#phew.... it's long isn't it?

[jksian]

Umm if you have study tips can u share them? Im literally gonna fail upcoming exam I feel it in my boobs 😭

In your WHAT!? lmao😭 I was malfunctioning after reading that💀 anyways....

So, the thing is that I wasn't very consistent during my college years tbh💀 like I didn't study everyday for couple of hours as most of the people suggests but still, I achieved a pretty good grade and was on the list of top students when I graduated (I graduated last year)

So, if you're thinking you're gonna fail, you are WRONG. I believe you can still make it!

So, what I did was, I used some study techniques. Which was -

Pomodoro method - well, I think it's pretty common now days. Every other student know about this I think? Basically, you study for half an hour *based you attention span because if it's short, you probably won't be able to focus for that long AT FIRST* then take 10 minutes of break and again continue it. I did it and my attention span grow much better after doing it a few times!

Warning: do not use social media or any other things where you can be distracted easily while you're on a break. Take a walk or listen to music or any other relaxing thing where you brain can adjust to the information you just consumed.

Music: music is something I listen to everyday and it helped me soooo much during my exams! NOT ANY CATCHY SONGS AND DEFINITELY NOT BTS OR KPOP🚫 do not listen to the songs to which you can dance, WE AREN'T HERE TO DANCE! we are here to study. When I said music, I meant instrumental and classic one! Listen to ambient music, piano mixed with rain sounds which will help to focus on your tast. There are some Gama sounds or something on YouTube I listened to, I don't remember💀 but listen to the music where you won't be distracted and your brain will be relaxed and help you to calm yourself so that you can focus more. Whenever I panicked about 'oh no I don't have time' or 'i won't be able to complete it' I just put some classic instrumental music on shuffle and immediately my mind relaxed. It was so helpful!

Focus: Now, ofcourse you know that you have to focus but you just.... can't, right? Yeah, that happened to me too! But, a little amount of focus right now can maybe make your life better. Maybe, if you get good grades you'll be able to go to your desired uni or your dream job or your life will be so good! I'm not saying that your grades can decide your future but what's so harmful about trying and giving your best, right? You know what you have to do to focus, hide your phone or any other distractions bla bla bla.... Everyone knows but no one applies because our brain can't let us, so tell me, why you're letting your brain control your actions? Wouldn't you be the one who will control your brain instead?

Remember, your little efforts today can make your tomorrow better.

Lastly, don't stress yourself out. Don't pressure yourself much. Don't worry. It'll be okay. The more you think 'Oh I'll fail' or 'I can't make it' or 'I don't have enough time' it will menifest in real life, instead focus on the tasks you have in-hand right now, make a strategy, devide those chapters, put some small challenges for yourself like 'I will complete this chapter in ____ amount of time' and focus on completing it and reward yourself afterwards with some food or a break.

Also, never forget to take proper amount of sleep. Let your brain rest and consume those knowledge you just pour into it all together because, now if I make you eat some food forceful and don't give you proper time to digest, you will have digestive problems or gas or even worse. Your brain is just like that. It needs nurturing just like any other part of your body.

Lastly drink water to keep yourself hydrated and eat your meals because if you don't even have nutrients and minerals in your body, how it will function properly? Then also, you brain won't be able to work.

So take care of yourself, focus, study and believe in yourself! I know you can do it.😊

Best wishes for you!🤍🌸

[nysus-temple]

Point of view: Odysseus & Penelope.

A.k.a. Nysus is seeing her favourite couple ever is trending and wanted to scream about it.

It's an analysis, but not a serious one. I'm just gonna dump all of my emotions because these two make me feel things no other couple in humanity's history made me feel haha ✨anyways✨

1. Helen.

I absolutely adore Helen and all the shenanigans regarding her figure, but that's for another time, another essay.

Wether it's by Hesiod fragments, by Pausanias or by the Pseudo-Apollodorus ( as his name states, not OUR Apollodorus, we have no idea who the fuck wrote the Bibliotheca, so, i'm always a bit salty with using it as a source ) we all know Helen had a big, BIG, number of suitors wanting to get her hand. Not only the daughter of the king of Sparta, but also the most-beautiful-woman-to-ever-exist, we know the deal. And, of course, between those suitors, there was Odysseus.

Now, Odysseus like everyone else was there for Helen, but he believed from the beginning he had cero chance. I, well, have no idea if Penelope was there or not, but Odysseus did know her if he was gonna ask Tyndareus to allow him to marry Penelope in exchange of making the whole oath thing so the suitors didn't start a war for Helen.

Penelope was the daughter of another king of Sparta, yes, and Helen's cousin. But, you know... That's it. And somehow Odysseus still decided to choose her. You're telling me that, the man of many schemes, decided to choose her over Helen, when he could have done any screwed up thing to get her instead? The man of many shemes???

The Odyssey is what characterizes Penelope the most, to no one's surprise. And it's thanks to it that, perhaps, we more or less can guess what he saw in her: her schemes. I mean, Penelope made ALL of her suitors wait with a scheme, she saw if Odysseus was truly him or not with a scheme as well. We could say that she was clever, in fact. She could trick Odysseus, and that was something Helen couldn't do. For him, the man of many schemes, that meant more than any fame the other could have given him.

2. I really don't wanna leave right now.

So you're happily married with a woman you love and you both have a son, too bad some shenanigans regarding Troy happened and now you have to go to war for the oath you yourself made ! Shit !

... This is according to some fragments of the lost epic of Cypria. It's thanks to archeological stuff that we more or less know what could have been written on it.

"Odysseus didn't want to go just because he didn't want to" look, i get that we all love those cold-heartless-heroes or whatever, but you're telling me he had a SON, and he didn't want to go "because he didn't want to"? Come on, i REFUSE to believe it was something else than him not wanting to leave Penelope and Telemachus. He had way too many stuff to lose if he went to that war. Like, come on, he really cared!

3. Calypso and Circe.

Calypso... Well, fuck.

So you're telling me he was stucked with her for 7 years, she was willing to do anything for him, make him inmortal, shenanigans shenanigans, ✨BEAUTIFUL INMORTAL NYMPH✨, and yet he was crying because he couldn't see his WIFE? It's hilarious to me that so many people have the balls to say that "he just got bored" YOU'RE TELLING ME HE, (and this is me trying to have the most sexist way of thinking every) WHO HAD A ✨BEAUTIFUL INMORTAL NYMPH✨ LOVING HIM AND FALLING HEAD OVER HEELS FOR HIM IN A DREAMY ISLAND AND WHO COULD MAKE HIM INMORTAL, still wanted to go back to Penelope? A mortal woman who would eventualy age?

"The gods said it was the time" yeeeaaah... No. They did not. Athena is just the one who jumps everywhere following Odysseus so she was just like, "dad, he's crying, that makes me sad :(" "he's been crying for seven years, Athena" "IS THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU". If they really wanted him to return home, they could have just, you know, help him as they did! They just didn't want to piss off Poseidon, who despised him after, well, shenanigans, they had enough fights between gods after the Trojan war. Odysseus literally was even UNSURE of Calypso actually letting him go, because he thought that it was a trap. That's "love" according to ya'll, huh.

And Circe. It's, well, the same.

She literally turned his men into animals and was gonna kill them, so, you know, i don't think he held any special emotion towards her, other than fear. At least she only kept him for a year, because DAMN. Not going into the whole children shenanigans because just like with Calypso, it's gross for several reasons and i'm not here to talk about psychology.

The thing is, the Odyssey is about returning home, and Calypso and Circe are part of all the things in the Odyssey that represent why someone wouldn't go back home! Just like with other chapters of the Odyssey, Circe and Calypso are just that, reasons to keep the hero away from home, which he declines because it's been years, let him fucking go.

4. Schemes.

We all know about Odysseus' schemes, but let's talk about Penelope's!

It has always pissed me off when people described her as "just the archetype of faithful wife, boring, loyal" like, woah, okay, did we read the same work? I bet we didn't since English translations mostly suck LMAO.

Penelope was very clever, not just "the wife of the hero and move on". Think about the loom, since she's a weaver. How she made the suitors wait for SO LONG with that scheme. And if you're gonna ask why Odysseus killed a couple of her maidens, well, you see, it was them who told the suitors about Penelope's scheme. They betrayed her. We don't have anymore background to that, but... Yeah. They suck.

And the whole bow contest thingy? Did she ACTUALLY know the beggar who appeared was Odysseus in disguise? Because, you know, only Odysseus could use that bow out of all, so by holding that contest there are two options: either all the suitors would fail and she would keep them away for more time, OR she knew the beggar could be Odysseus and decided to test him, in order to see if he was truly him. She saw gods enough times, so it's no surprise that she suspected something like that. She even talks about the Heracles myth for that.

And how after ALL those years, she obviously wasn't sure if that man was truly Odysseus or not, so she decided to trick him into something only Odysseus would know. HOW COOL IS THAT I LOVE THIS WOMAN

5. The olive tree.

Or, as i like to call it, emotional damage.

As i said before, in order to prove that it was truly Odysseus, she tells Eurycleia to move the bed in their bridal-chamber. Odysseus then, in fear that someone had made a change, tells her that isn't possible, since he made the bed himself. In fact, one of its legs is a living olive tree! And that's the end of the Odyssey, them being reunited and enjoying the few time they have together for once.

I am NOT talking about the works that invent some weird-ass-hell-shenanigans after this. I am not for our well-being. They're happy, Homer said they're happy AND THEY'RE

[mythvoiced]

hiatus 🥺

saw Ferre's post from a few days ago and felt WELP might as well make it official on my end as well~ no worries or concerns, i am merely either working or completely devoid of any creative juices, truly, i stare at my fingers and dramatic music starts playing as i wonder where my writing has gone

i plan on cleaning up around mythvoiced while i take an official break from invading y'all's notifications, and that will probably entail a drastic cut on muses. DRASTIC! my deepest apologies to the people who i might impact like this (yknow, our lil threads 🥺) but i just think it's?? better to put those folks on ice that i can't wring anything out of anymore, those damn idiots DAMN IT gosh i haven't posted anything in here in what feels like ages i have lost TOUCH with the VIBES

but yes, thank you for your patience & pls have a lovely timezone TELL ME IF SOMEONE'S MEAN, I'LL FIGHT

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

I like the little thought that Lightning ends up getting into racing really early so he's still fairly young when he's first a rookie and so like probably still early 20s and stuff, and he spent his first few years before that doing the training and working his racing career up to getting to compete in the Piston Cup and stuff and so like he never really need to/had the chance to get a permanent home, and so that just kinda really reinforces Mack(his truck-hauler driver) being his rock in some sense, cause not only is that one of the few(if not only) person at the moment in his life that isn't just using him for financial games cause of all his potential and whatnot or (understandably)immediately turns a cold-shoulder to him cause he's a bit of a cocky prick, but during the nights when they're doing long travels to the different races and Mack is sleeping in the cabby of the truck upfront, Lightning is crashing in the back of the hauler(the very front-end of the hauler is a nice little situated room, it's its own whole explanation), and so they were just kinda bonded from the start. And so he never really needed a perma-home cause if they weren't staying in some hotel they still shared something.

[red-eft]

most alarming thing to hear at night: random thud from quemada's terrarium. ms. girl some of us r trying to sleep

[laozubun]

i think wei wuxian had initially come to nightless city with genuine desire to settle things in a non violent manner. granted with his attitude, they would have likely took offense. but this-- the fact jgs had lied about his promise. this made him change his mind. i think even on hhis way there it was pretty hopeless, but he sat there quietly up until it was clear the sects sought to kill the wens anyway.

like yeah wei wuxian is so abrasive in his approach. but he's just lost two of his friends. he, them, the other wens were lied to. the wens he saved were elderly, women, and children. they were innocent people. plus, even though he did lose control...jinzixun was the one who ambushed wei wuxian.

and of course to make matters worse-- they shot him. again...wei wuxian did act quite rashly, and killed the boy by throwing the arrow back. but with all the arguments here about self defense and justification. it really isn't so unfair for him to respond in kind. was it cruel to kill him? sure, but the sects have spit this "tooth for a tooth" nonsense. and they've made it clear now that-- no matter what wei wuxian does, it'll never be allowed. anyone can attack him, and even kill him, but the moment he defends himself he's the demon.

[spider-mancan]

Peter lost a lot of things in Boston. When he lists them out, they fit in the margins of his napkin; his career, his degree, his motivation, his boyfriend, and himself. Not in that order. Not all by mistake.

[surunoita]

figuring out that there's smthn wrong w me and that i need help was the worst thing to ever happen to me because it is literally impossible to get help where i live ha ha

[sensitive-neuvi-enthusiast]

Riding, Missionary, or Behind? Pt.2

Summary: This time, it's how the jjk men fuck (you.)

☆☆-Warnings: fem!reader, all positions, hair pulling, backshots, degradation, praise, marking, nipple play, mentions of cock-sleeve, spanking

Gojo

Riding. Hear me out, he loves watching you bounce on his cock. He gets to watch your face contort into pleasure as he mixes your insides. Your tits bouncing wildly or sometimes, his mouth would be glued to them. Swirling his sinful and teasing tongue around your nipples. And, he can choose whether you do all the work. His hands behind his head as he watches with a lazy smirk on his face. Or, his hand gripping hard to your sides. Helping angle you just try to have you creaming all over his cock.

Getou

Missionary. It's not the soft kind either. He wants to watch you, of course, just like Gojo. But this way, he can get right up in your face. Fanning his hot breath over your lips before telling you, you look so pretty taking his cock. His long strands of black hair tickling your neck as he sucks a hickey. Marking you. He's possessive over his baby. Your titties too, they'll be marked as well. And he also loves the way your body shudders when he groans in your ear from how tight your pussy is.

Nanami

Behind. I know I know, seems a little off right? But you all saw that episode (me next?). He isn't rough about it, unless you ask him nicely. Or you tease him too much. No, he likes this position because he loves your ass. Groping it, kneading it with his big hands. Spreading it so he can watch his dick disappear inside you. He loves that a lot. But he also likes tucking you close to his chest. Your back arched as his hands roam your body, whispering sweet praises in your ear.

Chosou

Riding. Baby boy. My sweet summer child. Like Gojo, he enjoys watching you but for less...cocky reasons. He just enjoys watching as he makes you feel good. Your arms wrapped tight around his shoulders, his own breathy moans being spoken into your skin. But his favorite is watching your face. The way it lights up and flushes red from pleasure. A small smile you give him before leaning in, capturing his lips as he thrusts up into you. You gasping into his mouth. He loves making love to you.

Toji

Behind. Phew. We're not surprised are we? This man simply screams he loves taking you from behind. His big, meaty hand swatting at your ass as he tells you how well you're taking him. That you're such a perfect cocksleeve. His hand grabbing a handful of your hair, twisting it around until your scalp is screaming. But you love it. And he knows you do. He'll hold it tight, pausing his hips as he watches you fuck yourself back on his big dick. He enjoys watching you stroke his ego just as much as he enjoys you stroking his cock.

A/N: My pussy took over and wrote this, enjoy!

Masterlist

[starcurtain]

A Look at Ratio and Aventurine... and Ratio/Aventurine

I was morally obligated to use this picture.

Anyway, I got an ask about my understanding of Ratio and Aventurine's relationship both in canon and as a ship that I have been holding on to for a while now because... phew, there's like... a lot to talk about there... But I felt I should at least give it a try, so here is my attempt to comment on the intersection of two of Star Rail's most complicated personalities. Long post is longgggg; you have been warned.

First, Aventurine's canon relationship to Ratio:

In the interest of not hitting tumblr's image limit, let's just throw out some of the information we have in one go:

It's pretty complimentary. (Yet somehow...)

The implication of the infamous "Keeping Up with Star Rail" video is that Ratio understands Aventurine better than anyone else, and Aventurine knows this. At the very least, putting all shipping aside, Ratio is the person who can explain Aventurine's behaviors best. He's the person Aventurine chooses do so. This suggests significantly more knowledge of each other's lives than the game first led us to believe.

Other people (read as: my GOAT Owlbert) perceive respect from Aventurine to Ratio, and although I read them as a bit sarcastic, the 2.1 mission logs not only repeatedly confirm that Aventurine views Ratio as smart and reliable, but that Ratio is reliable "as always," again indicating a longer and closer history of collaboration than we get to actively see in game. The devs were working hard to tell us "Penacony isn't Ratiorine's first rodeo," which is interesting--given Topaz's voiceline recommending the Trailblazer avoid working with Aventurine whenever possible, we're led to believe through 2.0 and 2.1 that not many people will willingly work with Aventurine more than once, let alone many times.

While going through psychological scrutiny from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come his Harmony-infused self, the "Future" Aventurine suggests that Ratio and Aventurine are quite similar, and that Aventurine puts a surprising amount of trust in Ratio, to be willing to hinge such a dangerous plan on something as untested as Ratio's ability to act. At the very least, Aventurine's own psyche is pondering on Ratio and whether or not their connection has any emotional meaning.

But despite all this evidence suggesting Ratio and Aventurine spend significantly more time with each other than we get to see in game, Aventurine's own thoughts cast strong doubt on whether he and Ratio are actually close.

Aventurine's "About Dr. Ratio" voice line suggests that Aventurine believes Ratio does not particularly like him. He seems to think that Ratio would prefer to stay away from IPC operations where possible, and it's "unfortunate" for Ratio to be stuck with Aventurine as a conversation partner. He's tolerated, rather than enjoyed. His overall impression seems to be that Ratio mostly views them as distant coworkers.

When the "Future" Aventurine suggests Ratio did not betray Aventurine willingly, actual Aventurine immediately pushes back:

(Personally I'm on the fence about whether this was real doubt or just a ploy to continue sussing out Sunday; see my other post about this scene for some more thoughts.)

But if we take this statement to be played straight, it implies that Aventurine doesn't fully believe Ratio will side with him, even (maybe especially) in dire circumstances. If this statement is real doubt, then despite considering Ratio the person who best understands him, despite building an entire life or death gamble around Ratio's loyalty... Aventurine still doesn't think Ratio even likes him.

Aventurine's not stupid or blind, so theoretically he should be able to read the situation better than that. But actually, there's plenty of evidence both in the game and outside it to suggest that Aventurine is not the most accurate judge of his own relationships to others and is a down-right terrible judge of his own worth as a person.

"Future" Aventurine suggests that one of Aventurine's deep inner flaws--the truths that he rejects about himself--is a massive inferiority complex. This is backed up well by the mission text, where Aventurine's thoughts about himself spiral into self-harm, and the scene in the maze, where "Future" Aventurine taunts our Aventurine with the unforgettable fact that his entire life was only worth pennies:

There's also pretty consistent self-deprecation, with both "Future" and real Aventurine noting several times that he's a pathetic mess of a person that other people don't trust or like.

The overall impression 2.0-2.1 left me with is that Aventurine is perfectly capable of respecting and caring for others, but virtually incapable of accepting other people genuinely respecting and caring for him.

Part of this seems to stem from the directly-stated sense that he's a failure whose only worth is in transactional exchanges, using and being used by others (there's so many layers to this--internalized racism even), but I also suspect that much of his inability to accept genuine connection from others is defensive behavior.

Aventurine's true self, Kakavasha, is deeply hidden away, like the ghost of the child that manifests from his Harmony delusion in the Dreamscape. Although Aventurine clings to that person, claiming that he has "never changed," he actively coats over his beliefs, his kindness, and his authenticity with the mask of a "cavalier gambler," with glitz and glamor and showy distractions. No one gets to see Kakavasha. No one gets to know him, because being buried deep in the dirt is the only way to remain untouchable, and fiercely keeping one's distance is the only safe bet. (For both Kakavasha and any fools who would doom themselves by daring to care for him.)

So: Canon is telling us that Ratio is one of, if not the, closest people in the world to Aventurine. But canon is also telling us that that still means absolutely nothing at all, because Aventurine won't let himself be close to anyone living.

Aventurine's senses of self-worth, trust, attachment, and safety have been warped so badly by ongoing and untreated trauma and mental health issues that, at least until the end of 2.1, I just don't think he was capable of even accepting genuine friendship from Ratio, let alone anything more.

(Interesting side note here: Ratio is actually one of the people Aventurine calls "my friend" the least. He only says it directly to Ratio a single time in all of their lines of dialogue across 2.0 and 2.1, and even then, does so only when right outside Sunday's door, while almost certainly being spied upon by the Family. Anyone who knows how often "my friend" is peppered into Aventurine's dialogue otherwise should know that the absence of the phrase is actually pretty telling. It almost feels like canon Aventurine's not even sure he can call Ratio his friend, at least to Ratio's face.)

Which makes Ratio's canon relationship to Aventurine quite sad and ironic:

From start to finish, Ratio canonically esteems Aventurine more highly than almost any other character in the game. I'm not even talking about shipping when I say that there is no character Ratio is closer to in the entire game.

At present, Ratio has only four voice lines about other characters, and of those four, Aventurine's is the only one that isn't someone from the Genius Society. The only one. Ratio's voice lines are also notably, uh, not very complimentary. Herta is "talented but not helpful to others" and "sees no one as her equal" (read as: she's self-absorbed). Screwllum is a "monarch, rather than a genius" (with the vague implications of being a tyrant), and Ruan Mei is overly ambitious and "fooling everyone."

Meanwhile, Aventurine is "our man" (who is "our" Ratio? who?) whose success "can't all be chalked up to luck," implying that part of Aventurine's success must come from skill. Ratio notes that Aventurine questions his own ability... but as far as Ratio's evaluation goes, he seems to doubt that Aventurine will ever experience a downfall. For someone who thinks 99% of the people he meets are mediocre failures scrambling around in the filth of existence, to be recognized as skilled and unlikely to fail is quite obviously glowing praise.

Then, of course, there are numerous moments that echo Aventurine's hints, implying that Ratio spends significantly more time with Aventurine than we see on-screen, that he knows Aventurine extremely well, and, although he tries (vainly) to pretend he isn't, he's clearly quite concerned with what Aventurine thinks of him.

Especially this last one. "No wonder that gambler likes you so much" is pretty intentional on the devs' part, confirming that Ratio and Aventurine are having off-screen conversations we players are not privy to, which obviously would indicate a closer relationship than the in-game cutscenes could cover.

Then, Trailblazer has the option to flat out ask Ratio to "rate" Aventurine. (Star Rail ship bait is not even subtle.)

At first, this line might read as all over the place:

"The bosses say we're partners but I wouldn't say that" -> Read as: Ratio wants people to know how their relationship is classified but doesn't want to admit to being actually invested.

"I see myself as the teacher to everyone I meet" -> Read as: Ratio at least pretends that he doesn't view anyone as his equal; everyone is either above him--geniuses--or below him--students.

"Aventurine is not that bad of a student" -> High praise; even Ratio can't pretend Aventurine's untalented.

"Actually, Aventurine's probably in metaphysical danger" -> Read as: Ratio is aware of the "void" Aventurine is experiencing and his mental struggles.

The ultimate takeaway of Ratio's "rating" actually says more about Ratio than Aventurine. When it comes down to it, Ratio's choice to answer this question for the Trailblazer instead of dismiss it tells us that Ratio has spent time quantifying and trying to define his relationship with Aventurine, is willing to at least discuss that relationship with other people (when we have no evidence he ever discusses any other personal/non-academic matters with anyone), and that Ratio pays attention to Aventurine's mental states.

Canon Ratio is not beating the allegations, I'm afraid.

But actually, I think the biggest tell about Ratio's canon relationship to Aventurine is that Ratio's behavior completely changes the moment Aventurine appears in the game.

In every single one of Ratio's other appearances, two facts are hammered home again and again:

First, Ratio hates interacting with fools and "noisy" people. He wears his plaster bust so that he doesn't even have to see them. Canonically, we're informed by both March 7th and Argenti that Ratio brought and was wearing his headpiece in Penacony. Curiously though...

The players never see it throughout 2.X--probably because 90% of Ratio's scenes are with Aventurine, and Ratio is never shown wearing his bust on screen with Aventurine--even in their very first meeting in the Final Victor lightcone. Aventurine clearly knows of the bust, but despite Ratio verbally going on and on about how Aventurine is the most "flashy" and "devoid of logic" person Ratio knows... the devs deliberately send their message: Ratio has chosen not to cut himself off from Aventurine.

Aventurine can be more "clamorous" than a screaming peacock, but Ratio will still not put up walls against him. This isn't accidental. The devs had every opportunity in the world to go the opposite route and make jokes about Ratio refusing to take the bust off in Aventurine's obnoxious presence; instead they decided that Ratio apparently has a glaring, Aventurine-shaped exception to his "I don't want to perceive you fools or be perceived by you" life rule.

This "willing to tolerate shenanigans only if Aventurine is involved" behavior continues basically throughout all of Penacony's plot. In 2.3 for example, if you turn around and talk to Ratio again on the Radiant Feldspar, he flat out says:

But there's no actual explanation for why he's there in the first place. He mentions he was assigned to watch over "the IPC's ambassadors," which theoretically should apply to Jade and Topaz, yet we never see him interacting with them in any capacity. He's never even shown in the same room as Jade or Topaz, and he's not shown doing any other form of business for the IPC on the Feldspar either. Theoretically, he could have been on the Feldspar to meet regarding the Divergent Universe... except Screwllum wasn't there yet, and Ratio doesn't mention a single word about the Divergent Universe to the Trailblazer.

The only person Ratio talks about in his dialogue on the Feldspar is Aventurine, and the only non-Trailblazer he talks to in 2.3 at all is also Aventurine, replying to him and only him in the group chat.

He looked like he might give it a shot to try to befriend Boothill and Argenti at the end of 2.3... but immediately changes his mind and leaves without saying a word to them.

It's not really a stretch to suggest that the only reasonable excuse for Ratio to attend the party on the Feldspar was if he was there for Aventurine, a behavior that he himself notes is out of character. ("A waste of time" he says, as he stands there anyway.)

But, second and even more importantly: Ratio's single most defining character trait is that he believes people need to pick themselves up. The entire point of his debut appearance in the game was to present his philosophy that if the powerful or privileged intervene to continually "save" the mediocre, ordinary people will never learn for themselves or get the chance to grow. It is in times of desperation, he says, that fools exceed their limits and reach greatness.

This is why, in 1.6, he insisted on Asta and the Trailblazer being the ones to solve the attacks happening on the space station, without relying on Screwllum or the other geniuses. Although Ratio did actively intervene a little (using the phase flame to save the researchers from death), he did so only from behind the scenes, where his actual help would not be noticed by those affected and where it had no impact on their decision-making or their struggles to solve the mystery.

He let Asta and the Trailblazer panic. He let them flounder. He even deliberately misled them at points, claiming that Duke Inferno must have kidnapped the researchers (when it was actually Ratio himself who re-routed them).

Ultimately, Ratio let Asta and the Trailblazer grow from their experiences.

This is also why he lets the Trailblazer go blazing in to fight Ruan Mei's faux emanator of the propagation, despite knowing that Trailblazer was not actually strong enough to win. Ratio watched and was ready to intervene... but in the end he did not, because it was the Trailblazer's fight to lose.

Ratio's most defining character trait is that he believes standing back and observing is the true kindness, rather than inserting oneself and denying people their autonomy or opportunities to grow.

Buttttt... then there's Aventurine, and suddenly the story is completely different.

Suddenly, Ratio isn't an observer but becomes essential to the plan. He's even walking around making big claims about being the manager of the task, flexing all of his C+ acting ability to actively carry out their mutual ploy.

In 2.3, he claims he was just there to watch, and his Penacony sticker asserts he's only "a supporting character"--yet we have never seen Ratio take a more active role in the entire game. Unlike with the Trailblazer in 1.6, he's not primarily watching events unfold from shadowy corners. He's in Penacony as Aventurine's active partner in crime.

And, even more telling--he later jeopardizes their entire mission just to ask if Aventurine needs help.

What? Huh? The character who is famous for the voice line "You look distressed. Is something troubling you? If so, you can figure it out for yourself" is suddenly offering his assistance entirely unprompted?

The guy whose motto might as well be:

Is suddenly out here throwing his own core philosophy out the window to solve Penacony's mystery for Aventurine and save him from himself in Aventurine's hour of greatest need?

A lot of people get hung up on the second half of Ratio's letter, the part about staying alive, which of course is very sweet. But I think the second half causes people to forget that the first part of Ratio's letter is, quite literally, the answer to Penacony's mystery.

Ratio gave Aventurine the answer.

This is like if your professor just gave you and you alone the score key to the final exam and then turned around to insist he "doesn't play favorites."

Of course, Aventurine is brilliant and didn't need Ratio's answer about dormancy, which makes the fact that Ratio went out of the way to give it to him even more odd. Ratio despises unnecessary repetition. If he wasn't dead worried, he would never have given Aventurine an answer that Aventurine had the power to find on his own.

And, as far as canon tells us, Ratio has never done this for anyone else.

The difference is night and day. It's literally the Gordon Ramsay meme, with everyone else in the entire game being the "fucking donkeys" to Aventurine's "Oh dear. Gorgeous."

So: Even if we entirely put aside shipping, if we look strictly at what we're given in canon:

Ratio treats Aventurine with more respect than he treats most other characters in the game.

He involves himself in Aventurine's struggles in a way that he flat out refuses to do for anyone else.

He compromises his own beliefs purely out of concern for Aventurine.

So, at least as far as we've been shown in canon, it is accurate to state that Aventurine is the closest character to Ratio--and unlike Aventurine (king of self-gaslighting), Ratio isn't even good at acting like he doesn't care.

Frankly, the whole thing is a little sad. Ratio's behavior is so blatantly out of character that a smart person like Aventurine should easily be able to determine it is genuine, but Aventurine's personal hang-ups and ongoing trauma make it difficult for him to even see that authenticity, let alone put faith in it. Even in canon, Ratio is mostly unable to help himself when it comes to Aventurine, which is especially unfortunate given how badly skewed Aventurine's perception of himself and others is by the start of Penacony's story.

PHEW! I finally made it through canon content!

Now there's just... everything else... 🫠

Well, to be honest, I don't think I could ever manage to put all my thoughts about this ship into one post. Probably not even fifty posts.

So rather than trying to say everything there is to say about Ratiorine, what I want to focus on is how fantastically these two characters just fit together. Like puzzle pieces that need to be mirror opposites in order to link, these two characters parallel each other while also perfectly filling in each other's voids. It's some of the best character pair writing I've seen in a long time (though I'm still sort of convinced it was at least 50% sheer luck on Hoyo's part), and my perspective on their ship can really be tied to my underlying perception of Ratio and Aventurine's characters as remarkably similar individuals:

It's obvious that Aventurine is not a healthy or well-adjusted adult man, but like... neither is Ratio.

Both of these characters are "not quite right" marginalized people who, at least in my interpretation, have essentially given up on even faking normality and are now just vaguely play acting their way through being functioning members of a universe that is entirely unequipped to accept them for who they are. In a world full of cyborg cowboys and people with wings growing from their heads, the game still manages to somehow convince us that Aventurine and Ratio are odd ones out.

Kakavasha can't even exist in the dystopian capitalist hellscape of the IPC's machinations. "Aventurine" isn't even a real person, just a never-ending performance, a slick, devil-may-care persona without a single ounce of substance.

Ratio, meanwhile, is a world of one, rejected from the only place he thought he could find validation and acceptance but unable to lower himself to fit in anywhere else.

Aventurine is so bad at making genuine connections that he turns everyday conversations into gambles because he doesn't believe people will care enough to keep talking to him without tangible incentive.

Ratio's insistence on treating everyone as students, not as equals, also means he has an excuse to never emotionally engage with anyone he meets. (This is not at all a textbook method of intentional avoidance to prevent any chance of social rejection. Not at all.)

At the end of the day, Aventurine and Ratio both come across as desperately lonely, and so caught up in their own situations that they really don't have the ability to climb out of that hole on their own.

Preventing them from even being able to maintain any form of relationship is also the fact that neither one of them can even find justification. Neither one of them has a reasonable answer to the question "Why am I alive?" anymore, because Aventurine's reason died on Sigonia and Ratio's reason died with an IPC invitation instead of a Genius Society letter. Though their differing perspectives have led them on opposite paths pursuing their own answers to that ultimate question of "Why should I keep living?" (Aventurine was headed toward giving up before the end of Penacony, while Ratio has invented an immeasurable, impossible goal to distract himself from feeling purposeless), both of them are pretty much miserably unfulfilled in their current lives.

They're also both violently allergic to emotional vulnerability and to having any of their flaws or true desires actually be perceived. Both of them put up insanely high walls. Aventurine pushes boundaries with everyone he meets to provoke their hatred in advance, before they can come to disdain him for his "real" flaws. He acts out harmful racist stereotypes to use others' preconceptions for advantage, manipulating every situation he's in--incidentally affirming the stereotypes against his people by doing so.

Ratio puts a physical wall of plaster between himself and others, but the plaster bust actually doesn't have anything on the mental and emotional gymnastics he's engaged in to justify his isolation from the world, doing everything in his power to convince himself that he's isolated by choice, that it's perfectly logical for Veritas Ratio to have nowhere to truly belong, no one to truly belong with. He's so mundane after all. Of course the geniuses don't want him, that's just commonsense. But everyone else is so... different, so foolish, so illogical... It just wouldn't be reasonable of him to try to become one of them either, to be their friend instead of their distant educator. (You know, if you never try to integrate with others, then they can't reject you. Ratio has learned his lesson.)

Somehow, Aventurine and Ratio are two of the most competent and successful people in Star Rail's entire universe and simultaneously also two of the most misfit, reject, dysfunctional messes in the game. Like... Blade has a better support network than Aventurine and Ratio combined. The 7000-pound murderous mech with a disabled, genetically-modified war veteran who never got to live a normal human life hiding inside it is more capable of making friends than Aventurine and Dr. Ratio.

Which is why I love that the devs decided to make their canon backstory: "Some absolute treasures in the IPC and the Intelligentsia Guild had the galaxy-brained idea of pairing Ratio and Aventurine as strategic partners." The game's writing really said: "These two characters are so socially stunted, they have to be assigned a relationship like it's homework."

They may not have it all figured out yet, but the fans see the design: Now that Ratio and Aventurine have each other, they're not alone anymore. I have never seen two characters better fit the "Is anyone going to match my freak?" meme only for the actual answer to be "Yes."

Ratio is "plays chess with himself" levels of loner weird? No problem--Aventurine is "Wanna take bets on who's going to die today?" weirder. Ratio wears a plaster bust to ward off idiots? Aventurine transforms into a monster on command, which is pretty much guaranteed to achieve the same effect.

Ratio wasn't chosen by Nous? That's fine, Aventurine's one job as a "chosen one" was to save his people and now they're all dead. Nobody can keep up with Ratio in conversation? Watch a single comment from Aventurine turn him into a fumbling mess on live television.

Ratio's inability to relate to the experiences and development of any peers his own age have left him extremely isolated and with a permanently scarred sense of self-worth? Wow, I wonder if Aventurine knows exactly what that feels like.

They just... fit.

And, changing focus a little here at the end: While I personally think that recovery from trauma requires internal motivation and self-kindness foremost, I also think that Ratio and Aventurine's relationship should be considered from the perspective of how they help to fill each other's gaps.

Unlike any connection at the Genius Society who will always evoke unpleasant memories of Nous's rejection, Aventurine isn't going to make Ratio feel intellectually inferior. Aventurine has nothing but good things to say about Ratio's intelligence, and it's even apparent that Ratio felt comfortable enough to at least mention his Genius Society woes to Aventurine, something he explicitly does not do with anyone else.

Even when it comes to social interactions, Aventurine isn't going to make Ratio feel inadequate, because honestly? Aventurine's almost as bad at them as Ratio. Aventurine is much better at faking it socially, but when it actually counts? When he's trying to be real with others? A solid 70% of the people who meet Aventurine still end up wanting to strangle him. The guy tried to apologize for threatening to detonate the Trailblazer like a bomb by buying them a model train...

Then there's this:

Aventurine is the only character explicitly called Ratio's equal in game, and more than just treating him respectfully as an equal, Aventurine also exhibits one extreme appeal that no one else in game has ever shown to Ratio: Aventurine makes Ratio feel needed. For Aventurine, Ratio is not a forgettable after-thought as he is to Herta and most of the other geniuses. He's not just "some weird guy who scolds me about school" like he is to the Trailblazer. Ratio's intellect and skill were integral to Aventurine's plan from step one to the very end. Ratio has a place in Aventurine's plots. For a character who directly assesses worth by how beneficial a person can be to others, the fact that Aventurine can make Ratio feel wanted and valued probably produced some of the strongest personal fulfillment Ratio has had in years.

On the opposite side, Ratio's in a unique position. Out of every relevant character in Aventurine's story, Ratio is the only one who has nothing to lose by choosing Kakavasha over "Aventurine." Ratio doesn't profit off Aventurine or take any expensive gifts from him, like the Trailblazer does. He doesn't need Aventurine's luck for anything at all. He'd be able to work for the IPC even if Aventurine wasn't in it. Ratio certainly doesn't want the glitz and glamour of a shallow gambling hustler persona. His work doesn't require Aventurine's continued involvement like Topaz's and Jade's does. He'd probably prefer not to know any Stonehearts at all, thank you for asking.

Outside of deliberate-acting insults about Sigonians for Sunday's sake, we're not told that Ratio has any connections to--and therefore has no preconceived biases against--Sigonians. Being a person who values self-determination and a refusal to live in mediocrity above all else, he would have nothing but esteem for how far Aventurine has managed to come despite the harsh circumstances of his life. Ratio probably wouldn't even think Aventurine's belief in Gaiathra is that strange; one of Ratio's doctorates is actually in theology.

Unlike literally everyone else in the universe who needs "Aventurine," we have every indication that Ratio's respect and admiration will only grow when he finally gets to meet "Kakavasha."

Loneliness, rejection, betrayal, a lack of understanding from others--all of these can leave wounds that only genuine, deep bonds with others can heal.

On death's doorway, in the darkest shadow, when Aventurine had to make the choice between passing on to be with the family that loved him and choosing to return to a reality without them... Ratio's letter was there, telling Aventurine the exact thing he needed to hear to choose life: Someone is waiting for you to come home.

If the resounding rejection of Star Rail's Nihility is belief in humanity's power to make meaning in our own lives through our connections to others, then the ultimate message of Ratio and Aventurine's arc in Penacony is that no one needs to be alone. The world is not as empty as you fear.

And that is a message that Ratio and Aventurine can learn best through each other.

(I just... love them so much...)

[void-dude]

(this is for question 1)So apparently I was playing thisisnotawebsitecom and when I entered Stan's name a few times it shows his entire avatar before revealing the "wheel of shame"

Bill made an ENTIRE death note and poem of how much he hates him and full-on just shaming his entire life. And last but not least the "im still on your mind" part.

Questions:

1)If Bill was still in Stan's mind what would Tad's reaction be? Like what would he do? And of course how he feels about the death threat towards Stan obv (like what if the two was a little freaky and didn't know bill was watching or smth)

2) If it's alright then could we get a bonding progression of tad and stan? Like y'know day 1 day 2 and so on

3) before Tad met Stan he didn't have any past relationships right?(Pls correct me if I'm wrong) Was he ever looking for anyone and thought (when Euclydia was still existing) "why am I not attracted to anyone? Perhaps i need time." And after meeting Stan did he ever consider his sexuality was human? Like gender was the second thing he thought of and said "My sexuality is human!" Or he hasn't figured it out yet(This is a dumb assumption but it's funny and incredibly long)

End. (Your so cool pls don't get snatched by a bird and fly away)

1. Thank God that Stan is Bill free in Shapes in pines! But if we're speaking in hypothetical terms...well that would suck! If Tad were to find out, he'd do anything to make sure Stan would be free from Bill. He loves him but MAN even Tad knows that Bill isn't BILLY anymore! Also how would you feel walking in on your long-lost-thought-dead-brother getting freaky with the guy you hate the MOST? Yeah...yeah...no

2. Phew! I could certainly try sometimes! Maybe make a little timeline mmmmm yes chronological numbers with evenly noted dates and notes...yesss

3. WHOA THE QUEER QUESTION!!!

Well you see-

[queer-n-here]

Hear me out. Ranpo x Sugar daddy!reader

Ranpo has been distracting you working at your office lately and being quite a brat lately. He would complained about you being working too much, purposely touching your body intimately while you work, even sending you videos of him masturbating at your guys shared bedroom just to tease you.

“𝘔!𝘺/𝘯~”

You wanted to punish him for behaving badly.Later..at night time, you saw Ranpo at your guys shared bedroom and you immediately pinned him down to your guys shared bed.

“You think you can tease me all you want huh? I guess it's time for 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚~”

This time, your not going to let him climaxed easily without him begging for you~

(Bonus: You let him buy any candies that he'd like the next day since you felt bad for punishing him)

I leave the rest to you. (Rough sex, praise kink, maybe overstimulation?)

(I have a feeling there's some misspelling words, but hey! English isn't my first language anyway-)

- 💕

Well, well, well... Will you look at that.

Y'all share the same braincell. So here goes!

Also, phew, it's been a shit ton of while since I posted. Hope y'all like it!

Content: Fucking Ranpo cus he was being a brat. (I may or may not have looked over the sugar daddy element that the req asked for, I didn't notice it, sorry!)

Warnings: Smut, top male reader, biting, praise kink, edging, overstim.

You were so frustrated it was starting to show up on your face even when you didn't want it to.

It was all Ranpo, but the people that ended up taking the brunt of it were your employees.

I mean, just look at what he did last week. You were working from home that day, head buried in files and paperwork that made an ache develop between your eyes.

Ranpo entered your study, coming over to stand beside your chair as you worked, making you look up to pass him a tired smile.

When you looked up, you saw a mischievous glint in his eyes. Your mind was preoccupied, however, so you did not pay it much attention. Ranpo lounged around the study while you worked away, the scribbling of your pen the only sound for a while. Then, he walked closer to you, and you let him plant himself on your lap, snuggling into the crook of your neck, making you smile.

Soon enough, however, you found out that Ranpo's intention was nothing wholesome. His hands started roaming, first only resorting to massaging your shoulder slightly, then moving lower. He caressed your chest through your shirt, then moved lower still to your torso, rubbing the hard abs through your clothes. His hands were wicked like the devil, and soon you felt him palm your dick through your pants.

The sudden contact made your spine stiffen, and you shot Ranpo a half-annoyed, half-aroused look.

He nuzzled into your neck, planting small kisses along the skin there as his hand rubbed slowly, and soon your pants were straining against the boner that he'd caused.

"Ranpo," Your voice was thick with arousal and you'd long abandoned the thought of work. "Do you wanna do it, baby?"

He smirked against your jaw, and you mirrored the action. Just as you were going to lift him from your lap and place him into the table, however, your phone rang.

Mr. Yaho. An important client.

Not as important as the situation at hand, though. But in the split second that you'd taken your eyes off Ranpo to check who was calling, he'd managed to slip away from your grasp.

"I see you're busy, [Name]." He said, visibly suppressing a grin. "I'll come visit later, then."

And before you could stop him, he turned on his heels and left you alone with your raging boner.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. You managed to calm yourself and take the call, that was fine. You were fine. But then your client wanted to hold an emergency meeting (that dramatic little-) so you had to rush to your office.

And during the meeting, Ranpo truly pushed his limits.

Your phone dinged, and you saw your lock screen flash with Ranpo's name on it, so you decided to check if he needed something. When you opened the message, though, you saw that it was a video.

You looked up. Your client's representative was talking, gesturing vaguely to the powerpoint presentation he had prepared. You lowered down the volume of your phone, and hit play on the video.

And were you glad you did.

The video showed you and Ranpo's shared bed, basking in the sunlight from the window next to it. But that wasn't all. Sitting on the bed was the love of your life, legs spread wide open and pressing a dildo deeper and deeper into his ass.

He made eye contact with you, with the camera, and even though the volume was down, you could tell from the way Ranpo's mouth had fallen open that he was moaning.

Your pants were suddenly suffocatingly tight.

You were in a meeting room, surrounded by people of your company, and that of another, supposedly listening to the other party's proposal about something that wasn't even important enough to remember anymore. And your lover had sent you a video of him masturbating.

You wanted to close the video and shut your phone, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from the screen.

Ranpo pushed the dildo in deeper, and, throwing his head back to reveal his gorgeous neck that he knew you were obsessed with, he said something.

You read his lips without even meaning to.

"Fuck me harder, [Name]!"

"Mr. [Last Name]?" Someone called, and your head snapped up in surprise.

The entire meeting room was looking at you.

"Well," You shut your phone and placed it screen-down on the table, pretending as if you hadn't been watching anything scandalous. "The proposal is well-planned, but I fear that our budget might be able to grant us something even better than this. Suppose, if we..."

___

When you returned home, the first thing you did was drop your blazer onto the living room floor and rush to find Ranpo.

You found him in the kitchen, and he looked up innocently at you when you walked in.

"Oh, you're back ho-mmh!" You grabbed his face and kissed him roughly.

Ranpo wasn't surprised, not really. But he still acted as if he was, placing his hands against your chest as you stepped closer to him.

"[Name]!" He managed to pull away enough to say. "Wait, didn't you ju-"

And you kissed him again, grabbing his hips and squeezing them, feeling his breath hitch against you so wonderfully

You fucking needed him.

You took him to your shared bedroom, bodily throwing him onto the bed before stripping and climbing on after him.

You grabbed and Ranpo and stripped him, too, tugging at his clothes with so much force you ripped his shirt. Around then, Ranpo had already realized that the consequences of his actions were going to be more... intense than he'd expected.

You leaned down to kiss him, pinning his wrists to the bed and spreading his legs apart. Your movements were hurried and rough, and even though Ranpo wouldn't willingly admit it out loud, he loved every second of being manhandled.

"Fuck, this is what you wanted, isn't it?" You hissed against his mouth, free hand rising to grip his throat and press against his throat, making him whimper. "This is why you were being such a brat."

You could feel Ranpo growing harder and harder against your own arousal, and so you pulled away from his mouth, aligning your tip with his begging hole instead. You plunged in, and he arched his back, a loud moan leaving his lips at the sudden feeling of being stuffed full.

"Hhngh, wait, [Name]!" He said, feigning innocence. "What do you-Ahh!"

You thrusted into him, your hips rolling in that way you knew he liked. Ranpo decided to abandon his pretense, and threw his head back against the bed, hands struggling against your grip to try and find purchase to ground himself. You let them go, placing your hands on his waist instead.

You gained a rhythm, his walls nice and tight around your throbbing cock as you stretched him out on it. The sounds of your coupling were reverberated in the room, sparks of pleasure shooting up your crotch at his warmth around you. You leaned down to kiss and bite at his neck, and he subconsciously moved his head away to give you more room. His pale skin flushed red under your teeth.

"You're such a fucking brat, Ranpo." You said, your movements animalistic and fast, your gaze predatory on Ranpo. "You fucking knew I was in a meeting when you sent that video."

"What- mmph!" He grabbed your shoulders, fingers digging into his skin as you fucked him so good. "What meeting?"

Your eyes flashed with half-annoyance and half-arousal, and you pushed Ranpo's hands away, pinning his knees against his chest to gain more access of his slutty hole.

You found his sweet spot painfully easily, hitting it repeatedly and making him arch his back right off the bed as his eyes widened. He loved this, he loved you, loved the way you fucked him.

His moans had turned into cries, and he was gripping the sheets beneath him so hard you were almost distracted enough to worry whether or not he'd tear them.

"Ff-ffu-" His eyes were tearing up. "I'm gonna... Nngh! I'm gonna come!"

"Not so soon." You ordered, your voice husky amidst your pants. "D'you think I'd let you?"

"Mmh, please," Ranpo was sobbing now, holding his legs apart so you could bully his hole with your cock, rearrange his insides to the shape of it. "Please, please, [Name], please..."

His eyes were growing hazier with each thrust of yours, his chest rising and falling rapidly as your hips bludgeoned into his, your onslaught rapid and destructive. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed in the room, not quite drowned out by Ranpo's cries.

"You haven't been good lately, Ranpo." You clicked your tongue, your face holding a fake-sorry expression. "So I don't think I should let you."

He whined, and the tears that were slipping down his face fell down to form puddles on the bed on either side of his face.

"I'll be good from now -hic- please." He let his legs fall and wrapped his arms around your neck. "Please, [Name], I'll be so good, hmmph!"

"Hmm... still not sure, baby." Your cock felt so good, so good. Ranpo was clenching around you so tight trying to please you, it was getting harder to thrust in and out.

He buried his face into the crook of your neck, fucked out so dumb the only thing he could think about was the orgasm you weren't letting him experience.

"Please," He whined. "Please, [Name], I'll be a good boy, I'll be so-Nngh! I'll be so good for you, please."

And so you took pity on him.

"Go on then, my pretty boy, such a good slut for me." You murmured in his ears, and he came immediately from the praise.

His body jolted along the bed, cock twitching as he came all over his abdomen, hole clenching so tight you released in him, too, panting and huffing but not slowing down.

His eyes widened impossibly big as he realized you weren't stopping, and more sobs racked his sensitive body as you continued assaulting it.

"[Name]," Ranpo could only whine your name, hands gripping your shoulders so hard he was drawing blood.

"Come on," You smirked, fucking him harder and faster. "You wanted this. Isn't that why you sent that video, hmm?"

And Ranpo could do nothing but whine, nodding pathetically as you fucked him stupid, fucked him till his cock was shooting blanks, till he didn't even have the strength to keep his eyes open, and passed out with you still buried inside of him.

You let him rest, deciding that you'd clean up later, and collapsed next to him, not before pulling out and watching your seed flow out from between his limp legs.

It turned you on all over again, but you simply placed a chaste kiss on Ranpo's forehead, pulled him into your arms, and let sleep take you.

---

Bonus: The next day, Ranpo was parading around the hickeys that you'd given him at the supermarket, where you'd taken him to pick out sweets as an apology for how rough you'd been the previous night.

As he turned around to look at you, pointing out another snack that he wanted to try, he passed you another bedazzling smile. You leaned forwards, placing a soft kiss on his forehead, barely aware of the fact that cart you were pushing was already full.

"Whatever you want, baby." You murmured, and Ranpo smiled wider.

"Then, can I buy all the flavors?" He asked, looking at you with the eyes that he knew you couldn't say no to.

"Of course you can."

[octuscle]

Hey there! I'm having a debate with my roommate and wondering if you can help settle it. He says that if you gave someone the body of a jock, without any mental changes, they'll eventually start acting like a jock anyway. I don't think that's true. Just because you have muscles and look like a jock doesn't mean you'll start acting like one, right? We were thinking of trying to set up an experiment for our honor's thesis and wanted your input, thanks!

Are you really sure you want to go through with it? We are happy to do it. I'll create a preset for you that only changes your body. But really. 1.90 m tall. 140 kg of pure muscle mass. But everything else stays the same. To be honest, you don't look like you're ready for it. But it's up to you. I can only recommend that you are in a safe and, above all, unobserved place when you activate the preset.

You take a deep breath. You stand naked in the middle of your room. Next to you, you have laid out a pair of tracksuit bottoms, a tank top, a jockstrap, a pair of socks and a pair of sneakers. You can only hope that the clothes will fit your new self. 3. 2. 1. enter!

Wow! Holy shit! Now that was quick and without a transition. You look down at the floor from a slightly greater height. And when you look down, all you see are pecs. Fucking huge pecs. You need a mirror. Phew! Very slowly! The new body works a little differently than the old one… Your center of gravity is much higher up. You stand in front of the mirror. This no longer has anything to do with you. It's more Greek demigod than human. Your cock is getting hard. A huge cock that fits this huge body. You never wank. Especially not in the middle of your room. But now you have to. Not for long. And a huge load lands on the mirror and the floor. Yes, I've changed a few details apart from the height and muscle mass. You've already noticed one thing. You'll notice the others too.

You're convinced that the new body won't change anything. So you act as you always have. First of all, you clean up the mess. You are manically clean and tidy. Then you put on your clothes. The shoes are a bit tight, but otherwise everything fits pretty well. So off you go to the library. After all, your honors thesis isn't going to write itself.

Iris and Rita at the information desk didn't recognize you when you greeted them. They looked at you as if you were an alien when you wished them a good morning. You sat down at your regular place in the library. You like routines. You started working on your thesis outline when Vincent came over. Vincent always sits three tables behind you. Nice guy, similarly obsessive as you. He clears his throat and says that you can't sit here, the seat is taken. Actually, you should have said something along the lines of "Vincent, don't you recognize me, it's me!". But somehow you can't help it. You have to try it out. You cross your muscular arms behind your head, look deep into his eyes and just ask who cares. Vincent retreats like a beaten dog. Three minutes later, you have a WhatsApp message: "There's some stupid musclehead sitting in your seat!" You reply that it's okay, you're not on campus for a few days for empirical studies anyway.

But you're not as productive as usual. Your new body is keeping you busier than you thought. It feels so good to tense your muscles. Your hard cock is constantly leaking precum and is always half stiff. Shit, after an hour you have to jerk off. Fuck, you make quite a mess in the toilet. You try to clean everything up with toilet paper. When you come out of the stall, a student is standing at the urinal, looking at you and wanking. Get out of here quickly, you think to yourself.

The incident is definitely worth recording. After all, you've never experienced this before. But it was hot. As you type out your thoughts, your stomach begins to growl. So loud that Vicent hisses "Pssst". It's actually too early for lunch. But the canteen is about to open. So you're one of the first in the queue. You can hardly wait. And you heap heaps of food onto your tray. You're so hungry.

The weather is good, you sit down at a table in the sun and, ignoring all the table manners, you wolf down your food. Suddenly you hear a voice shouting "Hey, guys, there are empty seats here with the big boy!" You look up. A couple of idiots from the football team are standing at your table. "Dude, okay if we join you?" asks one of the guys, who seems to be some kind of leader. "Sure thing," you say with your mouth full, spitting a bit of your chicken across the table. "Cool," he replies, giving you a fist bump, which you return somewhat hesitantly and also a little awkwardly. And before you know it, you're sitting in a cloud of sweat, testosterone and stupid comments.

You start talking to the boys more for scientific reasons. They ask if you're Fresman because they've never seen you before. You say that you're actually studying somewhere else, but you're here to work on your Honor's thesis. The leader spits his Coke across the table. "Fuck, dude! You already have a degree? In what? Lifting iron?" Everyone laughs. Very loudly. You too. It's actually really funny with the boys…

The boys go to the gym after lunch. I wonder if you're coming too. You don't even think about it. You just say that you haven't got anything to change into. Everyone laughs and asks if anyone is interested. So you go along. It's a field study, you think to yourself. You're observing everything very closely. You don't want to attract negative attention. The processes seem very simple. You copy what you see the boys doing. You even enjoy it. You work up a sweat. You forget the time. The others are gone at some point. You're still here. You look in the mirror. Your long, sweaty hair falls across your forehead. Your friends all have much shorter hair. It's also more practical when working out. You look at your watch. Shit!!!!! You have to get your stuff from the library before it closes. Trevor, sitting at the information desk, doesn't recognize you either. It's already very empty when you pack up your things. Vincent is still there, mumbling something about how antisocial it is to occupy a space you're not using. You don't know why you're doing this now. But you go to him very slowly. You press his face into your armpit. And say that you had more important things to do. Shit, Vincent is seriously licking the sweat out of your armpit hair now? Pathetic little fucker, your new friends would say now. You're far too surprised. By you. By him. Slightly disturbed, you go home. You throw yourself on your bed and think about your first day as a jock. You fall asleep.

You are actually a person who is always well prepared. But you are amazed at how little you have prepared for this experiment. You have a combination to wear. It's still sweaty after yesterday's workout. But you don't have anything else. So this morning you're not going to the library, but to the paint shop. Shopping. A pair of sweatshorts, a few tank tops, socks and jockstraps, sneakers. A bit of compression gear for training. You pass a barbershop. There are a couple of guys inside who are obviously no strangers to the gym either. Fuck it, you think. Down with the long hair!

You haven't been in the library this late in a long time. Vincent has blocked your seat for you. With a few protein bars. Cute! He winks at you when you come in. You raise your arm and smell your armpit. Shit, you haven't showered! Fuck… Well, maybe the little prick will like that even more…

By lunchtime with the boys, you at least want to have logged yesterday and this morning. And you're looking for some literature on the connection between mind and body. Most of it is ancient. Nothing has been published on the subject for a long time. And if there is, it's more about the effect of the state of mind on the body. Less often on the effect of the body on the state of mind. That's obvious, because normally a genius like you doesn't acquire a body overnight…

The lunch break with the boys was cool. The guys are just very chilled, you like that. No highbrow topics. Just sport, fucking and partying. Unfortunately, a lot of football too. You have no idea about that. After lunch, the boys want to throw some balls on the lawn. You have to go to a colloquium later. And Luke said that you should finally replace those nerdy glasses with contact lenses. The visit to the optician was a good excuse not to embarrass yourself at football.

A whole day without going to the gym sucks! That's why you got up early today. You didn't do your thesis assignments yesterday, nor did you get your muscles burning. That has to change. Shit, you're still struggling with your contact lenses. But it looks a thousand times better. You're screaming alpha with every trained muscle fiber. And that's great! You almost feel at home in the gym. And nobody questions your position. In the library, Vincent provides you with everything you need. He fetches books for you and takes them away again. He has also already offered to help you with your work. What a loser! You don't need to order anything in the canteen after just two days. Your extra large portion of extra protein-rich food is prepared especially for you. Twice. You come once when the canteen opens. And once just before it closes. Your body is a machine. And this machine needs fuel. Lots of fuel.

You sit in the library and document the developments of the last few days. It really is only a few days. Reading through the last few lines almost makes you nauseous. Has your body replaced your mind so quickly? You need to get a grip on yourself. You did your Master's with distinction. You're working on your honor's thesis. You have a chance of getting a professorship at your old college. And you suddenly prefer to spend more time in the gym or with the airheads on the football team? You make a plan. Two hours of gym in the morning, two hours break with the bros at lunchtime, two hours of gym in the evening. And in between, focus on your thesis and your studies. It shouldn't be that difficult. You're an intelligent and disciplined man. So let's get going!

You have made every effort. And you actually come to the conclusion in your thesis that the body of a jock does not automatically lead to the mind of a stupid, arrogant and superficial jock. You have fun with both. Training in the gym and hanging out with the bros. And working scientifically and researching the human psyche. But in a lecture you realize that it's not you who changes, it's your environment that changes you. Since you got this body three weeks ago, no one has spoken to you about your studies. Vincent, who you thought was intellectual through and through, just wants you to let him lick your armpits in the evening. Your bros didn't even ask you what you were studying. And then the day comes when you attend your doctoral supervisor's lecture. Since your transformation, you've only spoken or written on the phone. You sit in the front row. You appreciate your doctoral supervisor for his liberal political views, his rhetorical skills and his incredible knowledge. At the end of his lecture, he looks at you. And asks if the young man, who unfortunately was unable to dress appropriately, understood a word of what he had just said. He assumes you were mistaken in the lecture hall. But if you invest your energy in your biceps and not your brain, that's to be expected.

First you think about whether you are saying anything particularly intelligent. To express your indignation at his insolence. To justify yourself. But then you think about what has been really fun in the last few weeks. And who you really had fun with. And you answer "Nah, professor dude! Dat wuz alot of words n stff u sed. I dnt thnk I need all dat for my degree as a personal trainer. wdut, bro?" You make your pecs dance. The lecture hall laughs. You stand up. Fuck the honor's thesis!

You started studying sports economics again. You also work as a trainer in a fitness studio. And you have a pretty successful YouTube fitness channel. You recently received a call from your old doctoral supervisor. He read through the draft of your honor's thesis again. It was all very promising. Why did you drop out? You say that you obviously have to choose between brains and brawn at some point. And you're grateful to him for helping you decide. And with that you hang up.

[sweeterhoni]

i hate it when my brain functions differently when i'm in class, also, a snippet of a wip that's based on this brainrot

non-idol au . childhood friend!jake x afab!reader . R18 MINORS DNI!

a/n: this is suggestive. this isn't like me but this.. phew i need to breathe before writing more

before reading more, this fic is mixed with a religious theme and i'm so sorry bc this might just be straight blasphemy 🙇‍♀️ .

jake never knew what changed, you stayed nearly the same so there wasn’t much to highlight on you. jake never paid attention to you, he grew up with you and maybe that was enough to justify his distance. but was it? or maybe that became his favorite excuse to use when people keep asking why the two of you weren’t stuck together.

but what made him come up with excuses? what made him distant? what changed? – these were all the questions that pondered his mind. jake doesn’t have any answers despite this ‘operation: stay away from y/n’ has been going on for months. he just knew he had to have his distance when he felt himself getting hard around you.

it wasn’t hard. thanking your faith and focus in your religion to an extent where he started to attend church services again, but you were there. you were always there, and maybe his quick glances to your direction were enough to satisfy the torture he’s been putting himself through. but did he really have to go out of his way to attend your services when sunday was his only free day?

jake was a star in your university. people drool over him, they devour him and he indulges in it. you once joked he almost acted too similar to an incubus who feeds off the sexual energy from people, and he laughed and rebutted with “maybe that’s why you never felt anything sexual? is it? because i’m a, quote on quote, incubus?”

and ever since that day, jake could never put you out of his mind. you were devouring him unknowingly.

﹉﹉﹉

it was a sunday.

jake suited up, wearing his white long sleeve polo shirt that perfectly hugged his broad shoulders. he tucked it in his grey slacks, defining the inverted triangle shape he hides under sportswear and his uniform. it always felt like a sin to show up to the church subtly flexing every woman’s dream but does he still have any shame? when his mind defines lust when you show up in your dress that reminds a nun. you were always picked to pray for any services, requiring you to wear the white dress and veil the ‘baby nuns’ wear.

seeing you in it, jake always wanted to start a religion. a religion where you praise him, and devote to him the same way you devote to christianity. it wasn’t like him at all to have these sudden urges that just revolve around you, his life was soccer and academics– but you were becoming a part of it if you won’t stop whatever this is.

he was an hour earlier, just in time to watch you pray.

he wanted to defile you right then and there when you kneeled, your eyes closed, and your head perfectly angled as if you were doing this for the entirety of your life. he struggle to sit properly when you show no struggles in kneeling upright with your head bowed, and with the way the veil only shows a bit of your well-kept hair, jake knew he had to keep himself from acting out the events playing in his head.

he wasn’t even praying, all he did was fantasize about you.

a half of an hour passed, and he watched when you rose with ease. jake had his eyes fixated on you, it mesmerized him when you didn’t wince from kneeling that long and oh did he want you kneeling before him. he ached to see you be obedient when it wasn’t for him.

he wanted to shrug off these thoughts, maybe the praises were getting to him, but maybe it’s just you when these same thoughts never occur towards anyone else. he sinned again. you were his childhood friend, both of you grew up following the same religion, you were too religious and it would physically hurt him if he continue to think of you in that light but it just felt right.

“jake?” thank god then for your calming voice who snapped him out of the trance. “yes?” he replied, masking the lust he now clearly feels for you, “are you alright?” he was. he was alright before all these thoughts come to him, now he wasn’t. he watched how your lips rested in a pout, waiting for his answer with furrowed brows that show worry “of course, why wouldn’t i be?”

jake realised how he might have looked when fixating on you, not an ounce of guilt in his body as he chased a high.

“your brows were furrowed, it looked as if they’ll be sewn together.” you spoke with worry laced in your voice, you watched as he drew in a sharp breath. you figured he was just worried for the captain tryouts next week, so you nodded in understanding “ah! nevermind, you might be too worried for next week’s tryouts, but i’ll cheer you on jakey!”

and there it is.

even if you never tainted dirt, you were sultry. the way you said his childhood nickname felt as if it was the last straw, he had to get out of there. he had to get away from you. so he shamelessly used it as an excuse to leave, leaving you a pat on the head– “you’re right, you were always so bright my dove! i have to go, there’s an unscheduled practice today, be a good girl. for me, okay?“ and oblivious to the second meaning, you nodded your head.

“i’ve always been a good girl, for you and for the church.”

that left him hanging. it was true that you were always good, you were the epitome of an angel. some even call you that when you turn your back, you were always good. you were too innocent.

and it drives him insane how you agree to everything he says. it drives him insane how easy you comply to him. jake just wanted you, and if he wanted– you would already be in his bed but it all felt wrong when he caught sight of the pastor the two of you grew up with.

“i’ll go then. i’ll see you on wednesday, and wear the jersey i gave you, alright? that can be your way of cheering me on.” of course it was just another excuse to drive people away from you. he wanted you to wear it as it acted like a silent agreement, albeit one-sided, that you were only his to devour.

[yuyu1024]

Honeymoon

Pairings: Wonwoo × y/n

Genre/tags: marriage, non idol

Warning: fluff, not really smut but suggestive, pet names, cursing, semi-public

~~~ [lmk if i miss anything]

Words: 1.5k

Disclaimers:

- this story is just made up

- english is not my first language, please be nice 😊

A/N:

------------------------------------------------------

It's honeymoom trip to Italy. And here you are sitting by the pool of the vacation house your husband rented, alone and lonely.

He have been very preoccupied. It's not by choice but something terrible happened in the business that needed his attention. Being the boss, the son of the owner of their company, he is expected to be present on meetings so he have been on his laptop most of the time.

So to break down what your schedule have been so far is:

Day 1 was a bit okay. You guy arrived, slept and ate a lot. Also luckily to have the night time to yourselves where you got to have a date night and walk around with him and also make love before crashing to dreamland.

Day 2, phew, that started very hectic. He got the call from Korea and everything spiralled. It ruined his mood and then he had to say sorry to you. Even you had a call from home, from his parents explaining what happened so... its. Alright. You are sort of used to it. You've dated him for awhile so, you've seen some of it already

Day 3, still hectic but this day, finally he have time to eat and breathe. Though he still stayed at your room and been on calls.

Day 4, today... it's boring now. Well for you. You've finished the book you started reading yesterday and you've gonne shopping already as well. You want your man. You need your husband. So funny how you miss him even though he is just in the room.

You've had enough. You need to do something or else, he will continue working.

***

[Wonwoo's phone buzzes]

💖: i miss you.

💖: pls come and join me here at the pool.

🖤: almost done.

You pout as you see his response. You are not happy. So in exchange of being disappointed, you decide to trigger him.

Wonwoo is a very shy, timid and proper person. He is very put together. Though He look cold or a snob because most of the time because of how he carries himself around other people; Wonwoo is still a gentle, sweet, caring and kind person. But one thing most people don't know about him nor even his parents probably is how conservative he is. Especially when it comes to you.

His main reason why is, he does not want to share you. Your body is his only. No other person have the right to see, touch or even admire from afar. He is protective like that.

So to make him come down to you quick, you take a very risky video by the pool. A video of you removing your long white lace kimono revealing your white two piece bathing suite. And then teasing him by pulling the string around your neck, showing him a nip slip. On purpose.

💖: [video sent]

You smile proudly as you see him view it the second it got received.

[Phone buzzes]

"What the fuck are you doing?" He sounds pissed

"Sunbathing..." you mumble as you lay down your back on your lounge chair. "My husband is busy... he prefers to do meetings than to spend time with me on our honeymoon..."

He sighs heavily. "Y/N... you know why..."

"I know." Now you sound bitter. "But isn't two days enough? And by your secretary's report everything is doing well now right?"

"It is... I just--"

"What you're doing now is your regular work. And you chose to work than to spend time with me." You are more pissed than you thought you were. "Maybe you should just fuck your work and then give birth to more workaholics mini you. Ugh!" You got up from laying down and then end the call before throwing your phone inside your straw bag. "I should just probably fly back then..." you mumble to yourself

You angrily slide your feet into your sandals, put on your kimono on and drag your straw bag.

"Where do you think you're going?" He emerges from the door, finally.

You roll your eyes away and stomp your way into the house, walking pass him. Dramatic but it felt right while doing it.

"Y/N... honey..." he calls as he follows you to wherever you are moving to.

You enter your shared bedroom, saw that his laptop is still on the desk. "I'm just going to get dress." You say while sounding more disappointed that ever. You also looked like a child that their parents said no when you ask for a treat. "I changed my mind about swimming..."

"Honey..." Wonwoo holds you by the waist, stopping you from entering the walk in closet. "Don't." He snakes his arms around you and kisses your neck from behind.

"You just want me to go swimming so I'll leave you alone in our room... so you can work..." your snort. "Maybe we should've not went on honeymoon then."

"Stop... please..." he hugs you. "I'm sorry... I got carried away... I'm not used to having vacation... I went overboard... I admit it... so please... forgive me..." he turns you around to face him. "Please?"

You stare at your husband. His hair is still messy and he is still in his pajamas. "Turn off your laptop and phone then..." you pout. "They can handle it on their own... we just have a few days left here before we leave..."

"Okay." He says, smiling

"Promise?"

"Promise." He hums before kissing you on the tip of your nose. "So... should we go and swim now?"

You try to surpress you excitment but you can't really hide it which made Wonwoo chuckle.

"My wife is so darn cute." He says before scooping you off the floor. You yelped by the sudden action but you automatically put your arms around his neck.

***

However, instead of actuallt swimming around the pool, your husband instead just cornered you in the pool and didn't stopped making out with you.

He started from rubbing your arms to help you warm up a little because the water is cold to rubbing his pelvis in you whilst sucking your soul through your mouth. He does not even care that his glasses got splashed by the water. He is just focused on kissing you and skimming your body with his hands.

"Honey..." you breathe as he goes to your neck and nibble your skin, inch by inch.

"Hmm...?" He does not stop kissing your skin. He even reached your collar bone and then shoulder

"I thought we're swimming..." you giggle

He stops and looks at you. "We are at the pool right?" His lips curves into this cheeky smile. "For me, we are swimming..." he adds before going back to kissing your neck

"But honey..." you wrap your arms around his neck, your hands laying flat on his broad shoulders. "The pool is so big... its a shame we don't do a few dive or... float on that cute little pineapple floaty."

He sighs whilst his lips is still on your skin. "Why? Do you want to show everybody your body?"

"Honey... you know we're alone right?"

He tilts his head to the side, acting like he does not know. Or does he really?

"Wonwoo... seriously?" You pinch his cheeks. "We're alone at this house... the staffs only comes in the morning up to two in the afternoon."

"Oh."

"See? You being so busy that you already forgot what they told us on day1."

He licks his lips and a smirk spreads across his lips. "That's good then..."

"Hm? Why--"

He crashes his lips again to you but this time its more aggressive. And his hands, its not just sensually skimming your body now. It has more intentions than that.

"Ugh!" Your mouth suddenly drops open, eyes in pure shock and also lust when his fingers starts rubbing your clit. "Wo...Wonwoo..." you breathe

"Your mine..." he says before he goes lower so he could reach for your chest area. "All mine." He kisses your exposed skin under that swimsuit and he leaves a very very big mark after he sucked your skin.

You arch your back a little and spread your arms around the rim of the pool. And then you lift both your legs to wrap around his waist.

"Do you want me to continue, honey?" He asks

You nod. "Please..."

He pulls the string of your buttom, revealing you under water. "We don't need this." He waves your undies and then throws it to the nearest lounge chair. "And probably, we don't need thid either..." his palms your tits over the thin cover. "This is barely covering your beautiful tits..." he says

"I only wore it for you...." you say before planting a soft kiss on the corner of his lips, teasing him as well down there. "Your hard." You whisper while you squeeze him.

"How can I not? I have my beautiful wife in front of me... wanting me..." he cups your face and kisses you. Slow and sensual. "Maybe we should get out of the pool and find a more comfortable place... I can't still risk anyone... hearing my wife moan... its for me to hear and enjoy only..."

[whenmemorydies]

Ancestors and The Bear

Phew, the discourse in season 3 of The Bear on legacy was STUNNING to me. This post by @gingergofastboatsmojito and episodes 3x01 Tomorrow and 3x07 Legacy have been sitting on my heart since I finished my binge of the show. Some thoughts under the cut. (I say "some" but this is another long ass post, soz).

If seasons 1 and 2 of The Bear went into the impact of our birth families on each of us, season 3 shifted pretty squarely to talking about the impact of our professional mentors on our lives. I've described those mentors as culinary ancestors, which as a concept I get into below. I loved this aspect of this season and the show generally. It is so rich and I feel like I'm only going to scratch the surface of it here. Keen to hear others' thoughts on this too.

Legacy and Ancestry

In 3x07 Legacy, Carmy talks to Marcus about the idea of legacy in the context of chefs he had worked with - how those chefs had talked to him about how their work would carry on through iterations and generations of subsequent chefs and restaurants that came after them. I'll include both a transcript and screenshots of this conversation below:

Carmy: Like, um, something would start somewhere, and then, uh, people would take that thing and then they would take it somewhere else. So, all these parts of an original restaurant, they would end up at a new restaurant and that kind of thing. That would happen over and over again. And then all these parts of all these restaurants, they would sort of-- You know, they would find each other. And then new people would take those parts and they would put 'em into their restaurant. And the whole thing, it would, um-- It would start to happen all over again.

Marcus: So, like a family tree or something?

Carmy: [looks to Syd who has her back to him, closing her locker] Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Most folks understand ancestry to refer to our family or genetic lineage. When I was in university, I learned about intellectual ancestors or genealogy: where one can trace your intellectual lineage - the thinkers and creators that have shaped your understanding of the world and/or your chosen profession. I think its useful to take this concept and apply it to The Bear to help understand what the show is saying about legacy. I wouldn't limit the concept to "intellectual" ancestry though. It might be more helpful to talk about culinary ancestors in this context because the process of creating food - crafting dishes - isn't solely an intellectual exercise. It engages our intellect yes, but also each of our senses, our memories (recall that chocolate banana from 2x10 The Bear), and the need to nurture and be nurtured.

Culinary Ancestors

Carmy's culinary ancestors are varied given his work history. We know he's cooked under some of the best chefs in the culinary world of The Bear, including: Daniel Boulud (of Daniel), René Redzepi (of NOMA), Thomas Keller (of The French Laundry), David Field (a sociopathic Joel McHale, of Eleven Madison Park), and Andrea Terry (a sublime Olivia Colman, of Ever). I'd also include here Mikey, Donna and Natalie Berzatto. I'd include cousins Richie Jeremovich and Michelle Berzatto as well. These are the home and line cooks Carm grew up with, watched in his mother's kitchen and at The Beef. He took his lessons - the good and the bad, learnt voluntarily and involuntarily - from all of these people, incorporated them into his working self and transmuted them into his food.

In particular, I've talked here about Chef Terry and the valuable lesson of "every second counts" that she carried with her as she mentored waves of chefs through her restaurant, Ever. That post also talks about the parallels between Terry and Syd (which were even more evident in season 3), the latter of whom I'd argue is also one of Carmy's culinary ancestors ("you make me better at this").

I wish we had more information about Sydney and her influences. We know that prior to The Beef, she worked at restaurants Smoque BBQ, Alinea and Avec. We meet at least one of her mentors, Chicago restauranteur Donnie Madia in 2x03 Sundae and 2x10 The Bear, as well as Nayia at the fictional Verdana French Bistro (which ends up closing by 2x09 Omelette). They each offer up small insights into Sydney: that her food is amazing and that she is always "trying to be the best." Carmy is also undoubtedly one of Sydney's culinary ancestors, as infuriating and withholding as he can be. I'm also certain that Sydney's parents and the cultural history/ies that she's inherited through them are part of her culinary lineage as well. I really, really hope that we get much more insight into this side of her next season.

Respect, mentorship and lineage

One of the things that first drew me to The Bear was the respect that the show gave its characters of colour. In particular, the opportunity and support given to people of colour from a working class operation like The Beef to continue into the fine dining world of The Bear. I've spoken a bit about this here.

I haven't seen a dynamic on television before, where folks from the backgrounds like the POC characters in The Bear are from, are backed in the way they are on the show. Where there are mentors who will invest in them to train them up, and who will take those folks with them as they move into more elite and skilled spaces. Hell, I have barely seen this happen in the roughly two decades that I've been in wage-earning employment myself. Lets be clear, capitalism does not incentivise this kind of shit. Its why certain industries, including the world of fine dining, remain largely if not completely exclusive, demarcated by gender, race and class.

Yes this season was fucked in terms of which characters were getting prioritised for screen time over key Black characters like Sydney and Marcus (the Faks can genuinely go fuck). The lack of care given to Marcus, in particular, whose mother's passing was treated almost perfunctorily in comparison to a wholly unnecessary conversation amongst the entire crew about Cl@ire in 3x02 Next (quoting Richie: "who cares?!"), was also fucked. I would have preferred to have spent more time with Syd, Marcus, Tina, Ebraheim, Sweeps, Manny and Angel than listening to Neil, Ted and fucking Sammy (?!) Fak blather their way through precious minutes during this show.

But even with the above, The Bear regularly manages to floor me with beautiful moments of mentorship, leadership and love featuring characters of colour on the show. This is particularly the case in the relationships between culinary ancestors Carm and Sydney with "descendants" Marcus and Tina.

Birth of the The Bear lineage

Recall 1x08 Braciole where Sydney tells Marcus that after she finished culinary school, she spent all her money eating her way through New York. She says that she had the best meal she's ever eaten while she was there. With Marcus' gentle prodding, we find out that the person who created that meal, was Carmy.

Its not until the first episode of season 3 when we see how this actually played out, for both Carmy and Syd. I won't rehash the details of this scene because it is truly beautiful filmmaking to behold. Please if you haven't already, go watch 3x01 in its entirety. Have tissues nearby.

I will say, that in the best meal Syd ever had, Carmy literally served up his heart and lifeblood (check the cut of the fish, the crimson of the blood orange decoction).

That meal - that seed of inspiration from Carmy - birthed something in Sydney, something that would push her to find Carmy much later, working at his brother's sandwich shop.

Together these two incredibly talented chefs started their own lineage, taking what they knew and investing it into The Beef and eventually, The Bear:

And then, the next generation of collaboration and inspiration emerges:

This is why the visuals in 3x01 Tomorrow, with Syd sitting in quiet contemplation of Carm's dish, are so poignant. From 1x01 System, Carm and Syd have been growing their branch of their shared culinary family tree, nurturing it alongside those of their respective ancestors:

In 3x01 Tomorrow, we see that tree literally emerging from the moment Sydney meets Carm, on a plate.

It all starts when Sydney leaves culinary school and decides to make the most of her time in New York, eating at every place she could think of including, at Eleven Madison Park. And when Carmen, after losing Mikey, decides to make a few seconds count, taking ownership of a dish that he knows is going to be stolen from him and bastardized otherwise. The rest is history, or legacy.

Author's note:

I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that this show is also an exercise of mentorship and collaboration: Ayo Edebiri directing 3x06 Napkins under the guidance of Calo and Storer. Ramy Youssef directing 2x04 Honeydew under the guidance of Storer who had previously directed him on and produced Ramy. The fucking force of nature that is veteran Liza Colón Zayas being directed by Ayo. Jeremy describing the filming of 2x06 Fishes as akin to watching masters at work. Of course any television production is a collaborative effort and there are countless names I'm not familiar with who have put their precious time and energy into making this beautiful thing. I just thought it worth mentioning that at times, this show glimmers with truths, and I think thats because, in some way, they're in the marrow of the thing.