#making the executive decision to call it as done as it's ever going to be

[inseparabiles]

> Geta couldn’t be here, Emperor. He is unwell.

>> He should be here. He would be so happy for me.

[sorrelchestnut]

I've seen a fair number of posts both here and on reddit that question why Tav (or the Dark Urge) would end up as a group leader for any other reason that "game mechanics say so." There's the requisite "okay, well if you play a high charisma character I guess it makes sense," or on the other end of the spectrum, "if you're playing Durge and murder someone right off the bat everyone would be too scared to tell you no." And I get where people are going with this! I really do. But it also fundamentally misunderstands a facet of human nature, which is that the vast majority of people do not actually want to be in charge, because that means being held responsible for the outcome. Accordingly, most people will dither when a group consensus is needed: have none of you ever tried to get a group of friends to agree where to go for dinner? Yeah, it's like that, but waaaay worse.

A lot of times "leadership" is just the willingness to say, "fuck it, y'all do what you want, but I'm doing this." I see it all the time in a corporate environment, where people will go back and forth on group meetings without anyone making a decision until finally one brave soul goes "in my opinion the clear answer is x" and then everyone gratefully goes along with it. Because now it's not their responsibility when something goes wrong! They're just following along with someone else's suggestion, and maybe it works or maybe it doesn't, but at the end of the day they don't have to worry about the consequences unless they're personally affected. In which case they might step up and argue back, and then they're stuck being a leader, too. Welcome to adulthood!

Lae'zel is the only one who ever even tries to exert some kind of control, when she tells you to follow her lead on the ship, or calls you her subordinate in the Grove. But, crucially, she doesn't ever make any serious attempt to take control: you can just tell her, "lol, no," and she sort of confusedly gives way, because she doesn't know how to handle this scenario. In her world there are commanders and subordinates, and everyone knows where they stand and falls in line. She's never actually had to take control of a situation and so at the first sign of resistance she falls back on the dynamic that's familiar to her, which is executing the commands of someone older and more experienced. She goes through a lot of growth over the game, to the point that she can take over as a resistance leader in her own right by the end, but at the beginning she's a wet-behind-her-ears private with some decent combat chops and it shows.

Otherwise, your party consists of:

Shadowheart, who's trained in infiltration and assassination and does NOT want a lot of attention brought to her or her mission for a variety of reasons;

Astarion, who has literally been a slave for two centuries and canonically takes a while to realize that he can exert an opinion beyond complaining about it;

Gale, whose only friend is his cat and couldn't project-manage his way out of a wet paper bag;

Wyll, who was probably trained for command at one point but has been doing the lone-hero thing for a decade and has a very large secret that he's trying to conceal; and,

Karlach, who's only ever been a bodyguard and a soldier and is genuinely just happy to be here.

Honestly, it would be more a surprise if Tav/Durge didn't end up as their unofficial leader, given the general power dynamics at play. The first time Tav/Durge says something like, "fuck it, we need to do something instead of stand around arguing about it, let's go check out those ruins over there," it's a done deal. They're The Captain Now! As long as they don't make decisions that fundamentally oppose something dear and important to the other group members, they're not even going to get any argument. Because at the end of the day, not one of these walking disasters has enough trust in themselves and their decision-making skills to feel any kind of certainty that they can choose the right path forward. If someone else is going to take that decision out of their hands? They're going to follow, no questions asked, right up until the moment they can't.

[dereks-unrelenting-heart]

SFTH Chaotic Highlights (OMG Is This A Joke)

Alright, I'm finally starting to make these for the longforms! These are gonna be quite a bit longer than the other two I've made, since these videos are (typically) longer and I have a lot of thoughts about them lol (edit while writing, less than halfway through the video - yeah, I have way more to say than I thought I would)

Before I even get into the video itself, I just love the bold move of having their first Youtube longform be one about nazis, let's people know the kind of humor they'll be getting from these guys lmao

Also shout out to the not insignificant number of people who fully didn't recognize AJ with hair

Luke's executive decision to grab a prop gun and just stand there like 🧍🏼

"If he was only a foot and a half taller, he would be a perfect nazi!" Still one of my favorite Luke short jokes, because if I was him I genuinely wouldn't know how to take that observation-

Not sure why Sam chose the puffy purple jacket for his villain character, but at least we get to call him Ze Blackberry now

I'd like to imagine as Sam was introducing himself, he looked over to Luke like 'oh shit right, he's still just fucking standing there, I should probably include him somehow' and to Sam that ofc meant flirting with him

Which btw is the strangest flirting attempt I've ever seen- "Beautiful little pocket-sized Aryan" and "Sexy little ferret" ?? Guys I've never flirted with anyone but I don't think he's doing it right

"Guten Abend" Luke/Hans isn't good at this flirting thing either, but at least they're both having fun

Two French brothers casually parachuting over Berlin during World War II, nothing weird about that

"Ja- yes- er, oui! I'm trilingual, I'm sorry" Idk if it's the language confusion or the fact he apologized to the nazi, but this was a great line

"The plan is working perfectly, we're making them uncomfortable. Keep it up!" Luke, who has done very little in that regard except respond to Sam: "Okay!!" *just keeps standing there*

"Hard day being a nazi?" Considering you're currently giving him a backrub and are probably about to fuck him, I'd say he's having a pretty good day

Before Luke's BAFTA winning portrayals of grief in The Evil Make-A-Wish Kid and The Grape Depression, we had AJ's sobbing in OMGITAJ

So glad this play was set mainly in France so AJ could show off his French knowledge in the best ways (skipping across the stage and singing)

Sam characteristically entering briefly as an unspecified beast that for simplicity I'm going to call a ram

Genuinely one of my favorite and most underappreciated moments in the video is Katherine assigning Luke's character a feminine name, which he clearly didn't expect, and he just takes a moment to reevaluate life, while staring at the comedically placed banana in his hand. 10/10 fantastic bit

"My husband has been captured" "You know this for sure?" "Well he didn't come home and he's a French spy so" Fair logic that was 100% correct

"I already have a husband" "Well Xavier will have to wait until he's officially dead then" rip Jean-Luc man, at least Sarah seems to genuinely love him and be loyal though, good for them

Tag yourself, I'm AJ fangirling heavy over Xavier as he walks onstage

"I could have mimed it but I did not" has and forever will live in my brain rent free, bro had no reason to do that but took the fucking opportunity

Also Sarah's friend (did she ever get a name?) is simping for Xavier more than Sarah herself, they could've just fucked instead

"I don't know the French word for mice" "C'est une souris, une souris, une souris" French lessons with AJ

I've already made a whole post about my love for pre-reveal Xavier, but jesus, can you blame me? This character is the actual reason I started being attracted to Tom in the first place, why is he so SMOOTH-

Also the fact Luke didn't even flinch when Tom tilted his chair back and just nonchalantly crossed his legs- This whole scene is perfect istg

"I'm just going to take a few pictures-" That's so real of you girl

"I am a man" Gonna start saying this in front of the mirror as affirmations in the morning, same tone and everything

Tom launching himself across the stage before he even has the chance to rebutton his shirt lol

"Look out! It's the nazi-looking guy!" Saying this about the actual nazi is so funny

Not me being genuinely kinda sad about François getting killed

Katherine getting into Sam's carriage with a pumpkin (For some reason??) and Sam pausing not once, but twice, and eventually deciding to proceed as normal and not question it

Jean-Luc: *crying because trauma* Katherine: "Aw.. If you're thirsty you could drink it!" Katherine might've earned her place as my favorite 5th SFTH member they've had

Big Hans showing up with an entirely different vibe from the last time we saw him- Maybe because he's not busy being gay with Ze Blackberry

But really, why is this nazi boy so excited about the french language while he's taking over their country

"Les coqs :D" Sir what is this energy you're putting out, it's confusing me

I like that instead of just saying something like "It's a French horse, why do I care if I kicked it" he's just like "German horses wouldn't give a shit, your horses are just weak"

"Very hairy chickens you have here" A joke they couldn't have made now-

I'd just like to point out that Big Hans didn't get shot from what I could tell, so he could technically still be alive. Idk what to do with that information, I just wanted it out there

Tom pulling his classic sexy-character move: Foot dramatically placed on chair

The cleaner just being like "what a fucking mess, god I hate my job" as if Xavier and Sarah aren't currently having a whole plot-altering revelation in the same room

Oh yeah, and this is also the moment I was very relieved Sarah was a better person than me (/hj) and didn't sleep with Xavier

Also, mostly unrelated, but Katherine's voice specifically as the cleaner reminds me of DHMIS every single time and idk why

"Are you quite finished??" "... Honestly, no"

"But who would do that? Who would do- It was me" He tried to be mysterious but Xavier really wanted credit for what he did

Sam the Ram returns! Very cool that their first video had classics of all kinds: Sam being a chaotic animal, AJ getting to be French, Tom being a sexy German, and Luke being an equally-attractive-but-not-quite-as-played-up woman

"I was tortured by two men gettig with each other next to me" "They're always doing that, the nazis" If SFTH can make nazis gay af, they truly can do anything

Why does Ram-Sam look so offended on behalf of the French after Luke's "It's in my nature" line lmaoo

"Where did you get my dildo!?" Amazing line from Luke, but really what was that thing??

And ofc Xavier dies as he lived.. Shirtless. Sexy evil bastard-

[blackholesun321]

Shanks Doesn’t Have A Dream! And I Can Prove It!

Ok, y’all, can I talk my shit again? Because I have thoughts and feels about our good old one-armed favorite disaster of a party pirate, Akagami (Red-Haired) Shanks. I’m going to be completely honest: I may have had this rant before, but I can’t find it, and no one else has this take. I need to talk about my vision of him that I’m like 60/40 percent sure is correct canon-wise and would explain so many of his—let’s call them quirks.

I think one of Oda’s beliefs and the teachings that One Piece has so blatantly told us about, such as personal freedom, charting your own destiny, and making your own adventure along the way, are a reflection of Shanks’ character as someone who never got that chance and never would. That, to me, makes him one of the saddest characters in One Piece.

Let me cook here. I’m not going to cite anything because I don’t want to, and I do that enough already in college, so we’re running on trust me: I’ve read the manga and watched a lot of theory videos. So lock in because this is gonna be long.

Anyways, back to my thesis. Shanks is a character of contradictions. He was the youngest person to ever become a Yonko (but then Luffy came in), probably one of the strongest men of his generation. He regularly fought the world’s strongest swordsman for fun. He has a crew whose members each have over a million bounties on their own and are so physically or politically strong that they can stop a war in its tracks just by waltzing in and saying "stop." Not only that, he stopped Kaido in his tracks and made him turn around. His father was the Pirate King and claimed him as his successor; he could even be tied to the Celestial Dragons. He’s charismatic, and when things need to get done, he gets down to business.

On the other hand, he’s also a goofy guy who regularly gets blackout drunk, has a horrible sense of pant style, parties his life away, and thinks bullying kids is the height of comedy. He cares about his kid to the point that he forgets to be a responsible Yonko but also wants to fight him for the One Piece. He seems so blasé about everything but is obviously, in the background, making connections and being all sneaky about something; he has plans but also didn’t decide to go after the One Piece until after his prime. He’s been stagnant but moving and shaking around the world, all for some big ideal, some big plan, something huge.

It is my stance, idea, theory, if you will, that all this makes sense if you look at it from the viewpoint that nothing—not the planning, not stealing the fruit, not the power growth, or making his way to Yonko status, not building his crew, even the hurry-up-and-wait—he’s been doing all these years, his whole life? Is because he’s hasn’t made a single decision for himself since Gol D. Roger died.

Outrageous! You cry! Shanks, a man who supposedly spouts on about being free and charting your own course and being a pirate? Is none of those things? Impossible, you will say. I will ask you how you got into my house and to please leave. But aside from the pirate bit, yes, and I can prove this. Calm my chili-baby’s and listen.

Yes, Shanks had his life taken from his adventure, his destiny set and marked right before the Loguetown execution. It is my belief that all this can be laid at the feet of—drumroll, please—Gol D. Roger himself!

Gasp! Crying! Fainting in the audience! I know, what a twist. Let me explain. In a flashback, we see Roger talking about Ace. It was Roger’s belief that Ace (his child) would be the savior of the world, the new Joy Boy, destined to destroy the World Government with what they learned from the Poneglyphs and Laugh Tale. He believed their generation was too early and that the next would usher in the new world. Ace would be his true successor. A little narcissistic, but a man like Roger probably couldn’t help but be. Not just that but it probably felt prophetic he found Laugh Tale of course that had to mean something?He was also dying as it was and put things in place for Ace to survive. He told Garp where he was so Garp could take him away with Rouge—a safety net, that sure was useful. Once she ya know, died.

With the understanding that the next generation would usher in the new age, Roger took aside a thirteen-year-old Shanks and revealed everything. He told him about the birth of the new Joy Boy, everything about Laugh Tale, and how he believed his son would usher in this age. I believe he gave Shanks this purpose: to pass on the straw hat to his son and help him become a man strong enough to fight the World Government. I think little traumatized Shanks, who is about to lose his father and has had the weight of the world put on his shoulders, takes it to heart and buries everything he is to fulfill his captain's last wish. And that’s horrible. I’ll get into the psychological implications later, but holy shit, Roger, what the fuck? He’s thirteen! And about to watch you die!

But yeah, doesn’t this make sense? Why the hell when Buggy wanted to go after the One Piece, did Shanks hold back and say they should wait, losing his brother because he has a secret his captain entrusted him with. Why the hell did they know about the Gum Gum Fruit and were searching for it? Why did Shanks spend so long on a little island like Fousha in the East Blue? Not only was he looking for the fruit, but he was also looking for Ace! (And maybe Rouge.)

Why has he been making all these connections but doing jack shit with them? Why did he become a Yonko but claim no territory for fucking years on end and do nothing really with his status? Why does he rely on such a small crew of such powerful individuals? Why does he party his life away, seem almost aimless, and not start to go after the One Piece until Luffy reaches Gear 5?

Because he’s the one to pass on the legacy; he’s the placeholder, a cog in the proverbial machine that is fate. He made sure Joy Boy would exist. And now that the dominoes have been placed and are falling fast, he’s going to challenge Luffy and make sure he’s strong enough to fight for it—strong enough to take on the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, and Imu—and then hand him a big red button to help do it afterward. That button will be all the sneaky shit he’s been doing in the background.

He’s been the bridge between his captain and this new age. Sure, it was too early, but his influence rippled out through the people he trusted and touched in his life. The same way Rayleigh trained Luffy, knowing what he was preparing him for in the next part of his journey, waiting years for him to arrive at Sabaody.

And all that needed to happen was the dreams, adventures, and sacrifices of a young boy. It’s almost poetic—a son for a son (or sun, in this case). My therapist says I make light of dark shit so I don’t have to emotionally feel the pain.

And now we get into the sad portion of today’s episode. Prepare the tissues because this is why I think Shanks is one of the saddest characters in One Piece.

Because think about it: Shanks’s life was charted for him; his adventure and future were stolen, decided with the reveal of Laugh Tale and all the secrets around it—everything, all so the next generation could one day rise up and bring a new dawn. Shanks never got to have a dream because it was stolen from him. He’s a walking, talking empty automaton, fulfilling his captain's dying promise made by a grieving thirteen-year-old.

He is dreamless, and for a man who is, in some sense, the freest in the world—can go anywhere, can do anything, is powerful enough to stop wars—he’s still trapped, chained to a future he can only wait for.

I don’t think he knows who he is outside of this. I don’t think he thinks he’ll live beyond it. (Which like I will fucking cry because this is gonna be kinda true.) I don’t even want to call it an ambition. Duty, maybe. Damned promise, more likely. And it’s ruined every relationship outside of it he’s ever had. Aside from one—

(Don’t even get me started on him and Mihawk and miscommunication, failed expectations, and Mihawk being the epitome of everything Shanks isn’t. With his dream chasing to the ends of the world, ending up unfulfilled and alone. Finding companionship and what he thought were similar drives in each other, but once Shanks lost his arm and his hat, he realized Shanks was never fighting for something he wanted. And it broke him a little; it broke their relationship—one of the only relationships Shanks chose for himself, with nothing to do with his mission.

And Buggy—he gave up his brother, was forced to leave him alone, and couldn’t say anything, couldn’t tell him the truth, couldn’t destroy his dream. And he couldn’t even be selfish enough to make him stay. Like, oh my God, the drama.)

Doomed yaoi aside, the only thing and person I think that messed up his perfectly made plans is Luffy.

Sweet baby Luffy wasn’t so sweet before the Red Force arrived. In the manga, it is mentioned that he was an angry, bitter child, lashing out almost like Ace to a degree. But Shanks, by just being kind, by being good, and by reaching out and teasing this little ball of anger, transforms him, saves him in a way. He gives him a drive, a dream, and a morality to live by. He gives him everything he never got—everything stripped from him. Shanks turns him into the type of person a special kind of Devil Fruit might call out to and get eaten by.

Nika chose Luffy because Shanks saved him by just being good and kind, giving this kid something beyond his anger and bitterness. Shanks gave Luffy the idea of freedom, and in return, he allowed Shanks’s perfectly clear mission to shatter. I think this Shanks makes the first real decision in his life: he goes, "Fuck, well, we’re backing this horse now," and Luffy becomes his child—not his captain's, but his future to bet on and help grow.

And I fucking love that. Luffy saves him just as he saved Luffy, in a way. And that’s his kid, his successor, more than it ever was for Roger. I will die on this hill. (If you want, you can even look at it as Shanks finally choosing a dream all his own and it’s Luffy.)

Will Oda see it this way? Probably not. He has a habit of brushing off stuff like this; I think he’ll make Shanks’s character into a noble man dedicated to stopping the World Government and not even think about the implications of tying all that to him at such a young age. But I do think Shanks expects to die when Luffy comes to fight; I think he wants to, just how Mihawk wants to die from Zoro’s blades. Because what is there beyond this? (And again, parallels!)

And I believe he will live! (Not Mihawk—he's gonna die.) Shanks will live, and symbolically, Luffy will free him from this self-imposed duty, this promise made by a child. Shanks will have made, even unwittingly, the thing that would free him, allowing him to move forward in a world where all the purposes he needs to find are his own.

And holy shit, that’s a lot for him, but then Blackbeard will happen, and he’ll die only having known freedom for a short while. Luffy will cry and create a new dawn, and it won’t be for nothing—except it will be for everything to Shanks.

In conclusion, Shanks doesn’t have a dream of his own. He never had a dream; if he did, it was squashed out of him in order to fulfill a promise set by his father, Gol D. Roger.

He loses his brother, loses his control over his destiny, and as his father sets such things into motion, Ace, Roger’s child, will become the new Joy Boy.

He makes a connection with someone outside of that mission and purpose, and in doing so, creates the opportunity for his own freedom and his own choice in Luffy.

Later down the line, Nika/Luffy will eventually free him in the same way he created his own freedom back then, giving him a new choice going forward. They will free him from the mission that was placed on his shoulders as a thirteen-year-old child, and afterwards, he will consequently be killed by Blackbeard, and everything will be horrible, and we will all cry. The end.

I hope everyone enjoyed this thesis on Shanks. Feel free to use it and steal it to your hearts content. I would love to write more if anyone has any questions or things they want to ask; I will be opening up my ask box for questions. I would love to go into more detail on his relationship with Luffy, his rivalry with Blackbeard, and how that ties into all of this, as well as his relationship with Mihawk (fuck man the parallels!!) or maybe Buggy. (Which I have less on it’s just really tragic.)

[kelpweedkelpweedingkelpweeds]

Reading analysis about Cal while screaming into the void known as an empty room and here to publish my unneeded thoughts about my blorbo.

Cal deserved more screen time, he deserved more chapters of his POV and honestly VA did him so dirty 😔

Because our dear RQ characters are definitely unreliable narrators, the reader’s perception of characters is based on their own POVs and how other characters perceive them. Unfortunately, every character describes Cal as a lovesick puppy, a mopey matchstick, a dense moron and everything in between. It's not that these are wrong, they're part of his character, but these are incredibly surface level traits which leads to the general perception of Cal’s character being superficial, bland and boring. It seems like his only purpose in the story is to be Mare’s love interest because Maven betrayed her.

However, he has a whole lot of untapped potential. My man did not get betrayed by Mare, betrayed by his brother, find out his mother was murdered buy Elara, get forced to kill his own father, lose everything he had and got sentenced to execution all in 1 day for people to call him boring. Honestly, when I listed it out like that, I truly realised how crazy the whole situation was. Within the span of a day he lost any form of stability he had even known in his life, and found out that one if not the closest person to him (maven) was a lie. If that isn't traumatic, I really wouldn't like to hear whatever other definition of trauma there is out there. I think the only reason we very much overlook Cal's trauma is because 1. It happened in real time, 2. He's no longer a child, 3. We didn't see it from his POV and 4. In this scene he and his father are technically the "bad guys".

Here's the thing though, he has never talked about it. Not once. Never. The closest we ever saw this man to losing his mind was when he was planning the Corros prison break. He'd never mentioned this trauma from any POV, not even his own. Maven told Mare about how Elara messed up everything in his brain, and how he never recovered from it. For Cal, we never found out how he dealt with it and how close to the brink of insanity he was. If he ever just felt like exploding and destroying everything. Nobody except Mare ever asked him if he was ok. He had every right to go mad. But he didn't. Some miraculous way, Cal managed to maintain some semblance of sanity and that is unimaginable mental strength like holy shit.

Another way too glossed over plot point was why he chose the crown over mare in the epilogue of KC. This one I get genuinely frustrated over sometimes because there were so many reasons for him to make that decision. I know many people have talked about this before but I'm just going to repeat it 1. It's the best political move in the situation. Cal isn't stupid, no matter how many people seem to think he is. He knows better than to let the place of King open for anyone to snatch up and that it was the only way the Silvers and the Scarlet Guard would ever work together. 2. To him it's his moral obligation. Cal's loyalty and sense of duty is a huge part of his character. All his life he's been told it's his responsibility, his destiny to become king and serve the people. Not only that, the crown is his family's legacy and considering the fact that he was the one to behead his own father Cal likely feels even more morally obligated to become king. The words he said to Mare, "I love you and I want you more than anything else in this world". He uses the word "want", but how can a want, a desire ever compare to what he believes is a need, an obligation? It's not that he didn't love mare enough like Evangeline suggested, or that he fell prey to the power's lure like Mare insinuated in the epilogue. He did what he full heartedly believed was right, and unfortunately this was barely touched upon in war storm which made me want to tear my hair out.

This yap session is nearly done, just hold on a bit longer. The last thing that DEFINITELY should have gotten more words was his ultimate decision to abdicate. All we got was him reading Coriane's diary, Evangeline telling him "if it's not too late for me, it's not too late for you" and then the decision. WHERE'S THE IN-BETWEEN THOUGHT PROCESS? He read through Coriane's diary and realised that she wanted her son to have a different life, and of course he probably had some thoughts about it. Considering how he knew the Scarlet Guard and Montfort weren't with him, how he still loved Mare, perhaps realizing what his life could have been with an alive mother was what tipped him over the edge. Perhaps it was loyalty to his mother he never had the chance to know, loyalty to the little of her forever bound in a gold-covered book, buried in the graveyard known as time. Maybe he asked Julian who seemed to want him to reconsider his decision as king, but we'll never know because it wasn't written 😭😭😭

Cal is incredibly kind, loyal, warm, passionate, motivated, and indecisive, and I love that about him. His story could have been a tragedy, a prodigy put on a pedestal that had everything and was forced to be everything, reduced to nothing in an instant. But it wasn't. He found love in a girl that took everything from him, and rebuilt himself a far better life from the ashes of nothing. Normally the circle between characters I like and characters I respect rarely overlap, but somehow this 6'3 adorable ass dork stuck himself straight in both and this is why I will defend what his character is and could have been. Thank you for attending my Tedtalk, it's literally all my thoughts about this man exploding into text and falling onto a Tumblr post.

This is me getting distracted from writing Fated god send help I just can't stay on track

Funny story I wanted to copy this essay into a document for fun just to see how many words and guess who highlighted a portion of it and clicked space by accident. Hahaha (that whole thing was 1000 words btw I need to learn to shut up)

[pearl-blue-musings]

touch

Finally finished this WIP so is it garbage? Probably

Pairing: Aventurine x fem!reader, slight Dr. Ratio x fem!reader

Warnings: some smut, unreliable mc, slight angst, is the reader black women coded for my sanity? yes

Word count: ~2.3K

Aventurine is a gambler. You knew that going into this arrangement with him. The both of you have very stressful careers, him an IPC exec and you a scientific researcher, and finding some common ground came easy. You had met during a meeting with the Stonehearts and your research firm. The attraction was instant between the two of you, your breasts felt extra malleable under his gaze and you wanted to ignore the way your pussy clenched at his smirk and chuckle. At the lounge afterwards, the two of you made good conversation, drinking and getting to know each other. Eventually, he was leaning into you, his hands trailing over your silouhette before whispering in your ear.

“I know we both want each other, let’s just go to my place already.”

His voice was sticky and saccharine and it’s been embedded in your brain ever since. If you weren’t horny before that, the way he laced his words with honey had you almost cumming on the spot. Aventurine ravaged your body in ways you didn’t think were possible. You had told him in a lusty haze that his job should be eating your pussy, suggesting more research should be conducted. Never had Aventurine found himself genuinely falling for someone so fast and openly wanting more of their touch. And that terrified him. You two only knew each other for barely a day and he made the decision that you were going to be a problem. A problem he wouldn’t mind fucking every now and then until he figured out something else.

You slowly learned through the grapevine that he is willing to do whatever it takes, whatever gamble is necessary to get what he wants; he’ll sleep with, tease, ingest whatever he can. He does it in a way that pisses you off to no end. Sometimes it ends with the two of you fucking out your frustrations but it gets to you. It always does.

So you decide to fight fire with fire.

Dr. Ratio doesn’t always indulge himself in fleeting intimate moments but there was something about you. He knows about you because of Aventurine and is curious why the IPC executive doesn’t have you on a tighter leash. Despite your knowledgeable mind, you happen to be one of the most beautiful women he’s ever seen. Although Ratio may have a snarky temperament and brooding attitude, there have been times where he is soft around you. Relatively speaking. Through their interactions, Aventurine has spoken about you less and less which only made the doctor want to know more about his ethereal researcher lady friend. Aventurine paid no mind, he has to pay no mind.

So when you had invited him to go over some research topics of yours (a serious endeavor as you have been dying to collaborate with the doctor) and he brought over a nice wine as a polite guest, things got heated. The scholarly debate between the two of you got intense which led to the bed being occupied and ruined. Ratio had left his mark on you, whispering dirty words such as “you uneducated wench, was this your plan? Answer me, slut. Tell me. And to think I wanted to work with you, pathetic.” His toned arms are adorned with your scratch marks, his chest littered with your lipstick stains. During that time, a certain blond had decided to call you for a rendezvous, not that he was missing you, but you politely and accidentally picked up and he heard everything.

He heard the way the doctor whispered sweet and filthy promises in your ear, the sound of skin against skin was almost enough to make him break his phone. But he knew better. He knew you wanted to get on his nerves and so he listened. Listened to the way you finish with that high pitch furl in your voice, to the way Ratio grunted and thrust into you when he was done. He listened to the way your hands grabbed at Ratio’s back and could imagine the way your nails dug into the doctors back.

You let Veritas stay the night, the doctor surprisingly bathing you and suggesting that you two consider collaborating in the future. In research and the bedroom. He leaves and runs into a furious blond, a smirk on his face as Aventurine pulls out the extra key he has to your place. The gambler doesn’t let his guard down until he’s passed the threshold of your apartment. The blond finds you in a state of undress and a satisfied look plastered on your face. He tries to berate you but you tell him blankly, “we’re not in a relationship, remember?”

Aventurine didn’t want to take your words to heart, but he had. He composed himself and let himself out, seething that you would do something like this.

The next time he sees you, it’s at an IPC executive party weeks later. The drink in his hands swirls and starts to lose its potency from the ice melting. His gloved finger traces the rim as he watches you talk with Jade and Sugilite. His eyebrow quirks up when he sees Sugilite put his glass to your lips and a hand to your hips.

You’re up to something he thinks, and it’s driving him insane. Did you want better hours at the IPC? Better funding for your projects? How could you stoop to his so-called level and not let him help-

The glass in Aventurine’s hand almost shatters as you drape your legs over his colleagues thighs as you kiss him seductively. It appears that Sugilite has his hands running up and down your sides and to your ass, grabbing a fistful of it as you two grind against each other so openly. Sure it’s a dimly lit establishment, but it wouldn’t take much to know what’s happening.

This kiss with the other executive isn’t what you thought it would be. You wanted it to be Aventurine underneath you, your breasts pressing against his chest and his hand on your ass. The dress you have on leaves nothing to the imagination and you wanted a certain someone to rip it off of you. However, you have been getting tired of Aventurines antics and decided to get even with him. If he can push your buttons, why can’t you do the same?

The kiss ends with Sugilite whispering into your ear. “The money will be sent posthaste. I can’t wait to see the fruits,” he pinches your side, “of your labor. Pleasure doing business with you.” You give him a sickenly sweet smile before pecking his lips once more. You remove yourself from his lap and grab your own drink and begin to walk away as if nothing happened. Suddenly, a strong gloved hand grips your bicep and pulls you away. The walk is fast paced and you’re starting to trip over yourself. Aventurine walks faster and faster and you attempt to get his attention. You’re led to a private room where you can see some credits flashed to the attendants before he shoves you inside. Clearly this room is used for private shows with the mirrors showcasing your every move. It’s exhilarating seeing the state you’re in from different angles as he locks the door and turns around to face you. You gulp and walk back, your legs hitting the booth and falling into it with a thump. Aventurine hovers over you, caging you in with an intensity you have never seen before.

“What the hell was that?” His breath is flaring from his nostrils as his eyes square in on yours. You try to close your legs to shrink in on yourself but he plants his knee inbetween. Remembering what he’s put you through, you cross your arms and sit up a bit more.

You scoff before retaliating. “Are you kidding me? I was getting money for my research. I learned how to get what I want from you, so thank you for that.” The smirk on your face is ever present as Aventurine matches your attitude.

He chuckles darkly with a roll of his eyes. “You do know digital communication would have sufficed with him. He isn’t so easily swayed by physical bribes.” The light in his eyes darkens as his voice lowers. Feeling a bit more confident at getting under his skin, you let out a soft chuckle.

“Hmph, then why did it get completely funded? Or did you stop watching after I left?” You flinch and shut your eyes tightly when you hear the mirror behind you crack and Aventurine cursing under his breath. He shakes his hand in pain and a trail of blood trickles down his wrist. The alcohol in your system suddenly loses its effect and you blink your eyes wide. Aventurine stumbles back as the pain shoots through him. You reach out for him and he pulls his hand back in fear.

“Don’t touch me!” His voice comes out scared and broken. Your hand lingers in the air, your fingers wanting to grab at the empty air, anything really. You pull your arm back as he hisses to get his breathing under control. You then stand up, unlocking the door to get the attendants attention. “Excuse me,” you whisper, “do you have a first aid kit? Thank you.”

A few minutes pass and the man comes back with a first aid kit. You thank him politely and shut the door again. By this point Aventurine has taken most of the glass out of his hand, leaving only tiny specks only a tweezer can get from his now ripped glove. You gently sit across from him and set down the first aid kit to open it. You pull out the rubbing alcohol and get a clean towel. You part your lips to warm him but he beats you to the punch. “Just do it already,” he hisses. You nod firmly and begin to clean the wounds.

The only sounds going on are the low thumping of the bass, Aventurine’s unsteady breathing, plastic opening and closing, and the minuscule pieces of the mirror falling onto the table. The silence between you two is heavy as you mend his hand. Once it’s wrapped, you let go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and go to remove your hand from his. However, he tightens his fingers around your palm. You give him a questioning look. “Aventurine…”

His breath is shaky as he keeps his gaze lowered. “Don’t do that again,” he commands. “I don’t want to share you. You are mine,” he emphasized the last word by pulling your hand and turning his attention toward you. His thumb draws circles on the back of your hand, wanting to bring comfort to the two of you. The strong blond has captivated your full attention.

You swallow a lump in your throat and slowly shake your head. “I,” you stuttered out, “I don’t understand.” The gambler chuckles, drawing you into his orbit. He then pulls you onto his lap, your legs straddling his waist.

He cocks his head to the side with a smirk. “Darling, can’t you tell? You’re the only one I let touch me,” he takes your hand and cups his cheek with it, “like this.” Your hand stays on his warm cheek holding him firm. What is he about to say? The thoughts raging in your head practically block out all other sounds including your increasing heartbeat. His gaze softens, losing yourself in the intertwining pools of purple and turquoise.

Your eyebrows furrow and you instantaneously begin to feel exposed and vulnerable. “What do you mean? I thought-“

Aventurine snorts. “You thought like everyone else that I’m a whore? That I parade my body around to get what I want?” His fingers run up your sides slowly, drawing incoherent shapes. “I may show off,” his voice lowers as he leans into your ear, “but I never let them touch.”

Jealousy.

That’s what this is. He’s jealous, almost slightly possessive. How can you say you care for him when you don’t know him as well as you thought? You gulp and breathe to steady yourself. “Then how come you never corrected me?”

“Would you have believed me?”

A tense silence befalls the two of you. A trickle or nervous sweat travels down the crevice of your breasts, causing you to remember the lack of bra for your dress. The air is warm as you drop your jaw. Your voice is cracked as you lay your forehead against his. “I’m sorry.”

He chuckles and cups your face, his signature smirk visible on his features. “So you were trying to hurt me by using the doctor.” His voice doesn’t indicate anger, but it is controlled. It’s a statement of fact and conclusion. His hold is gentle as he slowly exhales. “Don’t say anything,” he whispers, “I know how you feel.

“Because I feel the same, you alluring,” he kisses the edge of your mouth, “smart,” he kisses the other edge, “gorgeous woman.” He finally closes the distance and gives you the softest yet most passionate kiss he’s ever given to you. The two of you remain in the private room until the allotted time comes to an end. And you stayed on his lap in his arms. His uncovered fingertips graze over your fingers, leaving kitten kisses all over your skin.

As you rest gently against him, Aventurine pulls out his phone to see some messages from his colleague.

Sugilite: the funds I gave her came from your account

Sugilite: I’m not stupid enough to mess with what’s yours

Sugilite: you’re welcome

[alchemistc]

for love that i'll keep tending | bucktommy 1/1

read on ao3

Tommy has been... stewing, for most of the night. There's no way around it.

He's been reserved, picking at the label on his latest craft beer, something he'd actually used his timeshare on the chopper to fly out to Colorado to pick up because Buck had gone down a research spiral and mentioned might be fun to try (after he'd gotten teary-eyed about the one dedicated to a brewery dog who'd passed), only the brewery didn't ship.

Eddie is almost positive they haven't had a fight. He'd spent an entire 24 with Buck, and even if Buck had been keeping silent about it -- unlikely, but always a possibility -- he'd definitely have been brooding about it. But he'd been normal. For the general rule of Buck, anyway, he'd been normal. Maybe even a little more chipper than usual. When he'd smacked a hand to Eddie's shoulder on the way to his Jeep, he hadn't even done the usual rigamarole of acting a little jealous about Eddie and Tommy spending time together without him.

Shit, is Buck losing interest?

But -- no.

No, because a week ago they'd gone to a call for a lost little girl in the canyon, and when they'd gotten to her and she'd told them all about going camping with her dads, and how she'd gotten turned around and lost, Buck had done his normal routine with kids and charmed her into calm, and when they'd found the guys frantically searching for their daughter an hour and a half later, Buck had gotten a look in his eye that Eddie had been seeing a lot of lately.

There was the general look he always gave kids -- babies especially, but kids in general -- like he found them more precious than anything else in the world. And then there was the look he reserved for parents and their kids -- contemplative, a little wistful, like he was remembering there was someone out there in the world with half his genetic makeup.

And then there was the one for gay men and their children. It wasn't like it happened a lot, but often enough that even Eddie sometimes wondered if Buck wasn't accidentally manifesting these meetings. It'd been happening with greater frequency since the moment Andi from B shift had unceremoniously dumped her new baby into Tommy's arms so that she could grab a slice of Bobby's famous apple pie before it was gone. Tommy'd been magnanimous enough to refuse to hand the baby back for most of the evening, eyeing her frazzled hair and the circles under her eyes and making the executive decision that she needed a break, even if it was just forty-five minutes at the station while they all celebrated the new arrival and the extra two weeks of maternity leave they'd had to practically sue the city for.

Buck's love of kids seemed to have laser-focused since seeing Tommy rocking a baby in one arm while he spoon-fed Jee-Yun cake in the seat next to his.

And Eddie hasn't ever really talked to Tommy about kids, in general. He's good with Chris, unfazed in the face of all his angsty teenage moods, happy to be drawn into conversations that even Eddie and Buck sometimes aren't sure how to navigate. He knows Jee's a little obsessed with him, and that it's a point of pride for Tommy. Denny and Mara are always begging Hen to invite him over more.

Maybe it's finally hitting, though? That a future with Buck almost certainly means children, at some point?

The heavyweight match ends with a technical KO in the third round and Eddie stands to grab another round of beers.

"I bought a ring on my day off," Tommy says, staring hard at his mostly empty growler, and Eddie drops back into his recliner with a grunt.

"Okay," Eddie tells him, leaning in with his elbows on his knees. Neither one of them speaks as the next bout is announced. It's technically the one they went halvsies on the package for, but Eddie doubts either one of them cares enough about it to refocus. "I gotta say, man, if you're having second thoughts I'm the wrong person to talk to, because I'm gonna get defensive and tell you you're a damn fool, and I doubt it's gonna be helpful."

Tommy turns to give him a look so unimpressed that Eddie's actually a little jealous. That, at least, is helpful.

"Okay. Good. Great, even. So, what exactly is it that's been making you leak existential dread all over my couch since you got here?"

Eddie can think of a couple different possibilities. He isn't Buck-close with Tommy, but they talk, and it's not like he hasn't been around the two of them together enough to not have been privy to some of the more intimate conversations they've had. Family is a rough subject for all of them. So there's still that glaring what if they haven't talked about kids possibility. Or just a general fear that Buck isn't ready for this step -- completely unfounded, but Tommy's a lot more insecure about this stuff than he tends to let on.

Tommy grimaces. Gestures vaguely, and shakes his head, before he finally makes eye contact. "Evan's the grand gestures guy. And now I've got a ring burning a hole in my pocket, and jack shit as far as how to propose."

And this -- this is actually the most delightful answer he could have given. This is primo blackmail material. The best man speech is literally gonna write itself.

Eddie lets him stir in it for a hot minute. He tilts his head back and forth, nods to himself, rolls his tongue over his teeth, waits, waits, waits until Tommy narrows his eyes at him and reaches for a bottle cap on the coffee table to toss at Eddie's head.

Eddie laughs. "You could ask him two days laid up in bed with the flu, covered in flop sweat, and the answer would be the same."

Tommy rolls his eyes. "Clearly my point is that he deserves more than that, and I don't have a clue where to start."

"Well," Eddie starts, "I'm aware that everyone and their mother thinks I have a secret, elaborate proposal planned out for Buck already, but I am once again reminding you that we've been over this and I'm not actually hiding any unrequited feelings for the man you want to be your husband. So."

That saga won't make it into the speech. That's a private little story for the three of them to look back on, twenty years from now, and laugh about. That's a weekend stretch of conversations in the woods of Big Bear, sharing a tent that really should have only fit one of them, that Eddie will never be able to properly express his gratitude for.

"So you've got nothing," Tommy says, a little accusatory, a lot bitchy.

"Buck likes making big gestures, man. I have zero point of reference on what he'd like if the tables were turned."

But -- actually.

Tommy huffs, melting into the couch cushions like his marionette strings have been cut.

There's a thought percolating, though. He's just not sure --

"I shouldn't be worried," Tommy says, more to himself than to Eddie. It'd been an interesting revelation, half-a-year in, finding out that Tommy was actually kind of a yapper, once he was comfortable with someone. "We've talked about this. Marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. I don't know why I'm building this up in my head."

Which is unintentionally the most helpful thing he's said so far.

"I have... an idea," Eddie drops, tentative, as Pereira once again proves why he gets the title card every time he fights. Tommy's eyes snap to his, interested. "Depends how much you trust Jee to keep a secret."

She's her fathers daughter, so very little should be the answer. They'll have to keep her in the dark until day of. Probably find a way to keep Buck distracted until things are fully in motion.

Tommy leans in.

_____

Eddie's still riding the high of finally beating Josh and Maddie at pool when Buck and Tommy slide into the bar, the two of them grinning ear to ear. Eddie spots it first, and shoots a wide eyed look at Tommy, because they'd spent a week trying to plot out a time when everyone necessary to The Plan would be available for a long enough time to make it work without cutting corners. That day is still... three and a half weeks away.

And Buck's got a ring on his finger. Eddie's already seen it up close, a simple gold band, an inscription on the inside he doesn't really know the significance of, even if it'd made Tommy go a little moony-eyed when Eddie read it aloud.

Tommy... is also wearing a ring.

Dios, did Buck go out and buy a ring the night Tommy came over for the fights?

They're made for each other. They're both insane.

Buck isn't exactly subtle when he slams his hand down on the eight-top they'd snaked half an hour ago, and if Maddie hadn't immediately shrieked and drawn the attention of half the bar, Eddie is certain he'd have wiggled his fingers for emphasis. Maybe done a jig before he Vanna'd Tommy's bling, too.

Josh immediately monopolizes all of Buck's attention by demanding Buck tell him the story with haste, Buckley, so Eddie gets a chance to raise an eyebrow at Tommy, who quickly rolls his jaw to hide the massive grin threatening to overtake his entire face.

"Well I wasn't dying of dysentery," Tommy deadpans, as the smile leaks through at the corners of his mouth. His nose scrunches when he tries to bite it down.

"He forgot to put the box away before I got back from my run," Tommy admits, cheeks dimpling, and then the fight is out of him, left fist clenched tight so that the thick band catches in the overhead light, deep grooves stretching towards his ears as he unleashes the depths of his happiness upon the world.

Eddie can picture the mad scramble, the awareness that he's been caught, the doe-eyed grin that seems to be reserved specifically for Tommy.

Buck is making a gesture that is probably less obscene than it looks, based on the way Maddie continues to grin without any sign of pulling a face. Josh is sighing.

Chimney and Hen are gonna be pissed they were running late.

Eddie owes Hen twenty bucks.

("Yeah, have you met them? I'm taking bets right now, there's no way Tommy lasts a month with a ring and a plan.")

Maddie seems to realize at the same moment as Buck that they'd narrowed their focus so completely that the prospective fiance has had time to order drinks. She rounds on Tommy with the same unhinged joy she'd fostered in her brother, growing up.

"You didn't tell me!" she says, and Eddie assumes that means Tommy had (eventually, and god does he know way too much about how active their sex life is) divulged his plan.

"You would have told Howie," Tommy accuses, and when Maddie doesn't deny it Tommy just looks smug. His grin goes soft around the edges when he catches Buck beaming at him over his sisters shoulder.

Eddie takes the opportunity, before the rest of the party arrives and derails the conversation for a second retelling, to round the table and gather Buck up in a hug.

Buck's embrace is tight, and maybe a little teary. Eddie clings back, and thinks of the years and years of disappointed hopes, the loves that fizzled out, or burst into flames, the thing behind Buck's eyes that had only made itself known after Tommy stuck around.

Hen and Chim find them like that. He doesn't even let her get a word out before he's giving Buck a hearty smack on the back and digging for his wallet.

[rhiannonsknife]

IM BAAAACK life has been creatively rotting my brain but i reappear! this time not with smut (rip but it will be back) but with mind-numbing fluff

i've been thinking a lot about the fact that rhiannon is painfully lonely in canon and it always makes me go insane and crazy... i need to be the one to show her the affection she's been craving for so long! it starts off small - making her coffee because you notice how she always brings coffee to her coworkers with no thank you's. then you start bringing her little gifts, small things like staplers or hole punches that you've heard her complaining about because the ones she's been given don't work. it's at this point that she's already head over heels for you, and you've barely done anything but show her human decency. you don't even have to think about your response when she asks you out on a date; it's an immadiate yes. when the two of you start dating, you always find a way to go above and beyond. flowers in a nice vase when she gets a raise at work, a bath drawn with a bath bomb and candles because she texted you that she wasn't feeling well, and frequent date nights with the best wine you can afford. she's not at all used to anyone in her life being this kind to her, and the first few times you show her affection, she busts out into tears (and even after that, she gets misty-eyed every time). you just love her so much that you want to make sure that she gets treated like she should've always been treated this whole time

also making the executive decision to sign off with 🪐 from now on

welcome 🪐 anon!! <3 i adore your thoughts omg!! seeing you in my inbox never fails to make my day!!! 😁

this is something i think about alllll the time!! my number 1 love language is definitely either gift-giving or acts of service but like…i‘d go CRAZY with these for rhiannon!!! i could fix her guys!!

she’s so startled to find that first coffee on her desk that marks the beginning of your relationship. her eyes would be so wide in surprise. sure, she’s been the one to make coffee for her colleagues all the time, but not once had anyone acknowledged that, let alone bothered to return the favor. ever. but you’ve seen her. of course you have. your heart had ached for her every time she’d brought coffee for her coworkers only to be ignored all over again. it was about time someone did something nice for her.

her reaction, however, has you wondering how long it truly has been since somebody did something for rhiannon. anything at all.

she’s sputtering on and on about how you “didn’t have have to do that” and how she’ll “definitely pay you back” for going out of your way to bring some good coffee from the café down the road instead of the shitty kind from the office’s machine.

from this point forward, you always bring her coffee whenever you go out for your break. it becomes your little routine: walking past her desk, calling out her name, and watching how her head will instantly snap in your direction. the smile she flashes you every time is what gets you through your shifts. you learn rhiannon’s coffee order by heart before you make up a nickname for her that only you ever use so she'll know you're approaching just be the way you're cheerfully calling "rhee" through the office. you learn, over time, that she’s got a massive sweet tooth and start bringing a cookie to her coffee as well.

it becomes your thing. something the two of you share in the otherwise rather boring everyday life. if rhiannon is still out by the time you come back, you’ll leave the things on her desk and she will know that you’ve thought of her when she comes back. she could quite literally combust whenever she gets back to a warm coffee and a snack left for here because for the first time, someone cares!! someone sees!! just when she thinks she couldn’t fall even more in love with you from afar, you come up with yet another thing to brighten up her days: she hadn’t thought anyone would overhear her cursing the cheap hole punchers everyone’s been given until she finds a brand new, perfectly working one along her coffee one day.

she looks at you from across the room, clearly in disbelief, and just barely catches your knowing smile as you quickly turn away.

when you start dating, shortly after this incident, it is only because rhiannon finally has it in herself to approach you: she is so nervous to talk to you that she literally has to give herself a mental pep talk before approaching your desk at all. on top of that, she's too flustered to actually call it what she wants it to be -a date- and you have to take over, sensing her endearing nervousness. “i was- uhm- well i was wondering if you’d wanna come grab a coffee? i was about to leave but i think your lunch break is about to start too, isn’t it? not that i was like- stalking your lunch break schedule, or whatever! i just thought it would be nice…” she's blushing like crazy, ready for immediate rejection. instead, you smile at her and ask: “as a date?” god, rhiannon could melt right then and there!!! she would, but you instantly get up when she confirms this, so there's no time to.

after this, there’s quite literally no stopping you.

once she’s your girlfriend officially you make it your job to ensure rhiannon never feels lonely or invisible ever again. that first time she comes home to you being there, it’s already enough for her to feel appreciated: to come back to a house that actually feels like home with somebody waiting for her. and that’s before she walks in and sees all that you’ve prepared for her: homemade dinner, candles set up on the table, a fresh bouquet of her favorite flowers…

rhiannon starts sobbing instantly. you’re so worried, thinking you’ve overstepped or done something wrong to upset her. that is until she wraps her arms around you and covers you in kisses, hoarsely thanking you for the surprise. “i don’t deserve you” she claims through the tears. “i really, really don’t deserve you”

but of course she does and, of course, you’ll do it again. whether it’s by “small” gestures like sending her playlists of songs that make you think of her, remembering her favorite snacks when you’re out grocery shopping or taking care of her after a rough day, running her a bath and washing her hair for her or bigger things you prepare for her. surprise date nights that take some time to prepare but it’s all worth it when you get to watch rhiannon’s reaction. a planned trip for her birthday, where you take her somewhere nice that she always wanted to visit. literally anything to make her happy and give her the life she always deserved!!!!! <333

[laura1633]

There is a Rico/Max fic simmering away in the background that I haven't discussed because it might not work out but it has got me thinking about them so here is a little Alpha Rico and Omega Max drabble/ficlet/whatever you want to call it because they are on my mind-

Max Verstappen/Rico Verhoeven; Omegaverse; 725 words

Rico makes sure he is in Max’s drivers room waiting for the omega when he finally gets back from media duties. Max peers his head around the door, his cheeks flushed red and hair still scruffy from taking off his balaclava. He is pouting in the way he always does when he needs affection. 

“Come here sweetheart,” Rico doesn’t bother asking about the race, he doesn’t much understand the intricacies of what went on but he knows it hasn’t played out how Max was expecting. Max can debrief with the team, Rico is not here for that.

“I don’t feel good,” Max straddles Rico’s lap and buries himself against the alpha’s body, “I think my heat is coming early.” 

Max certainly smells sweeter than he did this morning. The scent blockers are working hard but there is a syrupy sweet slick scent that Rico never fails to pick up on, Max is clearly wet. 

“It’s okay, you can relax now,” Rico hums as he delicately slips his hands up and under Max’s top and feels the omega shiver against his touch. Max’s skin is like a furnace and the omega starts wiggling restlessly. 

He’s in pre-heat. Dangerously close to going into full heat. 

“You finished here now?” Rico noses up Max’s neck and peppers kisses across his jaw. Normally Max will pop into his drivers room in between media duties and team debrief. Rico is guessing the working day is not quite done, which is frustrating because he can’t wait to get Max back to the hotel and spread out beneath him.

“I don’t want to see anyone,” Max says in a painfully quiet voice, “I want to stay with you where it's safe.” 

“That’s okay sweetheart,” Rico holds Max closer to him, “I’m here now, its going to be fine.” 

And it is going to be fine. Rico is going to carry Max out of here if he needs to. It wouldn’t be the first time. The team may want to debrief but right now Max probably should be safely tucked up in a nest away from the whole world.

“Feel hot,” Max mumbles as he drags his hips back and then pushes them forward again, grinding himself against Rico’s thigh. From the soft little keening sounds it is clear that Max is enjoying the small amount of friction he is receiving from the movement. 

“You do feel warm,” Rico says sympathetically as he strokes a hand through Max’s hair and feels how damp it is. 

It’s always the first few hours of Max’s heats that are the worst. Max gets agitated and uncomfortable and Rico knows without being told that the fireproofs the omega currently has on are irritating his skin. Rico will get Max stripped out of his clothes as soon as they are in the privacy of the hotel room and Max will be free to melt against the soft sheets.

Max suddenly starts whining in the soft way he does when he can’t verbalise his discomfort and Rico takes an executive decision that he is most definitely not sending Max back to the team for their meeting. Whatever they want to discuss can wait, he is taking his pretty little omega back to their nest and he is going to ease him through his heat. 

“Lets get you out of here, do you want to walk?”

Max shakes his head and curls himself around Rico as the alpha carefully gets to his feet. The scent of slick is only getting thicker and Max is now so clingy that Rico couldn’t put him down even if he wanted to. Which, for the record, he has no desire to do.  

“Lets get you safe in the nest and then I’ll take care of you like you like to be taken care of,” Rico hums and Max makes a happy whimpering sound and grips ever tighter around him. Max may be small and delicate but he is strong when he wants to be and he is holding onto Rico for dear life, his legs wrapped around the alpha waist, his head buried against the alphas neck. 

Rico presses a kiss to Max’s head and gets ready to walk him out of the paddock and back to the privacy of their hotel where he can give him the love and attention he deserves.

[prinzrupprecht]

Okita x female reader accidentally making them cry in a argument

Kind of using the old layout. Normally I make new ones. Anyway this will be Okita making fem!reader/your OC cry. Situation is a bit different than what happened in the manga.

Synopsis: normally you never upset him until you got yourself in dangerous situations. This started when you wanted to help them beat Serizawa’s faction. He was against you helping them in any way. This caused a major argument because what were you then? You were supposed to be a fighter. Little had you known he was doing so to protect you.

Warnings? Some Chiruran spoilers.

WC: 962

You had done it again. You went against their orders and spoke to Niimi in private about Abiru’s death who was suddenly killed and you suspected him. Souji was furious along with Hijikata. You put yourself in a dangerous situation. It was practically forbidden to get into altercations with other members or else you have to seppuku.

“It doesn’t matter, I want to be the one to kill Niimi.” Saitou was also mad at you for taking the matter into your own hands.

“I know he was the one that killed Abiru… it’s just… not fair.” He was clenching his fists tightly before storming out of the room. You weren’t wanting to kill Niimi but you wanted to know the reason why he killed him.

“Why did you go?” Okita pulled you to the side. He was now an executive of the newest Aizu domain unit called the Shinsengumi.

“I don’t know, I was mad. Do you need to question everything I do?” You brushed him off. Your heart was stammering in your chest and Souji was ignoring what you had said to him.

Souji was someone closer to you than the others. Even when you’ve wanted to be alone, he always somehow liked your company and silence. He started to grow worried over the years when you became more involved in their fightings. He even brought such concerns about how he didn’t want you to fight and get hurt. Not after the first time when you two were teens and got severely injured. Souji was crying and blaming himself over your injuries against some ronin who had attacked you in broad daylight. Souji had since, been more cautious and refused to let you get hurt again.

“That's not… why I’m upset. Niimi-san could’ve done something to you or Serizawa-san—"

“He’s right,” Yamanami over heard you two talking but decided to stay out of it. The tension between you and Souji was getting heated from the looks of it.

“I’m fine, they won’t do anything to me.” You huffed and Souji was growing irritated the more you were refusing his orders. He was one of the higher-ups and you were disobeying him? How could you be so certain they won’t hurt you?

You could feel his eyes burn in the back of your head. “Could you at least tell me if you were going to do something like that next time?” Souji wanted to call your decisions stupid which would’ve been the first ever he had said something mean to someone. He was upset and hurt over it. Niimi was a creep and someone to not trust and the fact you went into Kamo’s residence could’ve meant anything. It terrified him. You were someone too important to him to lose.

“Why? So you could stop me? I was mad and I just… wanted some form of closure over what happened to our comrade.” You were holding back from bursting into tears. Now he’s mad at you… he could understand how you felt but it was too rash to barge into the other residence to demand answers.

“What you did was idiotic… and it pains me to see you do that. Don’t you think of the others? Me? Kondo?” Souji was clenching his jaw in anger but he didn’t or wouldn’t ever raise his voice at you. He was not that kind of man. He still very much cared and loved you despite if you never wanted him.

Souji didn’t know what to say for a moment. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, that is all.” He looked down despondently. Why was he being a coward of his own feelings? You knew he loved you more fondly than platonic, but were you pushing him away? You fell silent and he spoke again.

“Next time you disobey orders, Kondo-san may have to relieve you from your duties.” He stopped as he saw you sob quietly on your mattress from bottling up your emotions from the past few hours. You couldn’t bare the thought of leaving and he was right.

“I— I’m sorry, you– you should leave me alone. Th–The damage is done, wh— what more is there? You don’t— you don’t want me to get hurt… but what about you? I worry about you and everyone else…” you couldn’t help but hiccup half your sentences but Souji stayed and instead walked over to you and put his arms around you while leaning against your side to give you no space. You were trying to calm yourself down but your breathing was a bit too heavy.

You looked over at him as you accepted his embrace and wrapped your arms around him as well. “I’m sorry, Souji. I’ll try to think more rationally next time,” you croaked out as you were the one mostly leaning into him now. Were you tired now? He wanted to stay with you longer but you didn’t tell him to leave again. Maybe he could enjoy this moment more.

“Can I… stay? For the night?” Souji quietly asked. You looked up to him and smiled despite the painful day you had.

“I want that… more than anything right now.”

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

with the ask game: ✄ DVD BONUS for first step of kintsugi?

✄ DVD BONUS: pick a fic and I’ll describe or write a deleted scene!

I would have liked to write a scene from Michelle’s POV regarding her decision to not rat out Peter and Frank.

The thing about Frank Castle is that he really is a dangerous sort of fantasy. Like, the idea that there’s one guy out there who waltzes around as judge, jury, and executioner, and he can be trusted to know that they’re really bad people before he kills them. Like, there’s a reason why we don’t leave this shit up to the decision of one guy. Things like criminal justice is a process that demands a lot of time and a lot of people making the decision. Especially the death penalty. After someone is found guilty in a death penalty case, there is an entire separate fucking mini trial where the defense gets to present mitigation on behalf of his client. It’s not just one guy pulling the trigger a minute and a half after he meets the guy.

Frank’s approach to vigilantism constantly runs the risk of killing the wrong person. And that’s not to say he ever has a right person to kill—it’s more to say that he’s constantly at risk to kill someone he, under his own code, wouldn’t have killed. Fuck, it happened in kintsugi—he’s in the headquarters of a child trafficking ring, he knows every single guy here is involved… except for Aaron, some guy secretly working undercover with Spider-Man because the neighborhood is going to shit and high risk kids keep fucking disappearing and no one’s doing shit about it and he is secretly terrified that one day Miles is going to be the one who doesn’t come home. Frank wouldn’t choose to shoot him if he knew that. He got very close to killing someone and just being wrong about it.

And Frank knows that. And he knows what happens to him if he does. Season 2 of the Punisher made it very clear that he’ll hold himself to the same standard.

I have this entire subanalysis of how Frank Castle and Light Yagami and how Frank Castle is an execution of the concept people pretend light yagami is. The only honest interpretation of Light Yagami is as a damp, pathetic little freak. I have seen so so many takes of him as this guy who we are meant to root for, at least as he starts as Kira, because he’s making justice happen, and like. No. Light Yagami is a master class execution of someone with a god complex who uses hides his power trip with a fanatic ideology. And the reason why we know that is because of his initial murder of the guy masquerading as L. He has barely started his crusade and he is vindictively striking down his opposition for daring to disagree with their new god. L hasn’t done anything save disagree with him, at this point. And Light, off the bat, murders him.

And then there’s Frank. Who cannot fucking get rid of Matt Murdock, the worst person he has ever met, because the asshole conforms to his moral code so he doesn’t have an excuse to kill him.

Light canonically kills purse snatchers because he hears their name on the news and doesn’t loose any sleep about it. Frank has to catch you in the act of something major to justify killing you.

This isn’t to say one of them does it right. There’s no doing mass murder right. But Frank adheres to his own code and he’ll uphold it to the point of his own death.

Michelle doesn’t know that.

Michelle grew up in the shit part of town with a bad home life. She knows how fucked it is for some people right now. And she knows how many factors go into something like high level crime. She doesn’t believe in the death penalty and for good reason—why the fuck would she trust Frank to make the call for people?

Michelle doesn’t trust Frank. She doesn’t know him personally. She doesn’t know if he’ll actually confirm to his code if it comes down to it. She doesn’t agree with what he’s doing, and she does not feel comfortable just letting him go to do it more. She actually was extremely torn about it.

Michelle didn’t actually buy Franks entire schtick when she first spoke with him. She was deeply conflicted about it. But she knew that if she called the police on the spot, Peter would get caught up in the investigation and be absolutely fucked. She didn’t want to do that to him, so she decided to wait. She feels very guilty about that decision.

I’d have liked to write a scene after she leaves the two of them, trying to decide if she should call in an anonymous tip about Frank castle hanging around this area of queens, please try to get him during school hours for no particular reason.

And the reason why she doesn’t is because she’s scared Peter isn’t safe without him.

She doesn’t know why he’s sticking around, initially. She doesn’t know that Frank was the one who shot Peter until the next day, and she doesn’t buy he’s babysitting out of the goodness of his heart. The only thing she can come up with is the idea that someone’s after Peter, and Frank’s lurking around him as part protection, part bait.

She does not think that Frank should be doing what he is doing. And she has to take a hard look at herself in the mirror when she realizes she would look the other way if it meant Peter made it out the other end alive. It’s a compromise of her own morals.

She doesn’t make it lightly. She thinks less of herself when she does it. And I think it really highlights the sort of rock and hard place position people end up in when the local government fails you.

Queens has been struggling severely with crime and police corruption since the Chitauri Invasion. It got worse after Daredevil and the Punisher and the rest of the street level vigilantes hit the scene, because the worst of the worst just left Manhattan and went to Queens. Like. Devil’s micromanaging the fuck out of twelve city blocks. You don’t have to worry about getting your head kicked in if you just hop across the river.

Things only started to get better when Spider-Man hit the streets.

Michelle has to compromise her own values because she is legitimately scared that her friend will get killed because he saw the wrong thing and the police won’t do shit. It’s a hard choice for her to make, because I don’t see her as someone who easily compromises what she believes in. I think it’d be such a complex character moment to show her coming to the decision after Frank and Peter first leave.

The first step of kintsugi is one of my limited POV fics, though, so we can’t leave Frank and Peter. I didn’t put it in.

[very-normal-abt-this]

I forgive you = I don't forgive myself.

 Here is a little psychological analysis of the worst sentence ever uttered in the history of everything. I've decided that Aziraphale is utilizing a subconscious psychological defense strategy called "projection" (I'm a professional psychologist, so I can use the lingo :P)

We all use this at certain times in our lives. What happens is, when we feel that our behaviors, feelings, or thoughts are unacceptable; When they go against some of our values and create an internal value conflict - we feel shame, anger, fear, confusion. Feeling this way about ourselves is extremely uncomfortable, so sometimes, instead of acknowledging those feelings ("Wow I am feeling really angry at myself right now"), people will *Project* those feelings onto the person who is involved in the situation that is causing us to feel that value conflict. And, we are more likely to use this defense strategy when our emotional resources have been depleted. When we don't have the emotional energy to recognize and cope with painful feelings that we are feeling. Sometimes its just easier to be angry at someone else, instead of being angry at ourselves, you know?

Now, lets look at how this concept applies to Aziraphale's reaction to *The Kiss.* We know that his emotional resources have certainly been depleted by all of the emotional events that just occurred in the span of a day: planning and executing the ball, building up the courage to ask Crowley to dance, actually dancing with Crowley in front of everyone, realizing that he put his guests in serious danger when demons show up, fighting for his life, seeing Jimbriel and Beelz get their happy ending and realizing that it is possible,  seeing Metatron come down from Heaven, and finally being offered an insane opportunity for himself and for Crowley. Wow, that is.... A LOT, don't you agree?  So, by the time Aziraphale is having the "final 15" conversation with Crowley - he can no longer effectively process unexpected and complex thoughts and emotions.

Uuuuunfortunately, that is exactly what he gets during the conversation with Crowley. First, Crowley has an unexpected and complex reaction to the offer of being together as angels (unexpected to emotionally unhinged Aziraphale, not to us of course). Then, Crowley proceeds to drops an emotional bombshell by doing something that has never been done before - openly discussing the nature of their relationship and his feeling about Aziraphale. After that, Aziraphale himself chooses to show the most vulnerability and honesty about his feelings that he has ever shown (i.e. "I need you!"). And what is the final cherry on top of this "emotional tsunami" pie? The straw that completely breaks the camel's back? (aka temporarily breaks his friggin mind) ***THE KISS.***

As an aside, I am not AT ALL saying that Crowley was wrong for anything that he did or said in the final 15. I believe he was right to say and do all of it. I am simply breaking down the factors that were present in the context of that conversation. And one of the factors is -- the timing of it all was just horrendous. It was horrendous, because both of them had very depleted emotional resources at that moment in time. Aziraphale was basically primed to become completely overwhelmed and confused by all the new and complicated emotions/ideas that he was required to process. On top of it, he was required to process them in a very short amount of time, with damn Dickatron putting pressure on him to make a decision ASAP.

Okay, so what do humans do when we are completely overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions? Sometimes what happens is - we REVERT to the familiar. We REGRESS to things that are the most automatic and easiest to understand. We revert to thoughts and behaviors that have been the most practice, even if they are not effective and not relevant to the situation at hand (which we don't recognize until later, when we are out of that "fight of flight" state). 

Back to Aziraphale. He is experiencing an insane amount of emotions during and after the kiss. He is trying to process his emotions and the implications of the kiss; and he is also trying to make a super hard decision, all at the same time. What he should have done is say to Crowley - "wow this is a lot for me to process right now and I'm completely overwhelmed. Can I please have 15 minutes to myself so I can re regulate my nervous system, and then we will keep talking?"

Unfortunately, when we're overwhelmed by emotions - its really hard to see the different options available to us. We go into a sort of "tunnel vision" and revert to our internalized and automatic beliefs and behaviors. For Aziraphale, that means - regressing to the old beliefs that Heaven has programmed into him. Maybe beliefs like: acting on carnal desires is wrong (look at what happened to adam and eve); good angels don't engage in physical intimacy and they certainly don't crave it or enjoy it; it's selfish to consider choosing your personal happiness and your personal desires over an opportunity to help others/help the world.   If those are some of his old values - Aziraphale has just acted against all of them!

When we act against our old values (even when we know that those values are no longer working for us, and we are actively working on changing them) - we still feel ashamed, guilty, and angry at ourselves. This is especially likely to happen in times of great stress and emotional overwhelm. So, now we get to the equation from the top. Aziraphale is feeling ashamed of himself, angry at himself, and guilty for his thoughts and feelings (i.e. for liking/wanting the kiss, for loving Crowley, for wanting to be with Crowley more than he wants to "help the world").

He is feeling that he needs to be forgiven for the way he feels, and for the way he is. However, due to his temporarily deficient emotional resources  -  Aziraphale is not able to accurately attribute the feelings he is experiencing (anger, shame, guilt, desire for forgiveness) to the correct source. He mistakenly decides that he must be feeling those feelings towards Crowley (not toward himself), and he must be feeling them because of what Crowley did (Kiss him), not because of what Aziraphale did (enjoy and reciprocate the kiss). And Viola, the process of Projection is now complete.

He says: "I forgive you" to Crowley, but Aziraphale is the one who wants his own forgiveness. Which, unfortunately, he does not get. At least not yet. (Yay for religious trauma).

In conclusion, the sad thing about bad timing and projection is: now Crowley is worried that Aziraphale sees him as sinful and unacceptable, as someone who needs forgiveness. But the truth is, Aziraphale is the one who still struggles with seeing himself as sinful and unacceptable, and as someone who needs forgiveness for his urges, desires, and feelings.

But, the good news is - Aziraphale does not always see himself in that way. We know that he has been putting a lot of work into breaking away from heaven's toxic values, and into developing his own values (e.g. "our side"). Like I said above, old habits die hard, they are more likely to surface during times of stress, and all that is a normal part of the process of psychological change.

I am very confident that once Aziraphale has a hot minute to himself, once he has time to calmly process everything that's happened - he will see some things differently. And he will eventually be doing the Apology Dance for "using projection as a deadly weapon. " :)

[kandadze]

Ep 27 loose thoughts

Well, that's one way of snapping someone shell-shocked out of making a drastic decision. I feel like PSJ snapped something in herself at this moment, too. Anyone else found the ancestor's commentary going on in the background while the girls are bawling their eyes out hilarious? Just me? Okay.

While I was waiting for the ever burning wood to activate or something, the moment WX opened the box to reveal dried flowers I choked. ZYC!!!

Baby!Yichen breaks my heart, so impressionable, so open to learn. It's interesting to see that the phrases about suffering we've seen him use as an adult might have come from WX... Not a fan of telling people in mourning to stop dwelling in misery and sadness like it's as simple as flipping a switch (not to mention, she apparently *just* met him for the first time? The heck?), but at least the rest of her words seem to have helped him... so much that he kept the flowers 😭 The irony of her snow metaphor contrasted with their current predicament is indeed exquisite, A+ for that.

Are they going to be saved by the power of lurrrrve??? (At least this time. Still holding out for how that's gonna play out in the finale.) I mean, what other way to sway an ancient creature who's seen pretty much everything there is to see, than to show them something new? What's that? A test for a future event? (I'm getting really paranoid about nothing we've seen so far being real. It's like Alice in Wonderland on a bigger scale. Or Finnegans Wake on a smaller scale. I don't know.)

Oooh Bingyi and Ying Long, our original doomed couple (of self-sacrificial idiots)! I would watch a whole drama just about them. And damn, I can definitely see where Zhao Yuanzhou got his masochism from. Stoppppp not "Just let me be the first star"! (Especially since I just remembered ZYZ's "I'll be the rain...") It's not supposed to be literal! 😭😭😭 Ahhhh this scene just broke me, also because it seems to reinforce the idea that ZYZ *has* to be killed for the greater good. The visualssss in the execution- sacrifice? What the heck do I even call it?- scene though, soooo good!

"Let me do it myself." LET ME DO IT MYSELF??? FUCKKKKKKK DAMNIT HE JUST- ::head in hands, crying forever::

"Remember. This is my choice, not yours. You don't have to bear any blame or guilt." That's not how that works. That's not how any of that works!

Again, we're dealing with choices. But the fact that ZYZ choice was the same as Ying Long's... the fact that YL says that neither he nor Bingyi had any regrets... oh this is going to hurt.

Oh? ZYZ's future is not what he wants? (And wouldn't that be funny, considering ZYZ's own words while schooling ZYC in the very first ep... 9 times out of 10, things don't go our way?)

"You two are really like us." 😭😭😭

I was wondering if they were going to show us what ZYC saw, and not only does the image of ZYZ's body on that dark floor mirror Ying Long's body floating in the water, both ZYZ and ZYC wear the same clothes as in the very few scenes from the trailer that didn't happen yet... These poor sods, they've been Going Through It for almost a decade now with the only end in sight being yet another tragedy (even if the drama seems to suggest that they don't see it that way at this point.) ::head in hands, crying continues::

"My friend is here. We'll go together." The *sound* I made. Everything else this drama has given me aside, the growth of these characters and their bonds is so well done, and absolutely precious to me.

I want Ying Long's hopes and wishes for them to become true. Seeing how there's hints everywhere in this drama, I hope the words of one of the most powerful beings in existence will count for *something* in the end! (Am I grasping at straws? Maybe. Let me be delusional for a bit longer.)

What do you mean, five, ZYC? What's Ying Lei, chopped liver?

Oof this *almost* hug before WX starts feebly hitting ZYZ. It's relief, it's anger, it's fear for the next time, it's all the feelings that became too big to contain. I feel her so much. (I would've started whacking both him and ZYC way earlier tbh 😅) And ZYZ allowing her that release before pulling her in for reassurance, patting her as if she was a scared child. 😭 Cut to PSJ, looking as if she wanted nothing more but to be the one offering the reassurance to WX. Cut to ZYC, remembering that willingly or not, he's going to hurt WX beyond reassurance. Once again, the bonds in this drama!

Wait hold up hold on what? You just removed Bingyi's blood from him, that should mean that ZYC will not have to become a demon, right? So what's that about developing the inner core? (Also, I just realized that so far all they got from this trip was "go east and ask for a dragon scale" lol) Thankfully him and ZYZ had their conversation(s) about titles and identities so being asked to make that particular choice was not completely out of left field at this point. And all he cares about is whether that means that the last trace of Ying Long will disappear! 😭 (I'm so with Bingyi on this one... I would hold onto that last shred of my friend's existence, too, *especially* if they offed themself via my goddamn sword.)

What's with that look after he says that he thinks he has it - the inner core - is there a joke here somewhere? (I *gotta* go back to learning the language, the things I'm undoubtedly missing on!) The only thing I can think of is - did they think he said he's pregnant??? ::dies:: "So what's your true form?" "Must be dragon." "I say you're a mule." "Better than being a monkey." "I'm a white ape!" ::dies again:: Nice to see we still get a friendly ribbing between all of them, and I can breathe after all the angst. Fingers crossed? There's still 5 minutes left...

Oh good, let's talk about getting Bai Jiu back! (I knew there was one more character from the opening credits that didn't show up yet... guess it's the rebel princess.) While Ao Yin is eavesdropping! Talk about good hearing. Sigh, here it comes, another goal they have that will conflict with Li Lun's; they want the scale to restore the sword, and LL not only doesn't want that to happen, the scale could potentially help him get rid of the poison.

Oh for fuck's sake, I think I was subconsciously waiting for Chongwu Camp to show up, knowing that they've eavesdropped on the gang earlier, and here they are. ZYZ should really think of putting up some sound barrier when they discuss important plans, everyone seems to know exactly what they'll be doing at any given moment!

Ahhhh we're getting a nod to that little cough and stumble WX had shortly before this trip. Something's wrong with Baize token? Or with her connection to it? We only have 7 episodes left, drama!

(ZYC is such a good little brother.) Oh great, it was the rebel princess who killed WX's dad? I repeat, we only have 7 episodes left!

Sigh... with only 7 episodes left, we *also* find out that the goddamn 3-face-mask has history with the princess? And has everyone and their mother sat on that little bridge???

This feels like the endless final scenes in Peter Jackson's "Return of the King," my head is spinning.

Note to self, *stop* looking at previews. Ying Lei, what the absolute fuck?

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dan Rather at Steady:

Of all the complaints, grievances, and gripes coming from the White House, the great majority have been directed at an aspect of 21st century America that Donald Trump just can’t seem to handle: diversity, equity, and inclusion. These three words tie him in knots. DEI raises his IRE. Several of the executive orders he’s signed since taking office are aimed at eliminating DEI programs within the federal government, in education, and in the private sector. Trump has weaponized DEI in the ever-worsening culture wars. It has become the go-to for killing any program that enables a diverse workforce or student body, studies underserved communities, or tackles institutional bias. He also uses it to absolve himself. Midair collision? Blame DEI.

For Trump, rooting out any and all DEI is fulfilling a campaign promise to end “wokeness” and “leftist indoctrination” in education. Some might call it a blanket excuse to blow up programs he doesn’t like. Just tag it DEI and be done with it.

This White House wants everything to be “merit based.” Trump has convinced his supporters that DEI stands for “didn’t earn it.” This is hypocrisy, especially when you consider some of his Cabinet appointments. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pretty much kills their argument for merit-based hiring. Let’s take a step back for what’s known in television as the wide shot. Here’s what this is really all about: white men whining. You can’t call it a dog whistle, because that would suggest Trump is trying to hide his derision for DEI. He is not. His executive orders are announcing that it is open season to be brazenly, unapologetically racist, sexist, homophobic, ageist, xenophobic, ableist — pick your bigotry. The MAGA backlash to DEI is an outgrowth of the identity politics that have taken a greater hold in the United States over the past 10 years. The reaction has been building for a while but has recently grown deeper and stronger.

The 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage could be seen as the start. The #MeToo movement, which was partly a response to revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, took hold in 2017. The police killing of George Floyd spurred the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. White males have had a disproportionate share of power in the United States since its founding. But the country’s demographics are changing, with the U.S. becoming less white. In the year 2000, 69% of the population was white; just 20 years later, that percentage was down to 58%. The group making the biggest population gain is Latinos. Is it any wonder Trump still wants to build that wall on the Mexican border? And recent trends will continue. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, white people may still be a plurality but no longer a majority in America by 2045. Trump is desperately trying to stop the clock, and even reverse it, with his executive orders.

So far the orders have:

Put all government DEI employees on administrative leave and ordered each federal agency to eliminate their positions.

Ended all diversity programs in the U.S. military and federal agencies.

Rescinded a 1965 executive order prohibiting racial discrimination in federal contracts.

Directed his Cabinet secretaries to “prepare up to nine civil investigation targets” along with “other strategies to encourage the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”

Required all federal contractors to eliminate DEI programs, which includes all grant recipients.

Cumulative far-right outrage over programs seen as helping and promoting people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrants, combined with the fear of straight white men losing status and power, has brought us to this crossroads.

[...] Trump’s anti-DEI bent is more than a bigoted policy. It is anti-science, anti-education, and anti-American. The country cannot afford to have this covered over or forgotten.

Love this column from Dan Rather: Donald Trump’s war on DEI isn’t about “merit”, but about protecting White male entitlement who see their standing threatened.

[theadhddimsenion]

we’ve done a lot of theories on how the internal plot lines of hell will develop but let’s not ignore the earth based plot lines and how they might tie into the greater story.

my guess is that Andy and Stella’s screw ups won’t stop at just making a scene at the harvest moon festival and ruining a crop but the coming invasion of hell by the dhorks is going to be pinned on them as vassago cleverly points out that such things would have never happened under stolas’s watch. Andy might try to pin the blame on stolas for alerting the humans to their existence by giving the imp the book but this time the “guilty until proven innocent” court system turns on him and he has no real proof that stolas’s actions are linked to the human invasion beyond his, Stella’s or strikers word which is far from enough or even trustworthy.

now the imp population is throughly pissed off! Because in the span of a few weeks to a month a pair of blue blooded pricks had not only tried to execute one of them for daring to do something other than serve them, (stolas’s had allegedly) manipulated and abused the one who was on the chopping block, Stella had caused a massive public scene with her usual bullshit, Andy had fucked up the years harvest causing a good shortage and had even led the humans right to them which had gotten several (relatively) innocent hellborn killed and now it’s almost impossible for the nobles to ignore the fact that this time the imps wouldn’t be put down as easily and now they had a leader and the angelic weapons needed to do some real damage!!

as I said in my last post this all leads to paimon trying to bribe his son into selling out blitz but failing miserably and being forced to remarry his Version of Stella.

now everything is in chaos! The ruling class of hell has few options left and those are ether destroy all of impkind which even if they can would mean the complete destruction of hells main source of labor, they can give up their power which will never happen, or there is one last option that none of them particularly like and that is giving into the lower classes demands and actually making good leadership decisions.

finally for the first time ever the ruling class of hell is forced to surrender and wave the 🏳️ and while they would rather die or see all of impkind dead before they give up their power entirely they at least are forced to give the imps (and hounds) the ability to climb up the ranks like any other demon in hell which prevents further civil war.

During this arc I can definitely see bee and Ozzie subtly sabotaging the war plan of the other sins due to them being more sympathetic to the so called “enemy” than the other sins.

Perhaps we could have moxxie taking control of his fathers mob after killing his rat shit of a dad to further bolster the ranks of revolution.

this could tie into the Octavia rescue episode as well as after hearing about blitz and his found family take on a get one over on none other than the king of the goetia himself than this could further radicalize the lower classes.

perhaps in a poetic way of justice satan sentences Stella and Andy to the same punishment stolas got but for much longer as a way of appeasing the downtrodden of hell. It’s not just ironic because they get the same thing stolas got but for the opposite reason stolas’s was punished, stolas was punished because the upper class wanted to pin the blame on someone and make the issue go away but now the two of the biggest symptoms of the classist system are being punished as a desperate means to appease the very lower classes they looked down on. In short stolas and blitz were made into scapegoats to deflect blame from the upper class and now Stella and Andy get the same treatment. What goes around comes around as they say.

perhaps the food shortage problem and Stella and Andy’s jackassery at the harvest moon festival could be a way to tie Millie’s family into the plot.

[fxckn-sxck-fr]

Hi!

Would Platonic Yandere! Scott Summers ever manipulate reader? Or just fully or subtly infantilize them to keep them safe? Or maybe even gaslight them?

To him it would just be like oh I’m doing it to keep you safe of course even if I am making you rely on me but I don’t want you to realize this :)

(Sorry if this is a crappy ask I haven’t gotten a chance to really get into X - Men and the idea was really only half formed when i submitted it)

(Ps why does Scott kind of lowkey give off Platonic Yandere! Dick Grayson vibes? No just me? Ok 🥹😂)

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️💙💙💙💙

⭐️anon

𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍…

!!! GN reader, manipulation (shocker), strict Scott, control issues, Dck Gryson cameo, accidental infantilism, accidental gaslighting.

X-Men content is like a drug. I was dragged in by ‘97, then started watching the OG cartoon, then started picking up the comics, and now look at me. My life is ruined. Run while you still can.

Scott’s manipulation completely comes in the form of abusing his leadership position. He’s not afraid to threaten you with disciplinary action as the field commander of the X-Men, even if it’s over something as little as you not wanting to abide by his made up curfew. If you wanna be an X-Men, then you have to listen to him both on and off the field. How can he depend on you if you don’t, huh?

Scott has to be in control. Bad things always happen when he’s not, so the thought of not having you — someone he views as a sibling, or even his own child — under wraps is absolutely terrifying. Yes, it might seem like he’s being a total prick to you, but this is just what all of the trauma over the years has done to him. He can’t really help it!! Please respect his authority!!

He just wants to keep you safe… please let him keep you safe…

Now, I usually imagine the reader to also be an X-Man when it comes to platonic Scott. But if that’s not your cup of tea, then the whole leader thing kind of falls flat. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t hold the same commanding presence, however. “Because I said so” is his main go-to for manipulation (if you even wanna call it that), and he’ll say it in the same tone he uses against Wolverine or Gambit whenever one of those bozos are acting up. He’s older and wiser than you, and that obviously means he knows best. Why are you questioning him?

As for the Dick Grayson comparison… not gonna lie, I’ve thought about a Nightwing/X-Men collab idea before, but that’s beside the point. Dick has a full arsenal of manipulation tactics at the ready, one of them being the more stricter, no-nonsense angle that may be reminiscent of Scott’s. But whereas Dick likes to metronome between any and every possible manipulative strategy out there, Scott pretty much only has one. And it’s barely a conscious decision, either. Should he ever have to actually think about manipulating you, he’s actually feel pretty guilty about it before convincing himself it’s for your own good.

Infantilism is less of a manipulation tactic and more of a way he shows his love. He is 100% convinced you’re just a little baby and doesn’t find it weird at all to treat you as such. His delusional ass will absolutely carry you around in his hip and think you’re the crazy one for not liking it. There might be a little gaslighting in that regard, but definitely not heavy-handed or on purpose. You’re an adorable little thing… don’t all adorable little things like to be carried? Huh… weird. Maybe you’re just not used to it.

All and all, while he’s sharp enough to see through most forms of manipulation, actually executing it is another story. This man is way too blunt to be charming and too emotionally constipated to lean harder into his softer side. Heads up: there’s a chance you may walk in on him reading books on parenting.