down hard.  A gut punch that knocked the wind from her.  Her matcha cup was set to the side, her appetite dissipating with her breath.

“Lale…”  Cathy reached a hand across the table, resting her hand on top of Lale’s.  “I know that face… you made that exact same face - -”

Lale shook her head, chewing on the inside of her lip.  She had to tell her friend.  She had to let her know exactly what was sending her into this spiral.  But something about speaking it aloud… it just made everything too real.  Her phone buzzed again, her thoughts jolting to a stop as Joe’s name lit up the screen and pushed her mother’s text further down.

“It’s… about Dad.  He’s…”  The lump in her throat grew with each word, her eyes burning.  “He just gave up his license and…” And she did not have time to process this right now.  She had errands to run before the show tonight, messages to answer, so many things that she wanted to take priority over processing what she’d just been told.

“I’ve… I’m going to go.  I’ll see you tonight alright?” She didn’t give Cathy a chance to respond, pushing away quickly from the table and departing the cafe as fast as her legs would allow.  Her phone remained clutched in one hand and she found herself opening up Joe’s message.  

“We’ve really got to stop meeting like this ma.”

She stood in front of her open hotel room door, her gazing settling on the presence of Joe in a full suit, clearly prepared for the nights events.  While he wasn’t a main eventer on Raw, he occasionally would make appearances to prove a point, usually with the rest of the bloodline in tow. 

“I just… didn’t want you to have to look for me this time?”

She hadn’t been entirely sure that she’d make it to Raw tonight with this news.  She needed someone to hold her accountable. To force her to get ready and push through, even if it meant compartmentalizing the processing she’d been trying to do before Joe had arrived.

“You planning on actually telling me what happened this time?”

She owed him that at least.  “Yes, just… please come in?”  She stepped aside, allowing him entry before shutting and locking the door behind him.  She moved to sit on the end of the bed, having flashbacks to the month prior.  “I should’ve told you that night and…”  She ran a hand through her hair, releasing a breath through pursed lips. 

“Take your time ma, I don’t have anywhere to be for a couple of hours.”

It was slow to start.  Her words catching as they began to flow from her.  An explanation of the past several months of doctor’s visits and diagnosis’s.  All leading up to the news she’d received only hours prior.  By the time she’d finished, the tears were flowing and she was glad for a brief vain moment that she hadn’t already put on her makeup for the night.  

“So… that’s why you had to find me the other night.  I’d been…” She sighs softly, looking down at her hands in her lap.  “I’d been trying to just not think about it… to avoid it, until well…”  Until she couldn’t.  It was something she’d done her entire life.  Most of the time, it was easier to run than to face the reality that threatened to overwhelm her.  

They sat in silence once she’d finished speaking, her gaze settled on her hands in her lap.  Joe seemed to sense her hesitance, the fear that looking at his face would reveal another reality that she wasn’t prepared to face.  An arm wrapped around her shoulder, drawing her into his side.  In a similar fashion to the last time, she found herself relaxing into his chest.  A hand resting over his heart, the beat a calming rhythm that settled the torrent of thoughts that had swarmed her with all that she’d had to relive.

“Why are you doing this?” The question was out before she could stop it. Her face upturned in order to meet his gaze with hers.

“Doing what?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Coming when I call? 

The question seemed to catch him off guard now.  He still managed to shrug, his thumb rubbing comforting circles into her shoulder as he did so.  “Because ma, underneath all that tough reporter shell, I know you’re a softie… especially when it comes to me.”

She pursed her lips and resisted the urge to roll her eyes once more.  “I’m not sure what else I was expecting…”  A soft sigh escaped her as she settled her head back against his chest.

After a moment, Joe spoke once more. “If you wanted a real answer… I know what that pain feels like and I know what it’s like to face it alone.”

That was what stuck with her as she moved from interview to interview later on that night. Her grip white knuckled as she offered the mic to wrestler after wrestler.  She couldn’t remember most of the matches, or even the questions she’d asked.  It was as if she’d hit reset and for the time being was stuck on autopilot.  So it was a relief once the night was over and she was settled into SUV that was waiting to take her home.  The tension from the day sunk out into the plush leather seats behind her, her phone once again in her hand, her text thread with Cathy lighting up her screen.

Cathy was understandably curious to see how her night had gone.  They’d of course seen one another in passing, but hadn’t had a chance to catch up or have Lale explain her quick departure this morning.  Once she’d told the other woman, she was understanding and made some small comment about nearly sending Joe her way again.

If only she knew…

The car pulled up to the Hotel’s entrance, leaving her response to Cathy half finished and forgotten. The lobby of the hotel was silent outside of the click of her heels and the hydraulics that served to open and shut the elevator doors.  She focused on the numbers above her head as the elevator crept closer and closer to her final destination.

To say she was surprised was an understatement.  Opening the door to her hotel room, only to be greeted by a bottle of wine, a box of takeout that was still warm, and a bouquet of flowers.  “Who…?” Had Cathy worked her magic? Was it someone else? She couldn’t think of anyone other than her family and Cathy that would know the type of takeout she’d gravitate towards. She plucked the card from the center of the bouquet, tugging off the envelope to reveal…

“You looked great tonight. Take some time to rest” - Joe

[iznsfw]

Give me your best minju femdom

just how much are you willing to give for a dream that big?

IZ Days of Christmas: Day 7 - Kim Minju

IZ*ONE's Kim Minju x Male Reader Smut

7,397 words

Categories | dominant_curator!Minju x aspiring_artist!you; mommy kink; MINJU LIKES BEING CALLED DADDY; degradation; #DomJu; femdom

Content warning | pegging, SLIGHT DUB-CON, harsh criticism/insults from Minju

You asked for it.

"I'll think about it."

Four words. Four words that are designed to make it seem that there's still a possibility lingering here, but actually pose a definite answer: no. And you would have believed in a potential answer of yes if it weren't for the curator's amused smile as you exhibit your artworks to her. There's no chance anymore; just by looking at her pink lips, you know what she actually means.

Your whole world falls apart. There's your hope, there's your lifelong dream, all cut into hopeless little fragments on the ground. And all you can think is: why? You've worked so hard for this. You've taken so many classes, so many days of coaching and endless painting. It's a difficult world out there, but you are certain that you deserve better than a " I'll think about it."

You deserve to have your painting in the country's biggest gallery. You deserve the recognition, the praise, everything. But the curator of this museum isn't quite convinced, and although she doesn't say it directly, her bored eyes say it all. To her, you're just another artist with a superiority complex, just another artist she can reject and move on without.

Even her quirked lips tell you that she's unimpressed. Probably even disgusted. How dare a niche artist like you demand to come to her personally and ask to have this... art—(if she can even call it that)—displayed?

Her heels clack on the marble museum floor as she runs her fingers along the frames of your paintings. "Honey," she says, testily, throwing you an amused glance, "this isn't even Picasso level talent. And, in case you don't know, Picasso was a pretty shit artist."

You're taken aback by plenty of factors in that condescending statement, because for one, Picasso was an excellent painter. He's your role model in the world of painting and the medium of art itself. You've visited museums in places you aren't even remotely interested in staying just to see his art in person. Hell, you took classes to be able to replicate his abstract style. How dare this woman speak of him as if he weren't one of the biggest names in art? How dare she? You bet that she probably doesn't know how to name any painting besides Starry Night.

"This one"—and then Minju reaches her bare arm, exposed by the loss of a sleeve attached to her black turtleneck top, to glaze her fingers across one of your pieces—"is probably my least favorite. It's rushed, it's not even colorful enough to attract attention. Not even gray enough to capture a sad mood."

How many pointed bullets has she shot at you this afternoon? You're losing count. "Well," you answer, quite shaken, "I don't believe in colors very much. It's the drawing that should matter. You see—"

"I don't want nor care enough to hear about your nerdy art bullshit."

The umpteenth bullet. It strikes your heart right through the core, and through the flat of your back. You take two steps backward for a reason you aren't sure of. It's a big museum, filled with towering sculptures created by lone artists many decades ago and paintings that take up two blocks, yet what intimidates you more than any of them is this woman:

Kim Minju, curator of the biggest art museum in Korea, and a professional asshole. You had to find that put the hard way the moment you started to crush on her. Who wouldn't? Her features—doe eyes, pointed nose, and thick pink lips—blend in together so perfectly, as if she were another masterpiece in the museum. But looks, you learn, are deceiving. Kim Minju is not as kind as she looks, nor are her words as pretty as her face.

Dress pants sway freely around her slim legs as she walks back to you. Her expressions never vary away from boredom, condescending, and angry. It's like those are the only emotions she is capable of having. She's such a complex person—you understand that although you've only been with her from eight o' clock today to three—but so, unbelievably uninteresting at the same time. You have no idea what to make of her yet, except for the fact that she can be pretty cruel.

Minju approaches you with crossed arms, then pauses when she's just another breath away from you. You try to meet her gaze, but it's too good at holding yours. Besides, the hate you have for the fact that she's taller than you doesn't help either. But you have to hold your ground. If you don't, there will be more pieces to pick up than your broken dreams.

"I'll give it to you straight," says Minju airily, "my museum doesn't have the time for your art."

That's another shot. One more and you're dead. Your cheeks already flush from embarrassment, but she drones on, clearly not caring about what you feel. Not that that's an unusual thing for her.

"I spent all day trying to listen to you talk about your credentials and art whatnot," she continues. "But I'm getting bored, and I don't like your tacky style or you. So I suggest you find another smaller place to start posting your art, like a kindergarten teacher's art class billboard."

You've died at least a hundred times with each word she spits. You're utterly humiliated; you've been through terrors of teachers but you have never received words from them as harsh as Minju's. Every syllable was fashioned to hit just the right spot, because yes, your art's first criticism is its tackiness from when you first started. Yes, it was a risk you took when the first place you decided to hang your art is the biggest museum in the country. But you're not like the other artists. You've improved so much over the years, and your art is nothing less than pleasing to the eyes now that you've found your own style.

You have to admit that they do slightly look out of place with all the other gorgeous paintings, but you can be as good as them. You just need a jumpstart, and you'll get to it. You swear on your own life.

"Miss Kim," you answer, not sure what to say, "I can be as good as Van Gogh, or whoever artist it is that you like. I just need a place to start, and I think your museum is a good place for that."

Minju laughs. "Van Gogh was as shitty as Picasso, dear thing. And your art is not good enough for this museum to be good. So please, take my advice and start at the nearest preschool. I'll hear from you when you've finally gotten into second grade."

Dear thing? Dear thing?! Oh, now she's royally pissed you off. Now, it's your turn to be cocky. Kim Minju is about to find out that two can play at this game.

"For your information, Minju," you reply, now with more confidence, "I'm not your dear thing. And I'm the best artist of my generation right now. You're going to be so sorry if you don't accept my art right now."

Minju nods condescendingly, as if she were listening to a small child rambling about dinosaurs. There's a laugh on her face, which makes you even more infuriated because she is just not getting the point. If she does, she doesn't believe in it. Oh, not in the slightest.

"'Best artist'? Let's not get ahead of ourselves right now. Your style is not unique. The topics you draw are not game-changing. Not even close."

"You just don't have the eyes for it," say you with gritting teeth. You hate how your lips are quivering. "You're, you're not even an artist yourself. You're just a curator."

"And a good one at that." She's just as assured in her own abilities as you are. Minju is unfazed by your amateur insults. She could hear better from a sixth grader. "You can drone on all you want, honey, but that won't change the fact that I'm not interested in taking you in. You can go or kill yourself in front of me. Either way, I won't care."

That's your breaking point. Your hands start to form trembling fists. You can't cope with all this right now, or with Minju. She's just another self-absorbed curator. What does she know about art?

But you've relied your dreams on her. If she doesn't give in, you're nothing. You'll never have a chance to make it big. Nobody cares about art nowadays, except for the classicals, making it even harder to make a name for yourself. You want to become so big in the world of craft that you're credited as inspirations centuries from now. You want to be the best that no one ever was. If Minju doesn't like you or what you make, you don't have a chance.

Gone is your oversaturated arrogance. Gone is the front you were trying to put up before Minju. Most importantly, your dreams are gone, snapped into pieces just like that by words. You're more than hurt; you're devastated. If you can't be a renowned artist—the only steady dream you've had your whole life—what are all your efforts worth now? They will remain fruitless if you don't put one foot forward.

Minju is your wall blocking the path to fame and recognition. A goddamned gorgeous wall who won't falter nor break for anyone, especially not you. No punch can break her foundation. No word from you can make her bricks detoriate.

Try to hold it back, but the tears are forming in your eyes. You're a mess, you truly are. You've been a fool for your dream, and you are just realizing now at the present that it was all for nothing.

"Please," you whisper. Break the staring contest with Minju and look at your shoes instead. Look at the marble floor no one would cross to see your works. Look at the ground where the pieces of your hopes and desires have broken.

"Please what?" Minju is clearly enjoying this. Her crossed arms quiver as she tries to hold back a laugh. Oh, she loves seeing pathetic men admit that they're nothing. It's what she feeds on. She can put their tears in a bowl and put cereal in it for breakfast.

"I'll—I'll do anything. Is that enough? I'll do anything for you to accept my works."

There's the smallest hope in you as you see that Minju is considering this. For a woman like her,and a man like you, she can make you do anything. She can make you mop the floors of the museum and yell "hakuna matata" on its roof and know that you would do all that just for her acceptance. That's what makes it so, utterly satisfying.

"That depends, to be honest," she says slowly.

Minju leans down a little and places a finger under your chin. Her nails are sharp, and they scratch your skin as she tilts your face upwards. Her smile is teasing; you hate that you like it so much. You hate that despite her clear description of how much she dislikes you as a person and you as an artist, your magnetic attraction to her remains.

"Just how much are you willing to give, boy toy, for a dream that big?"

She's degrading you again. It's strange how much it makes your skin tingle.

"Like I said," you sniffle, "anything. I'll give anything."

"Oh, you'll sooo regret saying that."

With a woman of her caliber? Of course you will. But you're a desperate person. It's your sheer need and your willingness to do whatever it takes to get it that get you to places. It's both an advantage and a disadvantage, a pro and con, light and dark. Chiaroscuro, if you will.

"W-what do I have to do?" you ask shakily.

"Simple." And she says this without any shame or sign of shame: "Call me mommy."

It takes a moment for you to register, and Minju uses your confusion as the perfect time to pin you to the wall, like you are a masterpiece, too. Not that she sees you in that light; you are too weak to be one. Too easy to be played with.

Minju is kissing your neck. Lipstick leaves fresh marks on your skin. And when she bites... oh, your knees do more than buckle. You almost collapse to the floor. Thank God (or not) for Minju's hands popping your shirt buttons; they keep you standing. They keep you knowing that all this is real.

She kisses you again, crudely. "What did I say?"

"Call you mommy..."

"Say it then."

She swiftly pulls off her black top, and in the bat of an eyelash, tangles your wrists in between its fabric behind your back. All the while, her kisses rampage your skin. She can't get enough of your pathetic submissiveness. She plays with you as if you were a toy, her toy.

Her mouth traces your torso like a pencil. Her teeth come out to play at times, specifically to see the alarm in your eyes. But nothing prepared you for her lips right above your jeans, or her daring eyes looking up at you and shooting glares into your soul.

"Say it."

"Mommy..."

That's the ticket. The zipper and button are undone by Minju's eager fingers. Your cock is easily fished out and taken into her mouth as if it were nothing. Your body tenses as your mouth falls open.

Although she is the one on her knees, Minju shows that it doesn't change that she's still in control. Her technique and pacing alternates between harsh, rough suckling to a snail's pace of blowing.She sucks you off not for your own pleasure, but for hers. Clearly, that is what she has put first most in this world.

"Fuck!" you can't help but cry out.

Minju spits on your cock and squeezes it tightly. Your hips jerk forward at the tightness and pain. "You're not allowed to talk unless I say so," she says firmly. She's serious about this, too; her eyes show clear and unbridled anger. "Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, hnghh!" Your moan echoes in the wide museum. Her lips have rounded your head again and provide great suction. "Y-yes, mommy!"

Satisfied, Minju continues to suck you off. She's unlike any other girl you've had sex with. The others put on innocent faces to entice you whilst their lips worked on your cock, and picked up the pace if you pleased. They let out the prettiest of tears as they called you daddy, whimpered out the sexual title in the midst of the shoves of your cock down their throats.

But Minju... she's a woman with the unhinged desire to belittle you. Even in sex, she remains taunting—the licks at the sides of your dick and in the tiny slit you have are only done to make her laugh at your shivers. It's pleasurable, yes, but degrading, too. Degrading in the sense that she's simply doing it to see you break yourself into something more pathetic, into the writhing, needy mommy's boy that you aren't.

Or... ?

"This dick is so fucking small." Minju spits on the shaft with disgust. "I bet you can't even fuck me properly, not even if I guide you along."

"I—I can," you say, defensively. Minju's saliva coats your cock with more liquid than the continuous stream of pre-cum, which she licks off, of course.

Minju rises to her feet. It is only then that you admire her body. You would say that her face is the real deal, and it is, but you're still rendered shocked by her form. Her breasts are not the biggest, but they're still pretty eye candies. Their nipples are tiny pink things atop small handfuls of flesh. Her hips are what tempt you the most; they're so fucking wide, bringing more shape to her slim stomach.

"Show me," she says. She smiles again, marking a new challenge. "Put that cock inside me or you'll never make yourself recognized. I can fucking crush your dream with a snap of my fingers, baby, so I suggest you move fast."

You can't do anything. Besides the fear of never making it in the real world or as an artist bubbling inside of you, she's so tempting. Even with her all-black outfit: black heels, black sleeveless top, black dress pants, a style you are not fond of almost as much as you aren't fond of pineapple pizza, she attracts you. It's like there's invisible magnets taped to her skin that pulls your fingers to her hips, pulls down the long pants, and grabs her close.

Like magnets, you rub together. Your cock lodges in the hole between her legs. It's met with an immediate contraction, but Minju shows little appreciation on her face. Yes, her jaw drops and her eyes are suddenly round and wide, but she doesn't care to tell you how good it is. Your quick thrusts outnumber the fucks Minju gives about catering to your wants.

"Yes... fuck, yes, fuck that cock into me." Minju humps your entering and exiting shaft determinedly. "Suck on my tits, toy. Suck them until they're red and sore."

That's not something you're adamant to disobey. Like her lips lubricating the shape of your cock earlier, your mouth finds her nipples and captures it. You do as she says, sucking it cleanly and hardly. It feels amazing in your mouth. You knew it would even before it slipped in between your lips. Minju lets out sighs of gratification. That was the only thing it took for her to be louder. She would have to turn up the volume, though; the slaps of your cock into her cavern are starting to boom.

While her breasts are a beauty of their own degree, Minju's cunt is just perfect. It's wet, grasping onto your cock and covering it with a sheen of juices, just like she coated it with saliva during her blowjob earlier. Her mouth was considerably warmer though. But you aren't one to complain when you're clearly the toy in this situation.

Besides, the texture of her walls is a welcome addition to the stimulus on your shaft. Your cockhead repeatedly dips onto the patches of sensitivity, provoking a surefire reaction of the tender walls closing around it tighter. Jerk your hips forward; if you were only more powerful, you could reach her cervix and make it a finishing line. But no, your focus is on sucking the life out of Minju's boobs, just like she commanded.

Minju whispers soft curses under her breath. Arms wound around your neck, she silently tells you to go deeper. No, it's not just a matter of telling; it's a command, as brazen and firm as her earlier order to tell you to suck her tits. She expects you to comply, and if she is disappointed by you not doing so, she'll discard of you. Simple as that.

Release her nipple from your lips and prove that you're worthy. Prove it with more powerful thrusts of your hips into her tiny hips. You string together every might in your body, although most of it is being drained by Minju's humps on your shaft, into pushing your cock deeper. Minju cries out in pleasure. Continue the cycle and never break it. Eyes closed, head tilted to the sky, and arms almost choking your neck, you know you've proven your value to her. All you have to do now is to maintain that.

"Fuck, that's right!" Minju yells out. Even she can't handle your pounds. You're knocking he rinto oblivion. "Fuck mommy's cunt like that, slut! Fucking stretch her out!"

You're already stretching her out enough. It's hard to see since Minju is so adamant on fucking herself on you, but your girth is practically spreading her pussy lips apart. Wonder if she'll become tighter if you fill her up to the base of your cock.

Test it out. Cock stiff and a compelled mind in action, you shove yourself as hard and deep as you can.

"Oh fuck!" Minju's fully penetrated by you now. Your cockhead nudges the end of her tunnel and slams into it repeatedly. Minju's high on the pleasure. She's fucking herself onto you as if she were possessed by a succubus. She's sex-crazed, she's rabid, she's a feral fucking vixen who won't play around when it comes to what pleases her. And right now, what's giving her so much bliss is your dick. She's never letting it go.

But she thinks she wants something else to add to the mix.

"Finger my asshole," Minju says bluntly. Another command. She takes your hand, undoes it from its constraints, and guides it to her round bottom. "Do it."

"B-but..." You're not used to butt stuff, to put it cleanly. You've never touched or inserted yourself in any of your girlfriends' asses. It has always been purely excluded from sessions like these. "I'm, I'm not—"

Minju leans over conspiratorially and rasps in your ear: "Now."

Can you still continue proving yourself worthy? Even if you can't, you have no choice. Your chance at making it big is in Minju's hands. Besides, you're pretty curious yourself. Does it feel good there for her, too? How good, exactly?

Pat your finger on the tensing brown circle. Minju's breath hitches in response. Hide your uncertainty by meticulous teasing, rubbing your fingertips around her asshole and only slightly putting some inside. But Minju is becoming impatient. Whimpers still escape her lips, but she makes herself clear with the reverse of her ass into your hand. She knows what you're trying to do, and she's not letting you get away with it.

Hold your breath and plug one finger inside her. Turns out that's all you needed to do for Minju to put her all into hugging you with her walls, for her neck and head to throw back, for her to cry out a scream that sounds a little fox-like due to its pitch.

"Mommy's cumming, mommy's cumming, ffffuhh—! "

Her voice cracks. It's that momentary weakness that compels you to burst inside her like a popped balloon, except that instead of helium, you release hot strings of wet white cum. You don't have the mind nor the care for a few seconds to worry about impregnating her. The grasp of her walls and the push of her manicured nails into your skin are too mighty in turning your attention away from that.

However, to Minju, it doesn't matter if your cock is thick and big. She's paralyzed in shock. She can't believe you had the audacity to cum inside her.

"Fuck! What the fucking fuck did you do?" Her hands free themselves of their frozen to push you away roughly.

You only come to your senses after she slaps you. "I'm sorry, Minju," you say guiltily. Had you really lost all self-control after months without sex? Sex education literally revolves around protection! "Are you at least on the pill...?"

"Of course I am!"

The tension releases itself from your shoulders. At least God still has your back. "It isn't a problem then," you say. "We can—"

Minju pushes you again. This time, your back knocks hard into the wall. She grasps you by the neck tightly. There's true anger in her eyes now. None of it is an arrogant ploy anymore.

"Are you fucking stupid?" she asks, then rolls her eyes. "Oh, why did I even bother asking? Of course you are."

Ouch.

"The thing here, boy toy, is I don't want your cum in me! Clean me up!"

"D-do I get a tissue or...?"

"No. Lick it out of me."

You're stunned. What? Shake your head, bewildered. "No, I'm not gonna lick my cum out of your cunt, Minju!" you yell.

Her fingers grab your hair and pull it downwards. You fall to the floor in a heap. But you should get used to it. With the way she treats you like you're dust beneath her feet, you've always belonged here. It's only literal now.

You take a glance at her creampied pussy and cringe. It looks gorgeous; it's dripping out of her like a river. But now that you have to lick your own cum out of her, like you're some obedient little slave who can do nothing but obey and obey, it doesn't look so enticing at all.

Minju fires you another glare. It's a warning of the worse that's yet to come if you don't clean her up.

Oh, the things you do for your dreams. The things you do for money; for fame; for the tiniest bit of recognition...

How did you get to this point?

Fine, you'll lick.

At first, it's humiliating. Your ears burn red as Minju parts her legs and sits on your mouth, using you as a sex toy and chair. It's hard to support her weight on your face, even if she is light. It's easy to slip your tongue inside her though. You know it feels good when she moans softly.

"Come on," she pushes you on. Demanding, that's what Minju is. You wonder how she even became a curator with that kind of attitude. She slides herself up and down your tongue, which doesn't become flaccid in its licks due to the uncomfortableness of it all. "Clean mommy up. We still have a lot of things to do."

You take some of your cum from her creamed hole and drag your tip tantalizingly to her clit. Minju whimpers. Repeat the process for a few more seconds. You enjoy the shivers she does, and how tight she is around you. They make the experience much more bearable.

You haven't appreciated her thighs enough. She may be slim, but they are thick enough to choke the breath out of you. They encase the sides of your face tightly as she guides your tongue hotly. Her eyelids are fluttered lower than usual. Her breaths become more labored after the ones before them exit.

Glad that your hands have been freed from much earlier, you try to make this fun for you, too. Grab those honey thighs and push her down onto your mouth. Her gasp is satisfying. Her eyes flutter wide. They're all fun to watch: the shiver of her tight form, the expressions she makes, but pulling her down was a big mistake. Now you can't breathe at all. Your nose is nestled into her clit.

The muffled breaths you take end up pleasuring her cunt instead, much to your dismay. Minju doesn't mind; they make her more soaked than before. She sways her hips to and fro to get the feel of your nose swiping on her clitoris and your tongue entering and exiting her. The tip of your tongue excites her senses in the best way possible. She can't get enough of it. Hands on her nipples, she bounces herself on your pink appendage, overall satisfied with the work you've been doing.

"Such a good boy now," she remarks with a playful caress of your hair. "See how pathetic boys like you always end up in this position? Lick me faster."

The insults graze your pride because you know they are true. You became a whore for Minju. Her little boy toy. Weren't you just boasting about your own achievements a while ago? If so, why are you on your knees now? It's humiliating.

Close your eyes to stop the tears of embarrassment from flowing. The last of your dignity is gone. You can't give Minju the satisfaction of seeing you cry.

You increase the speed. Thrust your tongue inside her faster. Wiggle it around to hit the right spots. You discover that it isn't a matter of cleaning your cum up from inside her anymore. That was all a scam to get you to orally pleasure her. It shows in the way Minju refuses to let your tongue leave her hole, even to collect your semen. She's humping it too quickly for there to even be a chance of exiting her warm little hole. But it's too late to confront her about it now. You just have to wait until she climaxes again.

You have to admit: you do taste quite delicious. Turns out the girls whose mouths you pounded weren't pretending when they sucked off the semen from your tip. Your cheeks redden with the humiliation at that knowledge. However, there's a con in being aware of that. For example, it isn't so difficult anymore to lap at Minju's pussy. You willingly circle and dance your tongue inside her. It's fun to see her pleasured reactions.

When the opportunity presents itself, you pull your tongue out. Minju winces, but before she can voice out any frustration or order, you start to lick her labia back and forth. Her wide, shapely hips stutter. You have to take them in your hands and steady her to continue.

"Oh—mmmm! Fuck, such a good boy for mommy, eating her out so well!"

You would have been surprised at the compliment, but her silky voice never reaches your ears. Her thighs are compressing them too tightly for anything to be heard but wordless screams.

Her most erogenous part is her clitoris, clearly. She demandingly pushes that part of her center on your tongue. Twirl it at your tip, play with it, suckle it. Nibble at it to keep her on her toes. Show her how much you've tamed the brat in you, because once she did, it was apparent that there was no going back.

"Yes, that feels so good!" she cries. Her movements become more frantic and less graceful. It's like you're being waterboarded by a tsunami; she's a force of her own, a danger with the cleanest edge. "I'm gonna cum, baby boy! Mommy's gonna cum, she's gonna fucking cum all over your face---!"

When she does, it's like a sobering splash. Her screams symbolize the thunder, and the juices that squirt on your nose and mouth is the flood. There are no lifeboats anywhere to save you. Nor are there people that are going to. You just have to withstand the rain for a few more seconds

Close your eyes and wait for the storm to end. It takes a while to cease. You try to help yourself out by sticking out your tongue and catching her steady spray into your mouth, but you just choke on it. Minju finds her girl cum spilling down the sides of your lips and swirling in your throat amusing.

Through all that, her taste remains impeccable.

The stream stops. Minju's thighs are shaking. She slowly edges herself off your messy face. Her breasts heave with every heavy breath she takes. They're hypnotizing, but you file your eyes away from them. You have to remember that they belong to the cruel woman who told you to do away with yourself. This is still the same woman who used you. It doesn't matter if the only things you are appreciating in the moment are hr breasts; they still belong to her. She degraded and humiliated you in ways you never would have imagined.

Nudity is another form of art widely appreciated, for both aesthetic and gratification purposes. It returned and became popularized during the Renaissance and the Impressionism. Science was used to figure out how to create the right proportions for whoever is being sculpted, painted, or drawn. Mathematics was heavily involved, too. The golden ratio was used to present the figures in an ideal manner, whether the figures were of gods or historical icons.

You are glad it became popular through the years. You are glad at how normalized it has become for Minju's body looks exactly like another stunning sculpture. She may not have the golden ratio, but she has something even better than that. She's naturally curvy, naturally beautiful. Back in the day, they would have written sonnets about her.

She may be cruel, but she is quite stunning.

"We're not done yet."

The curator puts a stop to your daydreaming. Raised brows, fine creased lines on her forehead that scold you, Minju is flattered that you think this is over yet. It's quite entertaining to her, actually. You don't really think she's gonna give in after just a few sessions of fucking, do you?

Pocket your sore pride and face the challenge head-on. "What else is there to do?"

Her smile is haunting. "You're gonna find out soon. You might even like it."

-

The museum is closed today. There's a big sign outside with "CLOSED" plastered across the letters spelling "Now Open!". Minju had to shut its doors for the day due to your endless requests for a chance to have your works exhibited. Oh, if you knew what you had to do to get her to agree, you wouldn't believe it. You'd call it bullshit.

You and Minju clean yourselves up. There's no point in reusing her turtleneck; it's blotted with her squirt. And you have no business going out with a face drenched with the same liquid. So, while Minju gets into a change of clothes, you go to the bathroom and splash cold water into your face. You don't want to look in the mirror. You don't want to see the slut the man it reflects has become, because, if you were able to admit it to yourself, you'd say that you liked the way Minju treats you. You like the power she has over you that she achieved through such a short period of time.

But you can't say that. You refuse to.

Apparently, you were in the bathroom for too long. Minju's fist knocks three short sounds onto the door.

"You can't hide there all afternoon, babycakes!" she reminds you sweetly. She fires another five knocks. "Come out, come out!"

Roll your eyes with a tired huff. You weren't exactly planning to, but hey, that could work. She can't do anything about it but look stupid pounding onto the door like a maniac.

You get out. You find Minju dressed in a gray, sleeveless top with a jacket matching its color. She has undone her black hair and let it fall to her shoulders.

She gives you a wide, scheming smile. "Let's go?"

Minju does not wait for a reply. She simply takes hold of your wrist and pulls you through the swindling doors, colorful galleries, and parked cars. She leads you to her own vehicle. It's a modest black car that's been around for ages, but still works as if it were new. You can tell from the light rust on the knobs.

"Get in," Minju says. She already peeks at you from the rolled-down window. Gesturing to the empty passenger seat beside her with a tilt of her head, her brows rise and stay at their impatient height until you get into the car.

You only learn later that it's more than mandatory to have a seatbelt on when Minju is your driver.

There's that red light she easily breezes through. And another. Your eyes are wide. "What the fuck, Minju?" you yell. Your hands frantically fly to your seatbelt and fasten its buckle into place. Not without flying around, of course.

"What?" she asks, really not knowing what's wrong. "You need a water or something?"

Anddd a near miss with a bus. The honk of the horn is deafening. "Do you even have a license?"

"Ha, nope. This car isn't mine. It's my—hey, fuck you, too, you old shit!" Minju gives an angry driver who nearly collided with her sideview mirror the middle finger. When she turns back to you, she grins calmly. "Anyway, it was my brother's. He taught me to drive when I was eleven."

"Well, that explains it," you mutter to yourself sarcastically. And you'd think that since she learned from an early age, she'd drive better than most. That's her second deception of the day, and the twenty-third broken law.

The car swerves and spins into curved roads as if it were dancing. You're constantly on the edge of your seat. Minju, however, is unbothered. This isn't an out-of-place habit for her, breaking at least thirty traffic laws the moment the wheels of her car start rolling. Nor is it for the traffic guards in the middle of the roads, it seems. They yell at Minju with a a warning, but disregard it after a few seconds. How many almost-crashes did it take for them to realize there's no dealing with her?

You almost break into song of religious praise when Minju finally parks near her house. But it's too early to celebrate. God has fashioned this day unpredictably.

Her home is as large as a mansion. It's not exactly a mansion, of course, but the combination of paint and placing is satisfactory enough to pass as a modern house. It stands out in the suburban division like a sore thumb, if a sore thumb were fancier.

She throws open the door. The interior of her home is just as impressive as the exterior. Posters and drawings decorate the walls. The space in each room is wider than the first floor of your own home. You'd give in to jealousy if you weren't more surprised at the thing Minju is brandishing.

"Surprise, surprise," she says. She sticks it in your face for you to see it better, but it's too close for you to even understand what it is. It is only when she moves it back does it finally sink in.

A foretelling personification, really. It's a strap-on. Or is it a dildo? Oh, it's whatever you call a pink plastic shaped like dick. But your difficulty in naming what it is isn't the biggest problem you'll encounter this day. Oh, you have bigger fish to fry soon.

"What the fuck, Minju?" you ask in disbelief. Shake your head again and again, still not coming to terms with what she plans to do. "I'm not gay! I'm not getting fucked in the ass by—"

"I never said you were gay," Minju points out. She's good at that, finding Freudian slips in the middle of your sentences to turn against you."I just wanted to try fucking a guy's ass, that's all. And since I have you... I thought that today is the day."

"Minju!"

"Babycakes!" she says, with a grin that's a distorted mirroring of your worried frown. She grasps your chin and kisses you on the lips. "It'll be fine, I promise. You have nothing to worry about."

She really needs to stop calling you babycakes. It's annoying you already. But more than that, you don't trust her words. What if she's just using you again? What if she's lying to you, like she did when she said that she would think about taking your pieces in? When she's done, she'll surely throw you away like a trash bag, as if you were never really there, and replace you with a new and prettier one to dump everything she wants in.

But you find yourself walking to her bedroom. Slipping your jeans down. Putting them on the floor as Minju fastens the strap to her hips. Lying down on the bed and just waiting for it.

Wait, why the fuck is your dick hard?

There's a cold feeling on your asshole for a while. It's because of the lube Minju's lathering onto it, "for safety purposes," she says. "Damn, I'm pretty big! D'you think it'll be funny if I actually put a condom on the tip?"

But she doesn't, after an unamused roll of your eyes, and the pink tip penetrates your lubed hole. The intrusion is fought with the receiving hole's tightening. The sensation is weirder than anything you've felt before. Of course, you've never done this before, so you never could imagine what it felt like. But now, you discover that it's a sickly mix of pain and pleasure.

"Fuck, Min—"

"That's not the right word, honey," Minju corrects you. The drags of her cock in and out are slow. "Tonight, I'm not Kim Minju. I'm your daddy."

"Mmph! Please, Min— daddy," you whimper out. The word feels right when it slips past your mouth. "Daddy." Daddy, daddy, daddy. You're usually on the receiving side when your previous girls uttered it, but maybe it's actually fun to say it, too.

Minju's cock prods at your ass. It slips further inside as she giggles musically. "That's right. Open up for daddy, sweetheart~"

Even if, let's say, you refuse to, there's no other choice you can run to. You're on the bed, naked, with a woman whose hips wield a fastened dick. You can't escape.

Minju's strokes are almost loving. It's slow, sensual, and timed. She must have taken sympathy on you, for what might be the first time. Of course, her hand wraps around your own dick to provide an "everyday" stimulus, too. That, you enjoy, better than the pegging. You jerk into her hand with a clear need never spoken through words, but a series of helpless mewls.

"What a twitchy little cock," laughs Minju. She wraps her hand around it like a ribbon, and fastens it with quick, bold strokes. They're bolder than any step or curve you've drawn, any controversial piece you've made. "Your cock really likes daddy's dick, doesn't it? And her warm hand?"

You're leaning towards the latter as of now, but you nod anyway. What else can you do? Your virgin asshole can't do anything about it, your leaking cock can't do anything about it. Hell, your tears can't, either. But there's a secret joy formed inside of you at being under Minju's control, with nowhere to run or hide. It's sick, you know that, but you can't help what you feel.

Maybe you like being used and pegged by this harsh curator. Maybe you like her evil words, her tempting body, and her attitude that would make any grandmother die on the spot. Maybe you like the way she treats you like you're a particularly crude inconvenience in her way.

You're shaken by that realization. But what shocks you more is her hand slapping your ass cheeks hardly. You cry out, but the sound is quickly silenced by Minju's free fingers in your mouth.

"Shhh, quiet, baby," Minju coos softly. She leans over to kiss your back and neck. "I want to hear your cute cheeks slap together."

It's a sentence that can easily be used for comedic relief in a fucked-up sitcom. But to you, it's nothing but sexy. The way the words drip from her kissing lips just add to the hotness of her hand giving your ass a firm spank. Your bottom cringes, causing your legs to go weak. You've sunken onto the bed helplessly. At least it's a comfortable place to lie into. The bedsheets must be expensive. They have no other reason to be this silky and soft. Just how much is a curator paid? You might want to consider that career rather than go for being an artist.

Due to your fall, Minju takes your ass in a pronebone position. Sometimes, she isn't satisfied with your butt hole's gape, so she pries it apart with her own fingers. You squeal into the pillows. Pray the neighbors don't hear your scream when Minju takes matters into her own hands and slips a finger beside her strap.

Her strokes gain more strength as the present becomes soon. It's a sensation that you have no idea how to choose between liking and hating it. Your prostrate is constantly stimulated, and the brown walls of your butt are rubbed against, but there's the newness of it all. You aren't used to this. Part of you outright refuses to do it again, but the curious side of you is more than interested for another round. Maybe one or two more? You really wouldn't mind.

"P-please, please, daddy."

You start to beg of your own accord. Lewdly. Needily. You're starting to like this too much. With Minju corrupting your ass and her hand jerking you off, you accept your fate. Paintings don't matter anymore, just as long as it's Minju's cock lodged inside you.

[isa-ghost]

happy early borth use me as a vessel to infodump about your qphil headcanons immediately that’s an order >:D

This too-broad I Just Wanna Hear You Be Abnormal About Your Guy prompting thing is gonna become an inside joke between us I s2g

I think rather than hcs I'm gonna go on a rant about this sTUPID MOTHERFUCKERS WACK ASS BRAIN. YOU ARE YOUR OWN BIGGEST EMOTIONAL DETRIMENT, YKNOW THAT qPHILLIP MINECRAFT? GOD.

This entire thing applies to AMFMN Phil btw

That son of a bitch is such a MESS. He's so deep in his own bullshit he doesn't even see the times he contradicts himself or acts like a hypocrite.

He has to care for everyone (he feels obligated to as the Usually Oldest And Wisest + being constantly put into the paternal/caretaker role) but god forbid anyone takes care of him, even when he needs it most. When people take care of him he feels like he's failed somehow and he gets this not-quite ashamed or embarrassed feeling, but still Distinctly Uncomfortable And Awkward nonetheless.

He's like thousands of years old and has had more life experience to handle stress 100x heavier than "just a scratch" or "feeling a bit sad." He's spent decades just fucking around risking his life in hardcore mode, which puts near-constant strain on a person. Which has definitely warped his perception of what's too much for himself. He has a HUGE problem with being too critical of when something is or isn't Enough to be "worth" letting himself be upset or down for the count for a while. (In AMFMN he's going to be told straight up he Should Have Literally Died with how bad of shape he'll be in and that's the only reason besides his body being in literal physical shambles that he's going to remain bedridden during the recovery arc).

It's so foreign to him between his habitual isolation (hc life), rarely actually being taken down long-term by any threat, and his own evasion of being the one depending on someone that he just. He doesn't know what to do here. It's like putting socks on a dog and watching them try to walk all weird, he's like What The FUCK Is This?? How Do I Navigate This Situation?? He hates it.

Also survivalist brain hates feeling vulnerable in any way in general obviously, so that's another factor. But FUCK MAN sometimes you NEED to, it's HEALTHY even!! You dumb ass motherfucker!! Like yeah he'll cry, but not in like a Go To His Room And Let Himself Break A Little way, in a "these extremely stressful circumstances are actively happening/ongoing and it's overwhelming me so badly that I couldn't hold this back if I tried" way. Case in point: Ender King's initial arrival and how the kids couldn't see anything, or his actual possession and telling Tallulah to flee.

Alternatively if something involves not him but his loved ones, THEN he'll cry. Assuming it's not something he can do anything about (bc then his default reaction is Pissed The Fuck Off and preparing to throw infinite hands). Case in point: the goodbye letters pre-Purgatory.

But generally speaking this idiot is SO BAD at emotional self-care and letting himself be the one looked after for a change, it feeds into a lot of his other flaws (ie: being strong all the time & how he pushes that on Chay). But like. It's not just done out of refusal due to stubbornness.

It's fucking tragic, honestly. He's spent So Long being this way, he just straight up genuinely doesn't know How to be in the reversed role. Like even if he Wanted to be, it's so beyond his comprehension now that he doesn't think he Can. And a shred of why he continues not to just Start is bc he knows deep down that there is SO MUCH shit he's bottled up and buried or ignored over time, esp ever since The Nightmare, that if he let himself stop being a brick wall he'd crumble for so long he doesn't know what he'd be like once he recovered, or if he would even bounce back properly. And he does NOT like the idea of being irreversibly fucked up by properly digesting the trauma and grief and stress he's been through over the last year.

He'd rather truck on and "keep it together for the kids." :)

[anti-spop]

on the topic of flawed characters, there's one that will always shock me at how much hate he got. i'm talking about lars from st/even universe. like yeah, he was a jerk and all, but even from the beginning we saw there was more to him. lars is incredibly insecure and socially anxious and it's implied that he's depressed as well (none of these things excuse his behavior!). and lars was often punished throughout the show, by steven, ronaldo, and even sadie. and yet lars was always seen in the wrong.

lars was probably the MOST hated character in the entirety of su. hell, ppl hated him more than they hated the diamonds or gems like jasper. ppl would legitimately send DEATH THREATS to lars/larsadie fans. i remember that very clearly. i wasn't a big lars fan back then but i already liked him. lars was like the show's equivalent of s/quidward, who's also my fave in s/pongebob.

i related a lot to lars, too. i was a lot like him as a teen. i still am a bit like him - sarcastic, grumpy, insecure yet still very passionate about my interests - but yeah, if you related to lars, you were seen as a horrible person. the fandom only started liking him when lars DIED and became a cool space captain. but as soon as lars relapsed (or when he thought sadie was trying to get back at him for hanging out with the cool kids), ppl were ready to hate on him again.

honestly, even now that lars is liked, i still get ppl leaving their opinions on my lars art ("ugh i HATED lars when i first watched the show but he's cool now"), and i hate that very much. i hate that i'm not allowed to like lars without ppl still hammering in my head how much they hated or still dislike him. i wouldn't comment that on your art of your fave, i would just make my own damn post or just leave my opinion to myself. that's like saying "i hate this ship but cool art".

another important factor to note is that lars is not white. even in like 2015, one of the crew members confirmed that. and later we find out lars is filipino (and it IS confirmed onscreen when lars bakes an ube cake). he is in fact a mentally ill character of color. and that's exactly what makes ppl hate him, besides the fact lars isn't conventionally attractive. bc i know fans would drool over him if that were the case (and especially if he were white). you COULD say lars is the equivalent of spop kyle, both pathetic and skinny boys, except lars is not white, and he's snarky and short-tempered, but it is implied he was bullied or mistreated at some point in his childhood, too.

and of course, there are other actual flawed characters of color who get unfair hate, like katara, korra (though i haven't seen lok), diane from bojack, and glimmer. which angers me when ppl stan catra and they accuse you of being racist or ableist if you criticize her.

you guys. do not. give a fuck. about ACTUAL characters of color. you will just hate them too! fuck off with that performative bullshit.

[elleloquently]

hey!! requesting an ellie x (female) reader where reader is just as stubborn, protective, and, perhaps, closed off as ellie is. maybe just some angst about how much they love each other but both find it hard to open up and be vulnerable considering they’ve both lost so much. happy or angsty ending up to you!!

| a/n : so sorry this literally took ages my goodness... i kinda went rogue with this one because i had an idea that i really wanted to use eek love ya <3

| c/w : angst, swearing - happy ending

cowboy like me - ellie williams

eyes full of stars,

hustling for the good life

never thought i'd meet you here

it could be love

we could be the way forward, and i know i'll pay for it...

despite the fondness that ellie held for you, she had barely spoke to you when you had first arrived in jackson.

it was almost like looking in a mirror.

she wasn't on patrol that day, but she heard the story that night. some girl they found, alone. the people she was with didn't make it.

ellie saw you, hands trembling but head held high. you were terrified and struck with grief, and despite your determination to seem unphased... ellie saw right through you.

always a survivor, even when you didn't ask for it.

a fighter.

"that girl's a fighter," the phrase always paired with a shake of the head and a chuckle, a gleam in the eye that seemed almost ignorant.

the fight was no longer your own, it was just guilt.

guilt of all the people you had lost, all of the people who didn't get to make it as far as you did. because if you didn't make it in the end, after everything, what would it all be for?

yeah. ellie saw right through you.

you would be lying if you said that ellie didn't also pique your interest - freckles that adorned her cheeks and nose and those green eyes that pulled you in and made you feel tempted to confess your every secret.

you wanted to know ellie.

that's where you came to a different standing, in which ellie was prone to avoid and you wanted to attach. you were tired. desperate to have someone to talk to that would understand everything. if you learned anything, it was that your life could end in an instant. you didn't want to waste time, humming about and stealing glances and never allowing your thoughts to become words.

ellie would disagree. she didn't want another person to lose.

despite the push and pull, the bruised flame of attraction simply couldn't draw either of you away. you had won ellie over. ellie had gotten the girl, and ellie refused to lose the girl.

you found solace in each other, a quiet partnership on patrol. you worked well together, always watching the other's back. the fatal flaw of feeling certainly played a factor, but it was disguised as nothing more than a job well done.

as time went on, you both defrosted with the season. smiles cracked in the daylight, longing stares under the moon. despite the stubbornness, neither of you were stupid. you could never be just friends.

"ellie," you called, looking for her throughout the house. "i'm going."

she appeared in the doorway as you were pulling on your boots. a frown was etched on her lips. "going where?"

you rolled your eyes. silly. "i have patrol this morning."

ellie's eyes widened in disbelief, "bullshit," she called. "we don't have patrol today."

you shook your head. "we don't, i do," you explained simply.

"with who?"

"with jesse," you answered with a sigh. you eyed ellie carefully, trying to gauge her reaction.

"bullshit," ellie repeated in a mutter, beelining for her jacket and shoes. you held back a groan, you knew this would happen, but still thought that it was worth a shot. you followed after her, determined after you spent all night preparing your argument. it was going to be a day off, but really you were still signed up.

"jesse and i decided that-"

"jesse and you decided?" ellie snorted, shaking her head.

you tried again. "ellie, you're on patrol every single day."

she faced you after pulling on her jacket, expression blank. "and?"

of course ellie was on patrol everyday. it made her feel useful. it gave her something to do. it kept her busy, alert. the more time she spent on patrol, the less time she would have to spend alone. thinking. remembering. the less time she would have to spend with her own regret.

"and you should take a break," you enthused, getting to your point.

you tried to go on patrol with ellie as often as you could. you tried to even take her shifts, but she never budged. you had to fight long and hard to even join her on patrol until she finally obliged, something about making sure you were safe. when you were with her, you felt better. if anything went wrong, you were confident in your ability to put ellie first. that was the last thing that ellie wanted. when you were on patrol together, at least she could ensure your safety.

you hated the way that your stomach twisted in knots every time that she had a shift without you.

"i don't need a break, and that's not your call," ellie reminded you. she knew exactly what you were doing.

"you're right," you said automatically. there was no point in arguing against it. "i just think that for today-"

"no," ellie interrupted plainly.

"come on. jesse is more than capable-"

"i know he is," ellie cut you off once more.

you pushed out a breath, determined to hold your ground without losing your temper. "what? and i'm not?" you questioned pointedly.

"i did not say that," ellie spoke, looking at you seriously. of course you were capable. more than capable. in fact, it almost scared her.

“what if i go?” ellie continued, giving you a tight lipped smile. “i’ll go with jesse.”

you frowned, causing ellie to sigh in defeat. you both knew that wasn’t going to happen. it was impossibly tense, trying to be in a relationship where you both tried to counter every possible action before it happened. jackson was safe, especially compared to everywhere else, but the burden of the outside made it impossible to let your guard down.

despite your love for each other, you felt like you were playing a part. it didn’t work, trying to be with someone without opening up, investing yourself fully.

“you’re not on the schedule,” you tried lightly.

“that’s funny, i think i originally was.” ellie raised an eyebrow, scanning your face.

you had to stick it out, you knew it and ellie knew it.

"come on, els," you tried. softer. "you've been so tired."

"i've been fine," ellie pressed. she was trying not to be stern, but she wasn't doing a good job.

you faltered, and ellie was quick to pick up on it.

your friendship, once upon a time, felt easy. it was built upon mutual understanding and respect. you went well together, until you ventured into a new territory. desperate to be closer but unwilling to open your hearts, you felt doomed. you once worked well together, but the more you began to care, the more it was a constant competition to protect the other.

you were both growing selfish.

"i'm sorry," you finally said, but none of the tension was relieved from ellie's features. "i'm sorry, it won't happen again."

your apology didn't ease ellie's nerves, as she looked more troubled than before. you didn't wait for her to speak again, and instead made your way to the front door.

"don't." ellie warned. your hand hovered above the doorknob.

you were growing tired of the dramatics.

"ellie, it's just patrol."

"so why the shift change?"

at this point ellie couldn't tell if she was truly still annoyed, or just stalling to keep you in her presence a little longer.

"i'll be back soon," you dismissed. when you left, ellie didn't follow you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

the house was empty by the time that you had gotten back from patrol. ellie's place was empty too.

you spent about twenty minutes sulking about until you dragged yourself out of the house again, deciding to go to the tipsy bison.

a sigh escaped you at once when you spotted ellie, accompanied by jesse at the bar.

"hey stranger," you tried meekly, sliding into a seat beside ellie. ellie didn't meet your gaze, though her cheeks turned crimson.

jesse shot you an apologetic look. he mouthed good luck and patted your shoulder before quietly excusing himself.

you waited, hoping that ellie would speak but she didn't. the tense air was growing unbearable. you had been fighting it off for weeks, but the fight wasn't necessarily helpful if you both danced around every difficult topic.

"was he here to smooth things over?" you asked, no longer being able to handle the silence.

"yeah. but i'm not mad at jesse," ellie answered, giving you hope.

"oh, that's goo-"

"because obviously it wasn't his idea." ellie gave you a pointed look, and your heart lurched. at least she looked at you.

when ellie was on patrol, it wasn't a big deal. she did what she had to do and she did it efficiently. it was routine. when you were on patrol, ellie could only think of the million things that could potentially go wrong. she knew that you had already experienced the worst of what the world had to offer, you weren't a stranger to loss. however, ellie also had a glance into your heart, and she felt deeply that you deserved more than what the world had given you. her own pain made her feel hollow. she was resigned to it, almost fearful as if she were losing the fight for her own life. but for you? it wasn't fair. none of it was fair, and ellie wanted to make sure you would never have to experience anything like that again.

which made it so much more difficult when you were trying to do the same thing for her.

neither of you spoke about it, ever. too proud to admit your fears, too scared of the idea that if you said them out loud, they would suddenly become true. you grew fearful that resentment would grow in its place.

you swallowed hard. "i know it was stupid."

"you can't do shit like that. how am i supposed to protect you if you do shit like that?" ellie posed, shaking her head.

you frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "your job is not to protect me."

"isn't it?" ellie gaped at you, exasperated.

"no," you replied with narrow eyes.

ellie opened her mouth to speak, but quickly changed her train of thought. "then why do you act like it's your job to protect me? i don't need that," she snapped.

you gaped at her, not wanting to say something that you might regret but also knowing that she was right. it was an exhausting, endless fucking cycle and you just wanted to be able to feel like a person around her, and not like you constantly had to be on the defense.

ellie retreated when she saw the look your face. "i need to get some air," she mumbled, leaving you alone before you had a moment to protest. you quickly got up as well, blindly following along behind her auburn hair.

it didn't take you long to catch up, and you were tugging on her arm within a moment. ellie stopped in her tracks instantly.

"i feel like... like i don't know how to be... just a.. girlfriend?" you awkwardly ranted, looking anywhere except for at ellie.

ellie forced out a heavy sigh, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand.

"it was easier before. at least, i could pretend it was. now it feels like there's more on the line and i-" you hesitated, shaking your head.

"i wouldn't forgive myself, if something happened," ellie said flatly. "i couldn't."

"i know," you murmured. you knew that you loved ellie. ellie knew that you loved her. and yet, it felt terrifying to say it. to even utter the word in the light of day made you more uneasy than the thought of fighting off infected.

"i really am sorry," you said again. "it was plain dumb. i get so worried, and i feel like i need to control-"

"everything?" ellie finished, a small, sad smile upon her lips.

you nodded.

"i'm sorry i've been tough on you lately, about patrol," ellie mumbled. "i know you can handle it, i just get-"

"worried?"

ellie nodded.

the air was thick and ellie wished it was easy, being in love and accepting that not everything could be up to her.

"i didn't want you to like me," ellie admitted, earning a concerned look from you. "when you first got here. i just knew. and i didn't want to have to worry about losing you."

"you won't," you reassured her. ellie nodded and there was a mutual understanding, an unspoken sympathy for your shared fear. "but i'm scared too," you confessed, hating how weak your voice sounded when the words left your lips.

ellie looked uncomfortable at the sentiment, even though she felt the same way. "it'll be okay," she said, her tone unconvincing.

"ellie," you frowned. "i don't want to be scared to love you."

your words made ellie's insides feel like ice, and she felt like an idiot for all of the times that she had pushed you away instead of pulling you closer. denial wouldn't make it any easier.

"i don't want you to be scared," ellie mumbled, and she really meant it.

you thought that you were over being scared. you'd been face to face with monsters, those of infected and men, and you had managed. but something about ellie made you feel weak, weak in a way that she was your biggest soft spot and you didn't know exactly how to handle it.

you nodded quickly, wanting to laugh off the emotion.

ellie pressed a kiss to your forehead, glancing over your face.

"c'mon, let's get you home, yeah?" she said softly, wrapping one arm around you.

you obliged, on the condition of ellie staying, to which she said that she would stay as long as you would like.

you felt heavier and lighter at the same time, weighed down with the self conscious feeling that came from being vulnerable. lighter, because you were no longer side stepping at any indication of a serious conversation. sure you knew that ellie felt the same way, but being able to discuss it was just different. you loved ellie, and to love her fully was to accept your fear of losing her.

ellie had accepted that she loved you, despite how hard she tried to shut off that part of herself. it kept her human, it kept her alive and it gave her something to fight for.

"don't ever let jesse take one of my shifts again," ellie warned, but her tone was lighter now, more playful than serious.

"i won't," you grumbled, to which ellie kissed your head once more.

[deusvervewrites]

So, I was thinking, and while we know that Hisashi Midoriya's quirk is fire-breathing, we don't know any actual details about it. Like, does he breathe out a gas that he can ignite with a spark from his mouth/tongue/teeth? Does he need to consume fire first? And what vestigial mutations would he have passed on to Izuku relating to fire-breathing? Any thoughts?

Fire-breathing is always my go-to when I talk about how Emitters and Mutations are not all that far apart as Quirks go.

There's really not much I can say about Hisashi's Quirk since canon tells us only that he can breathe fire. I can't even classify it because, well, the gas-organ-ignite-spark method that's popular nowadays could be considered either.

What I can do is compare it to some other Quirks we've seen.

The obvious first step is the Todoroki Family. Touya, Enji, and Shoto all possess fire Quirks that produce fire from seemingly no organ, but by igniting the air around/on themselves. They also have a inbuilt heat and fire resistance, but with a limit to how much they can take.

It's safe to say that no matter how Hisashi's Quirk works, he would be similarly difficult to burn.

Next up is Tsuburaba, from 1-B. His Quirk lets him breath out air that becomes solid. Emitter Quirk. What's important here is that how much he can use his Quirk is based on his lung capacity. I'm assuming that both Tsuburaba and Hisashi have mutations in their lungs to help their Quirks along. Especially in a Mutation Quirk, though again, I can't prove that a a Mutation necessarily has more mutations than an Emitter. Downsides of making powers all biological.

The last Quirk I think is a notable comparison is Tidal Bore, the Quirk of Big Red Dot in World Heroes' Mission. This Quirk allows him to produce vast quantities of water from his mouth, and even do so at high pressure--high enough that he can use his Quirk to lift a Trigger Bomb from that movie high enough into the air that it wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. And those bombs are fucking big. Interestingly, the wiki classifies his Quirk as Emitter even though Big Red Dot has a lion head and potentially webbed feet, so once again, Quirk Categories are bullshit.

(There's also a Quirk called Ignition from Vigilantes which has fire-breathing applications, but it appears to be similar in function to Hellflame or Burnin's Quirk otherwise)

BRD throws a massive wrinkle in any potential mutations I list--let alone Chimera having fire-breathing in addition to everything else he has going on--because apparently secondary mutations* can be whatever the hell we want them to be.

As for Midoriya inheriting any? I don't personally like the idea of people inheriting vestigial mutations but no Quirk, because at some point it becomes "Quirkless people actually do have Quirks and/or are superhuman by modern standards" which is. Uh. a completely massacre of MHA's themes.

*When discussing Quirks, I refer to Primary Mutations as any changes to the body necessary to make a Quirk function; that is, another term for the Plus Alpha Elements or the Quirk Factor. A Secondary Mutation is a mutation that is unrelated to the function of the Quirk, such as Ashido's horns, the Todoroki hair colors, Shishida's lower teeth, etc.

[catonator]

Funny heading to a blogpost on videogames that’s some sort of reference

Look, I already used the ctrl+alt+delete quote in a blogpost title. It’s February 2024, and it’s already a very wild year for gaming. We’ve had more layoffs than with the entirety of 2023, games shown off at events seem to be stagnating, interest in the art is waning. Youtube is filled with “modern gaming sucks” doomer blackpill videos. It’s a miserable time.

Is gaming just over?

Well, no. Of course not. The Sonic franchise has lingered for decades despite consistent failure. Games are more resilient than that.

Humanity’s relation to computing is still pretty fresh, and I’d say that despite the size and scale of a lot of it, we’re still going through major growing pains. Concepts like video games, the internet and special effects are still pretty new, despite being around for twice or thrice as long as most of the people reading this have been alive. Internal combustion engine -powered cars were invented in 1808, made mass produced in the 1910s, and even then it took until the 1950s for them to be common enough for the US government to bother designing cities around them. In the present day, many have come to resent the car-centric design mentality, even though the driving (no pun intended) factor behind them was mainly the same as with technology today: scientific and technological progression is unquestionably good, and therefore new and successful ideas should be pushed and relied upon as hard as possible. What could possibly go wrong?!

Video games are far from the only medium which is seeing similar problems. Movies have suffered greatly from a capeshit infestation, in which the abuse of VFX artists is valued over, you know, basics of good filmmaking, and the general public is clearly sick of it. On the internet, we’ve decided that megastructures like Twitter are better than forms of communication we’re good at, and it’s gone horribly wrong. We’re still learning the “do”s, “don’t”s and “who the fuck thought this was a good idea”s of tech.

Games as an artform are as alive as they ever were, but the sheer scale of the operations has grown to a point where nobody can really understand it. The numbers behind playerbases and the money traffic have so many zeroes that you can’t even fathom the number. Even if I used some metaphorical figure, like 20 000 cars. Shockingly, despite how console sales haven’t really increased in numbers (the top selling console of all time is still the PS2), most of the top-grossing games of all time are relatively recent. This implies that the behaviour of consumers has shifted from purchasing a variety of different kinds of games into purchasing fewer games of fewer different kinds. And I don’t think it’s a case of customers deciding to shift over naturally.

In the past decade or so, the gaming industry has decided sensible experiences are a way of the past, and the future is making games for debt and making back the money with horse armour and other garbage the general public doesn’t really want.

But we’ve seen this shit before. In the 90s, 3D was “the future”, and 2D pixel art or hand-drawn art in general seemed to go the way of the dodo for polygons and ““realism””. About a decade later, 2D art would see a resurgence and in some cases overtake the big lads in lasting impact. In the end, people crave personal stories, varying ideas, and interesting ways to tell them. Not much has changed since ancient Greeks, besides that the medium of storytelling has largely shifted from some guy standing on a stage, trying to explain another world, to electronic devices actually showing us the other worlds.

I think as we play out the Icarus stories in real time, we’ll also learn when boundaries are pushed too far, and the scale of the bullshit simply collapses in on itself. When that happens, the public is forced to step back and reevaluate the ways we thought were the future, and what really is better for all of us.

When a storm flattens a forest of dead, decrepit trees, the sun and rain can now reach the ground and cultivate a new generation of different plant life. Once hidden beneath the dead corpses, now able to grow and bloom in a way the old generation never could. You should just keep doing what you think is right. Now’s the time more than ever to be the backbone of a better industry, for many applications of tech, from games to communication. And it’s better, if the backbone comes from the grassroots, and isn’t defined by the megacorporations. Because those cunts will never learn from their failures.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Genuinely curious: How did you get hooked on Banaka?

I have an enabler, that’s why. A few, but none so great as @allsystemsblue and I thank her every day for that. Not only do we have daily discussions about those two, but it makes the ideas run wild in my head. The more and more I think about them, the more ways I see them being good together, so much so I name them my OTP.

At first, like most Bane Stans, I was like, nah, he’d hate him. Hondo would annoy the fuck out of Bane, and while that may be true, that doesn’t account for things such as nuance, or growing to be obsessed with your “enemy” to the point it becomes homoerotic. >D

But I sell myself short. I have thought way too long and hard to give a simple explanation such as this, so let me delve a little more into the idea by explaining a bit of their canon backstories, and then my own takes on how they work well together and why.

Bane grew up on Duro, specifically in New Tayana, and lived in an area called the “Descent Ghetto.” It was not a nice place. Hondo was raised for a time on Sriluur, a not so nice place either, in Hutt Space where his mother taught him how to pick-pocket, among other things. Eventually, he was sold into slavery, but he knew deep down I am sure that it was for the money. He escaped, but we can determine they both have a rough start in life.

At this level we might say there could be an understanding. A mutual respect for a man who is self-made. In this they can relate, and while Hondo has his own set of problems commanding an entire crew, both could possibly confide in one another and discuss life’s ills.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jango and Bane are an “item” if you will, for a period of time. I have yet to decide all the determining factors or all the things I want to cover in this part of my story, but based on what I know about Jango, he was not an affectionate sort. Gruff, surly, to the point, a man of few words, and with a short temper who has little patience for bullshit. If we take that and add to it a cunning, outspoken, brash, ill-tempered, sassy, aggressive Duros, to me that equates to an unhappy ending, or a clashing of personalities are they are both so similar. In this case, opposites attract.

If Jango and Bane were to part ways, Hondo being in the picture and observing their relationship, seeing the value in Cad, becoming fascinated and absorbed in him, regardless of if Bane knows or acknowledges that fact, should he give the Weequay a chance, all those things he has been denied through Jango easily come into fruition via Hondo Ohnaka.

This man needs love, support, a friend even, healing. He is traumatized in part due to his past (my story), and Jango is not that empathetic or concerned.

Hondo is attentive, charming, a deep thinker despite his clownish façade. If Bane can get past his petty grievances, if they were to share a moment or two alone, if they had a chance to talk, to linger in each other’s presence, if BANE ALLOWED HIM A SHOT, I think Ohnaka could sweep him off his feet. He would see there was more to him than just the flamboyant, foppish pirate.

Granted, Bane is untrusting. He sees the women; men; sentients, that Hondo brings to Florrum. He knows of his sexual escapades. He knows he’s a flirt and a scoundrel, so it is tough going in the beginning for Bane to accept what he is experiencing or receiving from him is genuine.

Perhaps they engage in something together, possibly among others, that is a sexual awakening in Bane. I see Hondo as giving to Bane things he has never felt before or even knew was possible.

He would hate it. It would unnerve him. He wouldn’t know what to think, to do, how to address this feeling inside himself, and it would soon devour him alive.

Maybe he needs more of it, despite wanting to inflict violence or damage against the person (Ohnaka) that made him feel this way. It becomes a need, a thirst so infuriatingly strong in him that it must be quenched.

This could develop in to a tentative, informal, even secretive relationship. It could go on for months, weeks, Hondo one of the few people who can bounce right back after one of Cad’s terrible mood swings. He doesn’t take offense to his words, or rarely if that, something more personal perhaps, but he is able to deal with this terrible, bratty boy and knows just how to placate him, how to soothe him.

Maybe casual sex “digresses," or “upgrades” to feelings being involved, real affection occurring, yet also hidden behind closed doors.  I foresee angst, drama, hurt, comfort, and a whole plethora of other tropes occurring between these two.

One is the concept of “sun” and “moon.” Hondo is the sun to Bane’s moon. He is the sunshine one, the happy one, the one who can get this bounty hunter out of his funk on more than one occasion, despite his jealous, possessive tendencies.

To me they are perfectly complimentary. That’s basically it. Not only that, Hondo knows when he needs his space, when not to crowd him, when to stand down, and even though Bane may raise his hand against him, Hondo would never afford him the same reaction. Not like Jango.

Though Hondo speaks many, many words, actions speak louder to Bane, and Hondo can read him, whereas many cannot.

Pair that with his almost obsessive interest in Bane, and the fact he is without a doubt attracted to him from the moment Fett brings him to Florrum, and we have for a most interesting potential ship, IMO.

[whoiwanttoday]

Sydney Sweeney has a movie coming out in December that has somehow set the internet abuzz in recent days. I actually don't tend to watch trailers but have seen the trailer for this because as of late YouTube has been showing me a ton of trailers as ads. I suppose this could be either a factor of studios having no other way to promote movies right now so they are just dumping more into commercials or it could be a coincidence or it could confirmation bias or like, Sydney Sweeney's plot to beam mind control rays into people's homes. I have no evidence it is more one than another and if the internet has taught me anything it's if you can't prove a thing isn't true then you just have to believe it because who knows? Anyway, my instinct was to hit skip every time, especially because it was like, "This is the most generic looking thing i have ever seen". That says a lot given it starts with Sydney Sweeney's cleavage walking down a hallway. Anyway, this is all of note because that is basically everyone's reaction. You can't even tell what it is. Is it a Romcom? An erotic thriller? A perfume commercial? That last one is what I thought it was the first few times I skipped it cause it sure looked like a perfume ad to me. Anyway, the reason this has people talking is because they assume there must be something deeper going on. From the trailer we can tell these are two people who don't like each other who are going to a wedding in Sydney and are posing as a couple. With the statement, "No one will ever believe we are dating". I think that last bit is what is hooking people because it's two remarkably beautiful people so yeah, everyone would believe you are dating. In real life everyone was convinced the actors were having an affair because that's how much they look like two people who should be dating. But somehow there is some twist here and everyone is trying to figure it out. I am pretty sure it will be a bland romcom but the theories are fun and again, I have no proof any of these aren't true so we have to assume everything is as likely as anything else because that's how knowledge works. It's a democracy and any stupid bullshit has to be considered rather than called out for what it is. So, top theories so far are as follows: They are brother and sister, they are assassins and their targets are the bridge and groom respectively and they have to work together to get the kill despite not liking each other, they are in a perfume ad, they are unbearable rich and beautiful people who don't realize that someone else's wedding isn't about them and no one will care. Those are the big theories. I hope it's one of the zanier ones but i bet it's not. It is fascinating to me though that the most bland thing I have ever seen has taken on a life of it's own because it's so bland. The blandness is a strength somehow. Of course, I'd also argue it's a strong argument for the power of actors because if the internet wasn't kind of fascinated with Sydney Sweeney's personal life and if she is sleeping with her costar I bet this wouldn't get nearly the attention it got. You know what, Hollywood? No one cares who the AI is fucking. Today I want to fuck Sydney Sweeney.

[daydreaming-scheming-demon]

i quite honestly believe that nobody is immune to making up bullshit

i don't even believe im immune to making up bullshit, or you, either

and when we make up bullshit, we can sometimes trick ourselves into thinking it's true

i want to use a particular comeback i heard a terf say as a sort of case study here to explain what exactly it is that leads people to making up bullshit

the bullshit im talking about here is "Only gunk comes out of trans women's breasts", said in retaliation to someone asserting that trans women's breasts can produce milk

this bullshit may sound reasonable to someone who has reason to believe in it. but it starts falling apart if you think about it past the surface level, or if you're a biologist. it just doesn't make any sense. firstly, what even is this 'gunk'? that's not a very scientific term. where does it come from? what's the difference in biology that causes this 'gunk'?

of course, there are no answers to any of these questions, because clearly whoever said this did not understand what they were talking about.

but why would someone lie like that? well, you could say it's just because it's a lie that can be used to argue for their side, and you wouldn't exactly be wrong in saying that, but i think it runs deeper than that. in fact, i theorize this person genuinely believed what she was saying, despite having just made it up. so how does that work exactly?

well i believe there's two major factors that went into convincing this person the thing she just made up was true, actually. the first is her existing worldview and beliefs, many such beliefs being socially conditioned from youth. it's bioessentialism, and the general belief that men and women are almost like different species, in mind and body. it's an understandable belief, honestly. i remember back before i cracked and i was just beginning to research about trans people. the fact that trans women grow breasts and don't just have them inserted with surgery was a fact that blew me away. i honestly didn't even believe it at first. it felt too out there to be true. but it's true. male and female bodies just aren't as different as society conditions you to think they are. another fact i found kind of amazing is just how little differences there are between males and females before puberty. the differences are literally so minor. i thought there would've been more. but like, it makes sense, we're all made from human wombs. men aren't from mars and women aren't from... uh... uranus? i honestly forget the phrase.

this social conditioning very likely played a big part in how this person came to believe in their own lie. because the lie simply fits with their existing worldview, ideas that have likely been put into their head since a very young age. and when they learnt that trans women can objectively grow their own breasts, their mind must've jumped to "There is no way they're the same as a cis women's".

and there's another reason. im not gonna talk about this one as much, it's quite a simple reason. it's because she likely wanted to believe it. along with bioessentialism a thing a lot of terfs seem to carry with them is a sort of specialness to women, if that's a word. it's probably not. the belief isn't exclusive to terfs either. it's a kind of opposite to the commonly held beliefs that men are the special ones. now, i want to clarify here, this is not me saying that women can't be special, but i've noticed a lot of terfs seem to romanticize certain very normal traits commonly seen in women, like child birth, or being connected to the moon (which is actually false btw, women have no connection to the moon, id love to explain to you in depth how this falsehood spawned and grew in popularity, but this post is already long enough). honestly, im not entirely against these kinds of beliefs, though they are a little strange to me. and they likely played a role in how this particular terf convinced herself her lie was truth. because she wanted to. because she likely sees breastfeeding as one of these special unique female traits that men could never do, and since she sees trans women as men, and then learns that trans women can actually breastfeed, too. her mind probably rejected the idea outright.

now of course this is still just a theory, im no mind reader. but putting the pieces together, i find it likely that a mix of a socially conditioned worldview where her lie makes sense, and reason to want to believe her lie, were both major factors in her making up bullshit, and then believing in her own bullshit. she spread misinformation to herself, how fun.

now, i want to come back to the beginning of this post. i may have just spent an unnecessarily long time dissecting why someone might possibly have believed in their own lie, but the point of this post im trying to make is that this can be you, too.

sure, maybe you're not a terf. maybe. but i really do believe that anybody is capable of making up bullshit under the right circumstances. even me. maybe what im saying right now is bullshit, after all, im still only speculating here.

sure, the worldview and beliefs that may have tricked this particular person aren't great. but any set of beliefs could do the same, even if they're 'correct' beliefs.

things exist in this world that could make your beliefs look wrong, no matter what they are. the world doesn't twist itself to anyone's worldview. and sometimes, when we're put under certain circumstances, our worldview, our beliefs, and whatever reasons we have to want to believe something, they can lead you to making up bullshit and tricking your mind into thinking it's true.

so please, think about where you got the facts you state from.

and you know, this post was just supposed to be about making up bullshit, but ive realized this relates to more than just making up facts, it relates to believing in facts. how some things can go unchecked due to our biases, how we can look needlessly for anything that affirms our beliefs. and nobody's immune to this. nobody. we're all susceptible to our own biases. and that's why we need to look out for them. admit that you're biased, admit that you're emotional, and maybe then you can work through your biases to an extent.

ultimately, i could've just started this post off like that. "We're all BIASED and we must ADMIT to ourselves we are BIASED to work through them! thANKS FOR READINGGGG!!!!!! :-DDDDD" the post could've been that simple, but i extended it out to an absurd amount of words. eh, whatever. i enjoyed dissecting that particular case of bullshit. hopefully someone gets something out of this unnecessarily long post.

[mimikoolover]

The "Feeling free" convo was my favourite part of the trailer. Honestly so far it looks like the show is exactly what I expected. Them bringing cameras, and som staff ofc, on semi spontaneous trips where they could just enjoy fun activities and each other's company before enlistment. A little escape in between their busy schedules. And they look so happy😭 That's the best part. All we could ever ask for is to see them this happy <3 Of course it's not a private trip, because they did choose to share this with us and make it into a show, it's two birds one stone. But anyone calling it just a work trip is so far off. You can tell how much this meant to them personally, and how excited they are about sharing footage with army. I might be going into delulu territory here but... I also kinda think them being so excited to gift this to us is partly because they feel very loved and validated when fans are supportive and excited over seeing them together and appreciating their special bond. I'm sure no matter how they define their relationship is it's nice to see. I don't know how much they see of fans reactions to stuff, especially not now while serving, but in the past too, it honestly seems like they love their jikook loving fans a lot. I hope they see all the love and as little negativity as possible.

also solos and shippers bending over backwards to pit them against each other, claim they're being forced into things, they're not actually close, all that bullshit, would honestly be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. like.... stay pressed stay miserable while they're out here sharing their happy vibes with those who get it like the unbothered kings they are byeee

gonna take your ask as a chance to kinda go into what I didn't end up saying in a long post if you don't mind lol

I agree with everything you said but I wanna take it a step further...it was a 'work' trip in that they knew this was going to be streamed on one of the biggest entertainment streaming platforms owned by one of the biggest companies on earth (disney). but their work is not the same as an office job or a retail job, they are artists and sharing their life, emotions, experiences through their art in multiple mediums is what they do. for example GCF in Tokyo was technically 'work' because jk ended up posting the video on a 'work' platform but clearly they were not doing what anyone considers as work in Japan. I think their trips for are you sure are similar in nature, just with the added factor of them knowing that it will go on disney+.

what I think we don't talk about enough is the context around these trips and 2023. jikook were not seeing each other as much as they're used to, that much is for sure. prior to 2023 they not only worked together but spent loads of time together outside of work which was their choice. then chapter 2 begun and jimin was working on his solo album(s) which meant that jikook were not spending the same amount of time together. take romance out of the equation and even then not seeing your best friend you're using to seeing everyday for 10 years must have been hard, especially as they don't exactly have a 'normal' life so I would argue as friends they are closer than usually friends are. we also have to take into account that while working on their solo material, they were working with many people, many new people as well, and jungkook was basically surrounded by people who were not korean and that must have been tough. like if you go spend a day in another country where you have to interact with people in another language for a whole day that's exhaustingggg af. that's why I'm glad they could do their trips between actual work. it must have been a big relief that they can spend time together again and do fun stuff which they wanted to before enlisting anyway.

I think they appreciate their bond being appreciated by us for sure. I have a (semi) delulu theory that when jimin used to post jungkook photos on twitter all the time it was because it bothered him when people would say that they're not close. when jungkook talked about doing something that we will really look forward to which we now know was their travel show, I think he meant it 100%. he only considers fans to be people who enjoy seeing jikook together and who support the content they make together.

2023 to me was very much about bts doing what they themselves want to do more than what the company wants them to do and I think it has to do with them signing new contracts, getting more say in what goes on within the company etc. in the soop friendcation is a good example. from a business point of view, was that a good move? I would argue not. tae filming with his friends who have nothing to do with bts is arguably not the greatest money-generator idea (I assume the wooga squad got paid too). it was clearly something tae wanted to do himself that the company agreed to. and that's what's funny because he could've done it with jk if he wanted (same as taekook could've enlisted together if they wanted to) and the company would've been all over that idea because of $$$ in their eyes. I always said it makes no sense that the company doesn't capitalise on jikook's chemistry and how they can work together so well and they love to do it as well. I still don't know why they didn't but it's probably to do with the aversion towards subunits within bts that comes from somewhere ??? but in 2023, when they were all doing what they wanted, we got jungkook going on lives being more himself than ever before, asking for jimin, reacting to jimin content, mentioning jimin and chatting with him when jimin was in chat, all of that, and then we got jikook travelling to 3 different places to film basically their holidays together. and yes taekook hung out too but that's not a big shock to anyone honestly. I think the private discussion is funny because it's so naive of people to think that jikook never saw each other in 2023. they most likely did but that was in private😂so obviously we don't know about it😭

when certain fandom actors call are you sure a work trip they do it because they want the underlying assumption that work means not genuine to come across and it's funny cause they want to act like because it was being filmed it wasn't something jikook did because they wanted to, when it was. they were having fun ffs not sitting in the same office writing emails all day long. they genuinely wanted to spend time together and they did.

the problem for these people is that the travel show is not a taekook show, let's be really bloody honest here. any shippers, not just taekook, would DIE to have a show like this from their ship, just like how they'd die to have their ship enlist together. jikook do stuff I've not seen any other 'ship' do and that's why people are so mad. as usual they want for their ship what jikook have together.

I'm not saying are you sure is going to be making some kinda statement because I doubt that but just the fact that they wanted to do this together says a lot. btw I'm half expecting for them to start on the 'they wouldn't have done this travel show and let their holidays be filmed if they were dating' agenda just like how they're now saying that couples don't enlist together even though they were wishing for years that taekook will enlist together lol

[tetsunabouquet]

House Of Anubis: How The OG Dutch/Belgium show was butchered in its adaptation by Nickelodeon Part 2: Nienke (Nina) & Amber

I was inspired to pick these for part 2 because of @evelhak sharing a post regarding Stella and Bloom's friendship in the original Winx Club cartoon, because the friendships do have some similar building blocks in their respective original shows. So today we will go over Exhibit B, why Nienke and Amber had a superior friendship in the original, why Nina leaving after S1 was bad writing and my problems with how they adapted Amber. 1. I think it might be wise to start with my problems with Amber in the English adapration first. For one, they definitely decreased Amber's bimbo factor in the adaptation because in the OG she was THE lovable bimbo. Amber was more naive and ditzy in the OG, sure she had good intuitions, the occasional creative spark and an implied secret love for at the time niche interests like anime, but she was still a bimbo. And as an anime fan, I take offense in removing her being a closet otaku. You see, in the OG Amber adores this fictional show that very much sounds like an anime- her description of the show contains Japanese names and the show is about a ninja who has a talking fish. It's called Nancy Ninja, and she actually busts out cringy attempts at martial arts that has the same energy as the Naruto run after she asked herself, "What would Nancy Ninja do?" That scene is just iconic, including Appie (Alfie) staring at the sky as a response and questioning God why he created blondes. I'll be going over how their ship was butchered in part 3 where I will be adressing Jeroen (Jerome) and Appie (Alfie). 2. This is part of why Amber and Nienke in the OG share some similarities with Stella and Bloom. Amber, like Stella, is both a bimbo and an 'It' girl. Unlike Amber in the English adaptation, OG Amber also never left the show and remained part of the Sibuna gang until graduation where she ended up becoming a model. Nienke on the other hand, is still an attractive girl even though she looks more like a wallflower in comparison to Amber and as the new one arriving so shortly after Joyce's disappearance she has targets on her back immediately. Yet Amber is one of the first to let go of her suspisions and actually becomes the person to support Nienke coming out of her shell like when she develops feelings for Fabian- Amber is the one Nienke can rely on for advice and throughout the series Nienke does become less shy and insecure thanks to the confidence she gains as the Sibuna leader and the emotional support she receives along the way. These characters could have easily been enemies, like the shy underdog taking up against the popular pretty bitch- but no. Amber and Nienke become best friends pretty quickly. Like Stella, Amber is also fiercely loyal and a bit protective which is why she was inititally angry when Nienke was her new roommate without an explanation what happened to Joyce. Amber is one of the likeliest characters to cut a bitch if something happened to her friends, right behind Patricia. 3. As you can see, Amber and Nienke never left the show- together with Fabian they are actually the most reappearing characters. In the OG, Appie (Alfie) actually was played by a different actor at first but he dropped out to go to acting school. He was replaced with another actor and they explained it away through a magical curse that literally altered his identity. Which is why Nina leaving the show after S1 is complete bullshit. The OG literally had a gimmick which they could have used for at least Nina's character considering she is the show's protagonist. The fact Nina is an orphan just like in the OG, actually means she has an easier time in certain ways if her identity was changed as Appie still had a family. Appie being physically a stranger to his loved ones is a small storyline he goes through. Nina's barely would have needed a small storyline like that as she only would have needed to prove herself to the Sibuna gang. This is why Nina leaving the show is nothing more but bad writing, because why remove your protagonist without a reason?

(I'm reliving my sapphic freak outs over Nienke yet again) Please watch the OG! This fanwebsite contains links to Google Drive documents of fan-subbed episodes. And here is also a video about Nienke and Fabian's ship because seriously-its difficult to explain how this ship was revered by so many back in the day.

[torchickentacos]

gonna be controversial. drew x brianna 👀

LMAOOO OH WHAT A FASCINATING CHOICE IRA KSDJSKDJ /positive (for the ship ask game)

So, uh, I don't think my opinion of it lies within 'i do/don't ship it' tbh! I DO ship it but in a 'let's watch this unfold like a car wreck' way and not a 'i want them to live happily ever after' way. But it's NOT a hateship thing. I REALLY DON'T HATE IT! I just think they're very "I can make them worse". I'll try to take this ask really seriously, as much as i know we meme about it in server shenanigans. Under cut bc I am a wordy individual.

Ok, so i'll just answer every part of the ask for this. side note that i get PERSONALLY icked out by shipping canon ten year olds at ten, so this is answering like, for ten years in the future. None of my opinions here are for the canon pokeani timeline because, uh, not my thing. I do not care to know what ten year olds are doing with their romantic lives. Love pokeani as a foundation for ship stuff but i don't work within the canon timeline for shipping. They're ten. they should be learning about photosynthesis or george washington or some shit.

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Again. It's the watching a car wreck in progress thing. I appreciate drama and mess and chaos and I FULLY think these two would bring that. It's kind of giving 'coordinating pr relationship' honestly. Don't think it would be that but the energy is there. I like ships that give me interesting stuff to work with, and with these two you've got two of the most interesting/messy personalities in Hoenn to mix like a live wire in a puddle of water, or kerosene and a faulty lighter. It's just INTERESTING and has a lot of potential to explore things like jealousy, longing, feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, settling, something doomed from the start, etc. again, not in a hate way. I do not say this because I prefer contest- not at ALL. I genuinely think, separately of any other biases, that they're just perfect to explore in a more messy context, especially if we want to factor in coordinating fame bullshit.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Chaos aside, I do think they'd bring out different sides of each other that we don't see much of. They're both very... two-sided, not in a bad way, whereas characters like May tend to be pretty May no matter what. May's just herself all the time kind of, but Drew and Brianna act differently around different people.

Brianna, super soft and anxious and reverent around Drew as opposed to her insane competitive streak and go-getter mentality with May. Drew, kind of quiet and, uh, shockingly normal and polite around Brianna. It's genuinely interesting to contrast and mess with those sides of them and how they shift.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I think entertaining this ship in any capacity counts as an unpopular opinion tbh DNKsfjhkjHKJDFHJ

Don’t Ship It

Why don’t you ship it?

They would make each other and everyone around them SO much worse /positive. I ship and do not ship it for the exact same reason. I ship it the way one would ship hazardous materials. My contest bias plays very little into this tbh, I just cannot see them making it long term at all. It's giving 'summer fling but in a flinging themselves into therapy' way.

What would have made you like it?

Answering this one really genuinely- I think if Brianna had decided to become Drew's direct rival instead of May's, opting to get involved that way. It would have made more sense. Since in canon Brianna knows Drew likes May, I don't see how beating May would make Drew like Brianna more? I don't see her logic there honestly. But if Brianna saw that Drew had a thing for his rival and decided she could be his rival, too, that could have been more interesting than 'let me beat up this chick he likes' if nothing else.

I think it would have been super interesting to see Drew with another rival (Harley counts but like, not in this context). We could have compared and contrasted the dynamics in the rivalries more instead of it just being this:

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Answering this one as intended as well. I think, assuming I had to look at it in a traditional happy ship way, I like the subversion of it. I think it would be great to give Brianna more of a focus in general. She's a FUN character with two very opposite sides to her and I'd have loved to see that personality shine more, minus the Spontaneous Combusken of it all /affectionate. Love that episode. It's a fucking mess. But yeah- I like it because it would give us more Brianna. She's FUN. Unhinged, absolutely, but fun.

TWO FINAL NOTES:

1.) Kind of way fucking funnier if Drew/Brianna/May goes the mako/korrasami route though, ngl lmfao.

2.) My opinion on them regarding the sims (iykyk) is that I need to kill that sentient wishing well. by the way.