#so sorry for that too

[hungrytummyprompts]

I’m gonna go on a small hiatus as my beloved cat has just passed away and I just need some time, sorry guys.

There’s one thing still in the queue but I won’t be answering new asks for a little bit, though feel free to keep sending prompts and I’ll get to them when I feel a little better. See you all soon <3

[nerdferatum]

For the kisses: "A lingering kiss before a long trip apart. for Nora and Mason" maybe? Or "An awkward kiss given after a first date." for whomever it fits best! :)

This took so long, I'm so sorry! Writer's block, my detested, but here it is

46. A lingering kiss before a long trip apart

“You know, you could just admit that you are going to miss me,” said Nora. 

She was kneeling on the floor of her bedroom next to her open suitcase, which was already overflowing, trying to fit as many sweaters as possible in such a small space. She would be gone only two weeks for Christmas to visit her grandparents back in Spain. She had explained to Felix all the traditions she remembered from her childhood, and Mason couldn’t understand how she could be so excited about all those family reunions, meals and parties. He thought she was on his side when talking about big gatherings of loud people.

“I would never lie to you, sweetheart,” he replied from her bed, from where he had been watching her frustration slowly grow.

“It’s okay, sunshine.” Like every time she called him that, the word had a taste of sarcasm and affection that made him smirk in return. “I’ll keep the secret.”

“At this point, I’ll be happy if you can keep your things inside that suitcase.”

But she didn’t answer. She had to focus her whole being into closing the damn thing. 

It was true, though, that Mason never lied. He didn’t know if he would miss her, not exactly. He never had any issues partying ways with a fling, but, of course, Nora was different. She was coming back. He couldn’t say he would be sitting around, waiting like a sad puppy; that was more Felix’s territory, and even Nate’s, to an extent. If Mason had to be honest, he didn’t know what would happen in those two weeks. Nora’s life had become so intertwined with theirs that it wouldn’t be easy to walk around her absence, he supposed. They all relied a bit of themselves on her. He didn’t remember a day in the last few weeks when he wasn’t close to her.

“Okay, I think I’m done.”

Mason stared at the suitcase, about to burst open again. He shrugged and got up.

“You’re bringing that down on your own.”

“What?” she turned to him, “but you are a vampire! Super strong, super fast…”

“I’m also driving you to the airport. Don’t push your luck.”

She continued to grumble all the way to the Agency car while Mason followed behind, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. He did find an ounce of sympathy for her struggling, just enough to lift the suitcase to the trunk.

Nora had gotten used to being quiet in the car with him. No music, no conversation; she usually appreciated the silence herself. That particular day, however, she was having a hard time to keep her excitement to herself. She hadn’t talked much about her family up to that point. They had been able to piece some things together, but there was never enough to satisfy Felix or Nate’s curiosity. Mason, on the other hand, knew that if Nora had wanted them to know, she would have already told them. So he didn’t ask, not because he didn’t want to know (even thought he would never admit it out loud), but because he respected the way Nora wanted to approach the difficult topic that was her family and her childhood. Behind all the jokes and the façade of indifference, Mason could always see a sliver of the nostalgia that Nora never talked about. Until that moment, of course, when she was talking about all those people Mason had never heard about. There were many little stories distorted by the magic of the years that had passed. He could almost picture himself in the kitchen of that place.

“You know, I think you would like it.”

He lifted an eyebrow, his eyes still fixed on the road.

“I don’t mean now, at Christmas. Just the place. It doesn’t get too hot or too sunny. There’s a lot of space to be on your own. No one ever walks by, it could be days before you see another person. It’s the perfect place for you.”

“Invite me to the villa when it isn’t full of people.”

“A baserri, not a villa. It isn’t fancy,” she corrected him with a smile.

“It sounds fancy to me.”

“It’s an old house. Older than you, even.”

“I’m turning the car around.”

Her cheery laugh filled the car. He hadn’t ever seen her like that, as if she had dropped a mask she had forgotten she was wearing.

“I’m excited to be back, you know. It’s been a while.”

Mason let her ramble for a while, surprising himself with the curiosity bubbling in him. He had no interest in any festivities or family disputes, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking questions from time to time. There weren’t many times when Nora was that open and honest about herself, and, at that moment, Mason found himself enjoying that new side of her, like a heavy weight had lifted from her shoulders. He let her talk for the whole ride.

Nora was out of the door almost before he stopped the car, jumping to get her suitcase and her bag. He groaned but didn’t comment on it. He just silently watched her go through every pocket, listing out loud everything she had on her.

“A bit late if you forgot anything. Let's go.”

Mason took the heavy suitcase to force her to follow him, but the bright lights and the sudden booming voices stopped him in his tracks by the door.

“Hey, you can go if you want. This is honestly hell for me, I know it won’t be fun for you.”

Mason looked around them, into an ocean of stumbling, loud people. He took her bag from her shoulder and started walking again. 

“I swear I haven’t ever met anyone as stubborn as you.” The way Nora said it made it sound like a compliment.

“You should try and look in a mirror.”

“I do it quite often, thank you,” she announced proudly, even though she was having a hard time matching his long stride.

They were soon at the control, or, more precisely, at the end of the long queue leading to it. 

“This is me! Can I have my things now, please?”

She took everything from him without too much opposition on his side, aside from a barely hidden chuckle when the suitcase hit the floor with a loud thump. 

“You are such a gentleman. See you in two weeks?” she grinned, as she started to walk away.

“Wait, that’s it? I’ll drive you here and that’s all I get?”

“Weren’t you doing this from the goodness of your heart?” The grin had turned into a smirk. He could work with that. 

“You’ll be away for two weeks. I should have something to remember you by.”

She let her backpack slip onto the floor when she reached up to grab his shirt. She gently caressed his cheek with her other hand as their lips met in a slow kiss, completely different from any of the ones they shared before. The passion was there, but none of the rush, the hunger, the biting intensity that usually led them to one of their bedrooms. It was a soft kiss, full of all those strange, new feelings that Mason couldn’t put into words. Two weeks were a long time for two people who had barely been apart since they met. The month after their first mission had been an exhilarating wait; half that time now would be an excruciating pain. 

“Don’t worry,” she whispered against his lips when they finally broke apart, “I’ll keep your secret.”

Coming from anyone else, he would have groaned and walked away. Then, however, he stayed. His eyes never left her until she waved at him and disappeared into the crowd. As soon as she was out of sight, the yelling, the rattling baggages, the loudspeakers, every tiny movement rushed back to him at full effect, leaving him disoriented and a little shaken by the sudden aching. He hurried back to the car, where the smell of Nora’s shampoo still lingered in the air. Damn, he was going to miss her.

[pbnmj]

THE NOIR-HOBIE INTERACTIONS THAT I MADE UP IN MY MIND ARE VERY REAL TO ME. SONY PLEASE PICK UP WHAT I’M PUTTING DOWN!!!

[endusviolence]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[christadeguchi]

studio trigger understood the assignment. i would let her wreck me.

[calmao666]

[sentate]

SENTATE - The Sunset Collection

Blending beach days with date nights; The Sunset Collection is fresh set of romantic dresses that can be kept casual for the day or glammed up for the evening. Whether its a cheeky sheer mini dress or a showstopping silk gown, your sims are guaranteed to be sizzling by sunset!

This 8 item set comes in my 30 swatch colour palette plus 15 new print swatches.

8 Items Total / 30 Plain Swatches (+15 prints)

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MORE DOWNLOADS  |  TERMS OF USE  |  LINK TREE

[blee-bleep]

took time out of this finals week to redraw this precious frame. i love marcille and izutsumi's big-sister, little sister dynamic, so precious

[may12324]

Halsin- Archdruid of the Emerald Grove

[keymintt]

a comic/zine about coyotes

[inkskinned]

this is just my opinion but i think any good media needs obsession behind it. it needs passion, the kind of passion that's no longer "gentle scented candle" and is now "oh shit the house caught on fire". it needs a creator that's biting the floorboards and gnawing the story off their skin. creators are supposed to be wild animals. they are supposed to want to tell a story with the ferocity of eating a good stone fruit while standing over the sink. the same protective, strange instinct as being 7 and making mud potions in pink teacups: you gotta get weird with it.

good media needs unhinged, googling-at-midnight kind of energy. it needs "what kind of seams are invented on this planet" energy and "im just gonna trust the audience to roll with me about this" energy. it needs one person (at least) screaming into the void with so much drive and energy that it forces the story to be real.

sometimes people are baffled when fanfic has some stunning jaw-dropping tattoo-it-on-you lines. and i'm like - well, i don't go here, but that makes sense to me. of fucking course people who have this amount of passion are going to create something good. they moved from a place of genuine love and enjoyment.

so yeah, duh! saturday cartoons have banger lines. random street art is sometimes the most precious heart-wrenching shit you've ever seen. someone singing on tiktok ends up creating your next favorite song. youtubers are giving us 5 hours of carefully researched content. all of this is the impossible equation to latestage capitalism. like, you can't force something to be good. AI cannot make it good. no amount of focus-group testing or market research. what makes a story worth listening to is that someone cares so much about telling it - through dance, art, music, whatever it takes - that they are just a little unhinged about it.

one time my friend told me he stayed up all night researching how many ways there are to peel an orange. he wrote me a poem that made me cry on public transportation. the love came through it like pith, you know? the words all came apart in my hands. it tasted like breakfast.

[chloesimaginationthings]

This could be a kart if FLAF wasn't fucking around..

[moncuries]

eat the sun

[thatskindarough]

Running to catch the train (Dec. 2023)

[thirdtimed]

beautiful grianful world.. links to all the artists' profiles under the cut :D

linktoo-doodles

jellitchi

avo0930

alienssstufff

cherrifire

grianhate

luniise

tibbycaps

skimmeh

pippeinnit

i linked everyones tumblrs if they had one, otherwise it leads to twitter!

[unsung-idiot]

way to ruin the mood