#this is simultaneously high and low effort

[codfiish]

okay i was gonna upload this directly but tumblr doesn’t like when i try to upload files so here’s my dumb little powerpoint about how transgender mondo owada is

plus the individual slides o7

[fryshrimp]

weirdo t-shirt freak <3

[kikimorart]

MARTCH DAY 2: INSPIRATIONS i know this is probably about artistic inspiration, like artists or pieces of media you admire, but i think it's obvious that for me it's 1) folklore 2) anime 3) dark fantasy series like the witcher and f&h so i made a few moodboard things for some of my favourite ocs because design inspirations is still art inspirations

[guardsbian]

just based on attempts at similar before I feel the need to point out that a "strike" or otherwise short "boycott" of FR is not going to be effective in inciting change or expressing disapproval in staff's actions. people don't play for days at a time every day. people play with adblocks every day. people play without ever having spent IRL money on gems every day.

let's be generous and assume that, out of the nearly 4000 users online, you manage to get every single user actively on Tumblr to refrain from using the site. is staff. really going to notice that

do I have a perfect solution for changing staff's moderation choices? no, but, also, the stakes have never really been at this level— the only comparable situation is Akiri's apology for his Facebook posts, and that directly involved a member of staff. the last "strike" involved skin makers against the state of skin moderation and that literally made skin moderation more strict.

getting a genuine message across would require a large amount of users willing to do actions which threatened their accounts. that could get them closed for spam, for continually ignoring warnings against their posts in very public forums, for encouraging others to do the same.

are people going to be willing to do that? to risk their accounts? willing to do it knowing that, ultimately, even those that they're inherently opposed to could employ the same exact tactics, and ultimately lead to no change whatsoever if staff decides it's easier to ban everyone involved, because it wouldn't make a substantial enough dent in their userbase to just shut down the conversation entirely?

like if you want to boycott FR do it for yourself, not because you expect it to change staff's mind. it won't. even if publically announced, a strike means the users coming back the next day after no change. it doesn't impact staff.

[reasonsforhope]

"The state, which has long ranked worst in the US for child wellbeing, became the first and only in the country to offer free childcare to a majority of families

There was a moment, just before the pandemic, when Lisset Sanchez thought she might have to drop out of college because the cost of keeping her three children in daycare was just too much.

Even with support from the state, she and her husband were paying $800 a month – about half of what Sanchez and her husband paid for their mortgage in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

But during the pandemic, that cost went down to $0. And Sanchez was not only able to finish college, but enroll in nursing school. With a scholarship that covered her tuition and free childcare, Sanchez could afford to commute to school, buy groceries for her growing family – even after she had two more children – and pay down the family’s mortgage and car loan.

“We are a one-income household,” said Sanchez, whose husband works while she is in school. Having free childcare “did help tremendously”.

...Three years ago, New Mexico became the first state in the nation to offer free childcare to a majority of families. The United States has no federal, universal childcare – and ranks 40th on a Unicef ranking of 41 high-income countries’ childcare policies, while maintaining some of the highest childcare costs in the world. Expanding on pandemic-era assistance, New Mexico made childcare free for families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $124,000 for a family of four. That meant about half of New Mexican children now qualified.

In one of the poorest states in the nation, where the median household income is half that and childcare costs for two children could take up 80% of a family’s income, the impact was powerful. The state, which had long ranked worst in the nation for child wellbeing, saw its poverty rate begin to fall.

As the state simultaneously raised wages for childcare workers, and became the first to base its subsidy reimbursement rates on the actual cost of providing such care, early childhood educators were also raised out of poverty. In 2020, 27.4% of childcare providers – often women of color – were living in poverty. By 2024, that number had fallen to 16%.

During the state’s recent legislative session, lawmakers approved a “historic” increase in funding for education, including early childhood education, that might improve those numbers even further...

When now-governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her candidacy in late 2016, she emphasized her desire to address the state’s low child wellbeing rating. And when she took office in January 2018, she described her aim to have a “moonshot for education”: major investments in education across the state, from early childhood through college.

That led to her opening the state’s early childhood education and care department in 2019 – and tapping Groginksy, who had overseen efforts to improve early childhood policies in Washington DC, to run it. Then, in 2020, Lujan Grisham threw her support behind a bill in the state legislature that would establish an Early Childhood Trust Fund: by investing $300m – plus budget surpluses each year, largely from oil and gas revenue – the state hoped to distribute a percentage to fund early childhood education each year.

But then, just weeks after the trust fund was established, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic.

“Covid created a really enormous moment for childcare,” said Heinz. “We had somewhat of a national reckoning about the fact that we don’t have a workforce if we don’t have childcare.”

As federal funding flooded into New Mexico, the state directed millions of dollars toward childcare, including by boosting pay for entry-level childcare providers to $15 an hour, expanding eligibility for free childcare to families making 400% of the poverty level, and becoming the first state in the nation to set childcare subsidy rates at the true cost of delivering care.

As pandemic-era relief funding dried up in 2022, the governor and Democratic lawmakers proposed another way to generate funds for childcare – directing a portion of the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund to early childhood education and care. Like the Early Childhood Trust Fund, the permanent fund – which was established when New Mexico became a state – was funded by taxes on fossil fuel revenues. That November, 70% of New Mexican voters approved a constitutional amendment directing 1.25% of the fund to early childhood programs.

By then, the Early Childhood Trust Fund had grown exponentially – due to the boom in oil and gas prices. Beginning with $300m in 2020, the fund had swollen to over $9bn by the end of 2024...

New Mexico has long had one of the highest “official poverty rates” in the nation.

But using a metric that accounts for social safety net programs – like universal childcare – that’s slowly shifting. According to “supplemental poverty” data, 17.1% of New Mexicans fell below the federal “supplemental” poverty line from 2013 to 2015 (a metric that takes into account cost of living and social supports) – making it the fifth poorest state in the nation by that measure. But today, that number has fallen to 10.9%, one of the biggest changes in the country, amounting to 120,000 fewer New Mexicans living in poverty.

New Mexico’s child wellbeing ranking – which is based heavily on “official poverty” rankings – probably won’t budge, says Heinz because “the amount of money coming into households, that they have to run their budget, remains very low.

“However, the thing New Mexico has done that’s fairly tremendous, I think, is around families not having to have as much money going out,” she said.

During the recent legislative session, lawmakers deepened their investments in early childhood education even further, approving a 21.6% increase of $170m for education programs – including early childhood education. However, other legislation that advocates had hoped might pass stalled in the legislature, including a bill to require businesses to offer paid family medical leave...

In her budget recommendations, Lujan Grisham asked the state to up its commitment to early childhood policies, by raising the wage floor for childcare workers to $18 an hour and establishing a career lattice for them. Because of that, Gonzalez has been able to start working on her associate’s in childhood education at Central New Mexico Community College where her tuition is waived. The governor also backed a house bill that will increase the amount of money distributed annually from the Early Childhood Trust Fund – since its dramatic growth due to oil and gas revenues.

Although funding childcare through the Land Grant Permanent Fund is unique to New Mexico – and a handful of other states with permanent funds, like Alaska, Texas and North Dakota – Heinz says the Early Childhood Trust fund “holds interesting lessons for other states” about investing a percentage of revenues into early childhood programs.

In New Mexico, those revenues come largely from oil and gas, but New Mexico Voices for Children has put forth recommendations about how the state can continue funding childcare while transitioning away from fossil fuels, largely by raising taxes on the state’s wealthiest earners. Although other states have not yet followed in New Mexico’s footsteps, a growing number are making strides to offer free pre-K to a majority of their residents.

Heinz cautions that change won’t occur overnight. “What New Mexico is trying to do here is play a very long game. And so I am not without worry that people might give it five years, and it’s been almost five years now, and then say, where are the results? Why is everything not better?” she said. “This is generational change” that New Mexico is only just beginning to witness as the first children who were recipients of universal childcare start school."

-via The Guardian, April 11, 2025

[radioactiverats]

Mentor Starscream x seeker!reader (15/?)

Direct continuation of part 13 - you break Starscream out of the Ark, but he’s not happy about your recklessness, or the newest additions to your frame.

———

You split apart to dodge automatic tracking missiles - the Autobot base can be an unfriendly place when it wants to be.

"Are you out of your fragging processor?" Starscream bellows, when you spiral close enough to be within hearing distance over the roar of ammunition.

"Language," You shout back, smug.

Starscream's thrusters clearly sputter for a klik.

"Why, you-"

Dizzy with adrenaline and relief, you loop giddily around his alt-mode through peals of laughter before speeding ahead with a whoop.

For a moment, Starscream hovers in place. Your familiar colours are a sight for sore eyes after nearly a week in Autobot captivity, and for a moment, watching you do loop after loop in the sky, hooting and hollering, he genuinely can't help but be impressed. It is with no small amount of pride that he notes how you successfully managed to somehow locate, sneak into, and break him out of the Autobot base on your first try.

Simultaneously, as soon as he gets his servos on you, he's going to flay you alive for attempting a rescue with hideously low odds. Alone. The thought is enough to make his spark twist, and his thrusters scream as he jets after you.

Sure, you broke him out of a high-security prison. But to what end?

Right now, you couldn't care less. You'd done it. Even Knockout's faith had wavered, but a few fragmented maps and crawling through air ducts later, you'd managed to reach Starscream. The Autobots clearly hadn't anticipated a rescue party small enough to fit into the air ducts, something that had brought you great relief to discover.

However, it seems that not everybody is happy - a streak of red, white, and blue screams past you, pivoting sharply to block your path. You pull up with a screech of your engines, hovering in place as you face him.

His EM field nearly knocks you off-balance as soon as you come close enough to feel it. A convoluted mix of rageprideworry pours off his frame in waves, but it's with some disappointment that you note rage seems to be the most potent.

"Of all the foolhardy things you could have done - did you think I would thank you? What you did goes way beyond danger into the realm of stupidity!"

Wow. You stop, caught in midair. Now that was something you hadn't expected. You were happy just to get him out, but you hadn't expected him to be so hostile.

"Come on, I got you out - isn't that cause for celebration?"

"At what cost?" Starscream hisses. "I never asked for you to do this!"

Your alt-mode quivers with annoyance.

"Why are you angry?"

Starscream whirls on you, transforming to reveal his blazing optics, his furious expression.

"Transform," He hisses. "Now."

Sulkily, you do. You just broke him out of the enemy faction's jail. Why was he so upset with you?

Mechanisms grind. Your plates shift into place, and Starscream's optics immediately settle on the null rays fitted onto your arms.

Just like his.

Starscream grits his denta. By virtue of having the same weaponry, he understands all too well what it took to have them attached. Not all seekers had null rays - it took a cause bigger than yourself to survive the pain.

"Don't bother," He snaps, as soon as your intake opens. Presumably to spew some excuse about how it was fine. "I know it hurt."

"It did," You say. "A lot."

Your admission stuns him into silence for a klik before he regains control with a noise of disgust. Whether aimed at you or him, you're not sure.

"I don't risk my spark just for you to destroy yourself," He hisses. "Mechs tend to make an effort in the general direction of self-preservation, you know."

You prickle, needing him to know you don't regret anything. "It was for good cause."

Starscream's alive. Still with you. Anything would have been worth that. He doesn't seem to think the same way, but you don't back down.

Yet, he scoffs at you. "Good cause? Don't you ever think? We could have both been captured. Did you have a plan for that?"

You're starting to get angry, EM field sparking against his. Frag, you didn't risk everything and succeed just for him to yell at you.

"But we didn't get captured!"

"That's besides the point!" Starscream snaps. "It wasn't worth - "

He abruptly cuts himself off, whirling away from you with a snarl.

For a few kliks, his ragged ex-venting roars louder in your audials than the flare of your thrusters.

"Listen to me. If anything like this ever happens again, I forbid you from doing anything so reckless. I forbid you from coming after me. That is an order. Do you understand?"

You stare at him for a klik, not saying anything. Carefully, you take in the tension in his shoulders, the urgency in his optics.

Manipulative as he may seem, Starscream has never been good at hiding his true feelings - giving everything away with a twitch of his wings, a flare of emotion across his faceplate.

He doesn't want you to get hurt over him -

- and he’s stupid for it, you decide.

If he can't see his own value, it's up to you to show him. Your digits curl into stubborn fists at your sides.

"Ever realize that I'd risk my spark for you, too?"

For a few moments, Starscream simply stares at you as he takes in what you said. As if really seeing you for the first time.

"You..."

Abruptly, the fight seems to bleed from his frame.

“You shouldn’t,” He hisses, but it’s weak.

“Live with it,” You say, feeling strangely bold. “Like I would be anything without you.”

Later, you’ll replay this moment in your processor and feel immensely smug for rendering the great Starscream utterly speechless.

“…Of course,” He eventually mutters.

“Please don’t get captured again.”

At that, he snorts, shoulders relaxing some. “No promises.”

“We could take turns. I’ll get captured next time, and you break me out.”

“Do that, and I’ll take you apart screw by screw once I’ve rescued you. While you’re online. You’ll be wishing I’d left you with the Autobots if you ever pull something like that.”

“Okay, okay. Sheesh.”

———

Starscream had anticipated this - it does take you some time getting used to the null rays. Not the usage, per se, as they’re basically part of you now - but becoming spatially aware of two giant weapons of mass destruction attached to your smaller frame.

He’d handed you an energon cube - you’d raised your arm and nearly took his optic out before you could say thank you. You look sheepishly at Starscream.

“Would you believe me if I said I forgot those were there?”

Surprisingly, he just sighs. “Drink your cube, cadet.”

Another time, poring over datapads, you’d tried to point at a spelling mistake in a report - both finger and null ray descended at the same time, succeeding in pointing out the spelling error and cracking the datapad beside it. You and Starscream stared silently at the shattered datapad, which crackled weakly before giving up on life entirely.

Every time, you expect to be chastised - but he’s oddly patient with you. Perhaps by virtue of having gone through the same thing himself.

He does mutter something about training you to make full use of the null rays, now that you have them. Having him back soothes something deep inside your spark - no matter what he says, you know that he has your back. One day, you just hope he’ll allow you to have his.

Previous / Next

[bluuscreen]

we were talking on discord abt how sonic is basically tails’ dad as well as his big brother and i ended up making what is simultaneously a low effort and high effort shitpost about it

[ssahopelessly]

Sleepy Sunshine

PROMPT: The sun makes Characters sleepy, so they take a nap (part of the Summer Sunshine Fic Challenge)

SYNOPSIS: After spending some time in the sun, Reader comes inside to find Spencer. She’s hoping to take a nap, but Spencer is more concerned about the signs of heat exhaustion.

WARNINGS: SpencerxFemReader, heat exhaustion, possible dehydration, lack of self care, a Spencer science ramble (written by a not scientist) // let me know any I missed

WORD COUNT: 0.5k

a/n: something simple, hopefully sweet. I hope you enjoy! ☀️

Masterlist

“Spencer.” It was a low whine as she slipped onto the couch next to him, arms wrapping around his left.

“Yes love?” She just merely grumbled into his arm as she snuggled closer to his body, if there was even any space to fill. He noticed almost instantly though how warm she was, a particular shine to the surface of her face, her complexion redder than it was this morning.

“I’m sleepy.” Were the next words he could actually understand from her. Running a hand over her forehead to smooth back her hair, he placed a kiss near the corner of her hairline that wasn’t pressed against his arm, only building more evidence to his suspicion.

“How long were you in the sun for?”

“Not that long.”

“And how much water did you drink?” Her body stilled next to him despite his fingers now searching for hers. “Did you even take water with you?”

“I didn’t have any way to hold it, and then the bugs would’ve gotten to it and-” She was starting to whine as she pulled her excuses from memory. Her excuses were never unbelievable as she was normally a very logical person, but he also wasn’t so surprised to hear that this one time she forgot a vital piece of self care.

“The UV index was a high 8, almost 9. You should’ve brought your water.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t.” Had it been anyone else, he would be mad. The stubborn attitude and simultaneous surrender would’ve made him mad over such a reckless action. But when he looked down to the girl next to him, her eyelids threatening to close and obstruct his view, he crumbled with just that look alone.

“That’s why you’re tired. You know that, right?” His other hand reached over to her, the pad of his thumb brushing over her cheekbone as she leaned into his touch, squeezing his arm.

“Explain it to me?” Arms that had once wrapped around his own were now working towards his waist, Spencer instinctively raising the arm to rest behind her, fingers trailing up and down her back.

“When you’re in the sun, your body is pushing all of its resources to keep you cool in such an extreme heat. Meaning, any water your body has access to is being pushed away from the reserves that may still need it to keep you cool but that is also where you start to sweat out any of that water. So not only is your body introducing itself to fatigue by dehydration, but also in an effort to thermoregulate itself, it-” He would’ve kept going. He could’ve gone on about how the neural processors work to tell your body that it’s overheating and fatigued and how all of these things snowball into making you tired, despite your body's internal workings to stay awake in light. But he never got the chance, his words stopped by the soft snores let out beside him, the sound like a finger laid over his lips telling him to be quiet.

Rolling his eyes, he reached over to place one more kiss to her hairline before deciding maybe what they both needed was a nap. And that he could explain it all to her once she woke up again.

-

Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think here!

[zablife]

Becoming Mrs. Shelby (Part 14)

Tommy x wife reader

Summary: The night of the gala is upon you and you're wracked with nerves. Will Tommy relax and enjoy the evening as you hope he will?

Part 13 Masterlist

"If I might say so, you look lovely, ma'am!" Clara gushed as she stepped back to admire you in your custom gown. The cream colored silk draped beautifully across your body, accentuating the slim form you'd worked so hard to achieve in recent weeks.

Catching her eye in the mirror, you smiled triumphantly as your hand ghosted over the finger waves she'd styled for you. "It is perfect, isn't it?" you asked, chest swelling with pride. You hoped Tommy would feel the same when he saw you descending the grand staircase later that evening.

"There's something missing though," Clara fretted.

"Wh-what have I forgotten?" you asked, nerves overtaking you.

"Your jewelry, ma'am," she stated, matter-of-factly, frowning at your bare décolletage.

"I'm afraid I don't own any jewels," you replied sheepishly.

"Not to worry! You can borrow something from the vault," she advised you.

"Oh, no, I don't think I should," you demurred, wary of borrowing anything too valuable.

"But it's your right as the lady of the house!" Clara insisted. As she watched you bite your lower lip in uncertainty, she added, "The late Mrs. Shelby did it all the time!"

That was all you needed to hear in order to agree to let Clara fetch the appropriate gems. When she presented a necklace to you, glimmering in the light from its velvet cushion, you knew it was the one.

She helped fasten the clasp of the heavy necklace behind you, beaming as she pronounced, “Worthy of the lady of the house.”

Checking to be sure every seam and hair was in place, you finally gave a nod of approval for Clara to open the door. The guests had begun arriving and it was finally time for you to join them.

"Good luck, tonight," she wished you, well aware of the work you'd done to prepare. However, you couldn't help but think how lucky you were already. Living in a gorgeous mansion with a man you loved, nothing could be better than that.

As your hand rested over the newel post, you inhaled deeply and began your descent into the festivities. Chin held high, you were confident your efforts would culminate in an elegant soiree guests would talk about for months. You smiled to yourself imagining Tommy's wide grin of approval.

Your husband came into view below you, cutting a dashing figure in his black tuxedo and crisp bow tie. As if in slow motion, he turned toward you and you held your breath in long awaited anticipation of his reaction.

However, the scene of adoration you'd hoped for was not to be, his face dropping the moment his eyes fixed upon the enormous, pear shaped sapphire around your neck.

Simultaneously, the crowd went silent save for a few sharp gasps. The sound echoed back to you in chilling condemnation, making you self conscious of your transgression, even though you had no clue what it was.

With no choice but to continue on to your husband, you watched his gaze morph from confusion to anguish. It was difficult to read in the low light, but you were certain it wasn't favorable.

As your foot reached the bottom step, Tommy met you with a pained look. Eyes fixed on the gem you wore, he demanded, “Where did you get her necklace?”

Placing a trembling hand over the sapphire to hide it from sight, you muttered, “Clara said it would be alright.”

“It isn’t her decision,” he answered, jaw set tight with fierce determination. Pressing a hand to your lower back insistently, he urged you back the way you’d come hissing, "Go upstairs and take it off."

You began to shake as soon as you noticed he was barely containing the rage simmering below the surface. You shook your head in disbelief. "What have I done?"

"I won't ask again, Y/n," Tommy warned in a dangerously low voice.

Your eyes filled with tears and your lower lip began to quiver as you reached for his arm. "T-tommy, what's wrong?"

"Take that fucking sapphire off your neck...now, Y/n!" he growled.

As you stood dumbfounded by his harsh tone, he swiped at the gem resting at your throat and jerked it hard enough to break the delicate chain. Balling it into a fist, he stuffed the offending jewel into his pocket as you stumbled forward.

Choking from the force of his movements, you heaved for breath as you regained your balance. As you straightened to face the sea of disapproving onlookers, a crescendo of accusing whispers met your ears.

"It's in such poor taste!"

"What was she thinking?"

"Who would do such a thing?"

Utterly disgraced, you clutched the hem of your gown in your hand and raced up the stairs. Tears streamed down your cheeks in embarrassment, confused as to what you'd done to deserve their ridicule.

Stumbling toward your bedroom, you saw Mary lurking in the shadows having witnessed the entire incident. She barely acknowledged you as she continued down the hall, leaving you with a tearful Clara.

The maid reached for you as you passed, an apology tumbling from her lips. "Mary said I was to bring you the sapphire. I didn't know it belonged to the late missus," she confessed.

Part 15

[yoroshiu]

Thinking about Kingdom Hearts' narrative with communication.

As with a lot of conflicts in story and real life, much of the most heart wrenching stuff in this series stems from a lack of communication or a severe misunderstanding between characters.

The Foretellers fall apart due to mistrust that was bred in between them, as according to the Master of Master's plan, and a lot of their interactions are full of deceit and witholding information. In an effort for most of them to do what MoM says while simultaneously realizing that they could go against his word to save the world, it inevitably leads to war.

Baldr, in his grief, is kept separate from his friends, alone until the darkness overtakes him and he ends up being consumed by it. As a result, everyone is taken by surprise and there's already too many bodies piled up by the time he's dealt with. Even when Hoder appears before him, they are unable to meet in the middle and turn on each other. He ends up killing many friends and plants a seed into what Xehanort becomes.

The basis of the Wayfinders and Eraqus is that they constantly don't talk to each other properly, pushing each other away until their tragedy becomes inescapable. Eraqus not telling his students about anything Xehanort has done, for instilling such an unforgiving view of Light and Darkness, for not telling Ventus the truth until it was too late. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus not being able to talk or clear things up until Xehanort is already beyond knees deep into his plans, and despite having their love for each other go beyond any possible discord, it is not enough to prevent unfortunate fates that befall them.

The Destiny Trio, especially Riku earlier on, suffers from a lack of communication. While not as turbulent as the other trios, it's Riku's tendency to hide away and lash out that builds the conflict between him and Sora. For one reason or another, a quite literal and physical reason for Kairi, they were unable to talk which goes on and on until RIku gets possessed. And it his shame that pushes him to hide for such a long time in the second game as well. Sora has also picked up on not saying anything, deciding to perish without letting anyone know beforehand, and the full-on effects of that have yet to be explored.

The Sea Salt Trio was built on miscommunication. Secrets, unknowns, caring so much that you believe that it'd be much better to fade away without a word than to burden someone with the pain of truth and knowledge. It drives a wedge between Roxas, Axel, and Xion at multiple points. Axel, who was stuck between loyalties, kept information to himself and ended up driving Roxas and Xion away at one point and another. Xion, who found out the truth and also made big decisions without fully explaining to the other two, also inevitably leaves a grief that digs into them even when they don't remember her. And Roxas, who was the probably the biggest victim of not being told anything, ends up barrelling forward, trust broken up until the pieces finally fell in place and he had to accept his fate in tired resignation.

But it's when love overcomes the lies, clearing them away that these groups of friends can come together and start again.

A lot of the emotional turmoil that Kingdom Hearts displays often comes from the very human act of communication with others and how often we fail to do so. The fragility that comes with one kept secret, or one mispoken phrase. How badly people get torn apart when no one says anything. Yet, it also shows how it can potentially be overcome with enough love and determination to recover what was lost, and even if it's not the same as before, there's potential to make things better.

TLDR; Connections are the basis of Kingdom Hearts. Communication is a foundation of connection. The highs and lows of communication is something that Kingdom Hearts explores extensively in the stories of its characters, and that has resonated with me so heavily that I stay up thinking about it.

[gingerteawrites]

BY THE HEARTH: SWAY

A/N: Hello hello again. I know, it's been slightly more than a week🏃🏾‍♂️. BUUUUUT, I'm really proud of this chapter and am excited to share it with you. Thank you all for being so patient with me, and please let me know how you liked this installment of BTH! Read previous chapter here.

Content:Royalty!AU, Nanami x female reader, king Nanami, Princess Y/N, Widower Nanami, Toddler Yuuji, hurt, angst. Not beta read

Word count: ~2.6K

Banner by @cafekitsune

ACT VI

The king’s arm wraps around your waist and his other hand finds yours, guiding you into a formal dance position at the center of the dance floor. The rigidness of your postures remind you of your first dance teacher, a cynical old man who thought of dance as but a formality. Something that must be executed down to the last instructed detail.

The musicians drew out a slow tune, cueing you into the beginning of the dance. You take slow, deliberate steps, flowing alongside the melody, executed to perfection. Left and right, clear and bright.

Despite your best efforts to only think about your steps, the proximity with this strange man was a difficult thing to get used to. He seemed so consuming. You found your senses filled with the earthy scent of his cologne. The shadow of his frame towered over you. You willed your mind to stay on the task. Left and right, clear and bright.

But you couldn’t help your thoughts wandering back to the last time you were this close with him. The thundering storm, the weeping stained class. The stiff hold. The kiss.

This was not the time to reminisce. You chastised yourself with a soft sigh.

Now desperate for a distraction, you looked over his shoulder, discreetly scanning the crowd. The attendees seemed to move in slow motion around you, chatting about, eating and drinking. But you did not miss the way their eyes fleeted over you, pretending not to watch. All but one engaged in this game of hide-and-seek: Yuuji, who observed your tango intently, bringing a smile to your face.

The king cleared his throat. Your distraction was caught.

“It is impolite to look away from your dance partner.” He comments, tone surprising you with its lack of accusation.

“I apologize, your majesty.” Your eyes return to the amber of his, striking in their depth. They gave the impression that he could see through you, making you simultaneously want to hide and bare yourself. The latter urge won. “You can be quite intimidating, that is all.” You added.

The tempo of the music changed, and you each crossed your arms over the others’, spinning gracefully so your back was to his chest, maintaining the rhythmic steps in his hold.

“I do apologize.” He spoke quietly, his warm breath against your neck causing an unintentional shiver to run down your spine. “Scaring you is not my intention.” He spun your around, returning to your steps face to face.

Your heart thrummed with foreign excitement. This man, whom you had spent the last few weeks pondering about only made your curiosity bloom more. Was he truly being honest? Was he not malicious in regard to you? Could you trust his words? This was perhaps your opportunities to find answers.

“I cannot help but wonder what your intention is in having me here” You ask, eyes boring into his, hands resting high on his shoulders. He twirls you around, catching you by the waist to bring you back close to him. You could feel the velvet of the cape draped across him caress your bare shoulders.

“Did you not want to attend the ball?” his voice is low, for your ears only to hear.

“Having me in this kingdom, not the ball.” You correct, mirroring his tone.

You can see him hesitate for a second. As if contemplating whether to be honest with you or not, and the flash of doubt you see behind his deep eyes makes you itch uncomfortably.

“Well, why does one marry?” His answer is a non-answer. You suddenly grow frustrated, pressing closer. Maybe with you right in his face, he would need to be honest. You were thirsty for answers. For any information.

“For a plethora of reasons my king.” Your tone hardened, emotions swelling with the music “I only wish to know which one is responsible for this arrangement.”

He looks at you with a raised brow, and you cannot tell if it is in curiosity or annoyance. Regardless, you refuse to back down. Some part of your brain registers the music swelling higher, strings spinning faster, and while your bodies match the tempo, all your attention is on the man facing you.

“I know this marriage was advantageous for my kingdom, that is a given. But what are YOU in it for?” You drape a hand around his neck, drawing closer to his ear to ask the question.

The music pulls you away, both of your spinning and bowing, before returning to your embrace, stepping in circular motions around the floor.

He draws closer to you so the side of his face almost rests against yours, his words grazing the shell of your ear. “Frankly, I ask myself the same question.” The king pulled away so his eyes found yours again, and the honesty they held did nothing to diffuse your confusion.

You wanted to ask more. To unveil what hid behind the hard shell that this man seemed to have surrounding him. But you had a feeling your king was not willing to divulge any more at this moment. It would be useless to press on.

So you kept swaying to the increasingly fast melody, letting Nanami’s hands guide you along with him, the rigid rules of dance forgotten, fingers tracing the outline of each other’s bodies, breathing in each other's scent. You lost yourself in this trance, forgetting all thoughts and anxieties, even if for just a moment. He spun you around, and the strings stopped their cry when you landed in a dip, chest heaving, heart racing after your breath.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, you register your surroundings: the sounds of claps, oos and aas from all around reach your ears. Nanami helps you up and steps away, offering an arm with a slight bow. You notice the way his own chest heaves slightly, and how his eyes don’t leave yours. You wrap your hand around the outstretched arm, and walk away from the center of the floor, back into reality.

The orchestra resumes its play, starting the melody of a festive tune. Couples fill the empty floor, their intricate garments painting the room in shades of vermillion, opulent blues and purples as they spin about.

You have no time to fully recover or untangle yourself from Nanami before a slew of people walk up to you, seeking introductions and a word with new royalty. You straighten your back, donning a polite, practiced smile when the first person approaches.

“Your majesties.” A noble decorated with too much jewelry bowed in greeting, a crooked smile pulling at his face “What a pleasure to finally see you out. We were starting to wonder why his highness had locked you away, but witnessing your beauty, we have no need to wonder anymore” He laughed at his own observation.

You chuckled, forced, awkward.

“Marquess Kamo.” Nanami greeted curtly, pulling his arm towards himself, drawing you close with the motion. A distinct sign of protectiveness. The old man’s grin faltered a bit, but he covered it with a gruff laugh, excusing himself with wishes of a nice evening.

“I look forward to seeing BOTH of you again.” He stepped away.

You looked up at the king once the marquess was out of earshot. “I take it we are not on very good terms with them?” You could swear you saw a hint of a smile play at his lips.

“He’s a cunning man. It’s better to be careful of his words.” He replied, turning towards the next group of people.

It felt like hundreds of people had come up to you to introduce themselves and offer some sorts of compliment. After some time, all of their words started merging together in your brain, and you were unsure you could distinguish between their names if you saw them again. Having been out in society since your coming of age, you thought you were prepared for formal events. But your home’s aristocracy was composed of a dozen families at most. You were positively overwhelmed.

Exhaustion tugged your body down, but the king by your side still stood straight, engaging in whatever form of small talk people approached you with. You rolled your shoulders slightly, feeling the duty to match his stature at least for this evening. Appearing weak next to a man like him felt wrong.

“It seems my wife has not had anything to eat yet. If you would excuse us.” The words reach your ears just as you call your attention back to the Countess before you, catching you off-guard.

The lady laughs, as if Nanami was the most amusing man on earth, waving her fan to shoo the both of you away. “Oh, of course your highness. As always, it was a pleasure.”

He begins to walk away with you in tow, and you look up at him in question, “I never said I was hungry.”

“I know you did not.” He beckons someone over before his gaze returns to you. “I just meant to give you a break.”

The next thing you heard was soft clanging noises, and a knight appeared before you, his ceremonial silver armor laying heavy on his shoulders. It commanded gravity, staunchly contrasted by the warmth of his grin. He exuded an almost boy-ish charm, at complete odds Nanami’s smooth allure.

The man bowed deeply, hand over his chest. “Your highness, I am royal knight Yu Haibara, at your service.”

You bowed your head in greeting, his smile causing you smile as well.

“If I may, you look absolutely radiant, your highness,” He complimented.

“Thank you, sir.” You replied politely.

Nanami clears his throat once again, calling your attention back to him. His expression, which had seemed to warm throughout the night had returned to its stoic disposition, his eyes focused on the knight.

“Haibara please find Alma and make sure her highness has some time to cool off.” You could swear he wanted to say more with the way his eyes lingered on you. But no more words were uttered.

Haibara looked at the king with a mischievous glint, before turning to offer his arm and guide you away. Despite the easy air that the knight carried around him, you noticed how alert he was, his eyes discreetly hovering around the room while he made small talk. You find Alma tucked into a corner of the room, as always, doling out instructions to the staff, and Yu relays Nanami's words to her.

She welcomes you with a smile, and takes you to the part of the huge ballroom with sofas and coffee tables set out where some ladies were already sat, enjoying hors-d’oeuvres and light drinks.

They all stand to bow when you arrive, and you greet them politely. With a social battery is already dwindling, you fail to notice the hostile looks coming from some, and wear your usual smile as you sit down. Alma hands you a flute of bubbly champagne along with some finger food, which you accept gratefully.

“Your dress is magnificent, your majesty. Pray tell, how much did it cost?” A lady, who introduced herself as just Mei inquires. Her talk of lavishness and riches are enough to fluster anyone, but another lady, countess Shoko tries to divert her attention, seeming to notice your fatigue. You smile gratefully at her.

Two glasses of champagne in, you feel the burning gaze of someone at the back of your head, and turn to see the king staring right at you. Your grow flustered, worried you did something wrong.

Am I drink too much? Does he not want me to talk to them? You’re too busy mentally going over the list of possible wrongdoings, while the ladies giggle around you, making you turn back to them.

“The king is usually so cold and uninterested.” One flaps her fan open, hiding her smile behind it. “I was convinced he could not be swayed by a woman anymore.”

The words leave you speechless, certain that the women have had the wrong idea. This man was indifferent to you, at best. Not even your exhilarating dance you shared would change that.

“Well they are married after all, so is it surprising?” Mei Mei adds, sipping the dark liquid in her glass.

“It’s not like it’s his first time married anyway.” Someone else rolls her eyes as she comments, and Shoko steps on her toes, causing her to yelp.

“So, your majesty, tell us about your kingdom. I have never had the chance to visit.” She turns to you with a slight smile.

You are conscious of her attempt at a distraction, but you indulge her, feeling nostalgic. You share with them the beauty of your homeland, the weather, the warmth. You mention your entourage; your siblings and friends. And in return, they share pieces of the workings of this kingdom. The major families and the power structure. You recognize the name Kamo, the man who introduced himself earlier, and recall a rigid man who carried the name Zenin who gave a curt introduction. Most of the ladies start fanning themselves when they talk about the Gojo family, emphasizing that their new duke was truly something to behold.

You are grateful for the conversation. You had not fully realized how much the isolation of the castle had made you miss such company. However, you could not shake the thought of the previous queen. Nanami's wife, Yuuji's mother.

How had the king had been with her? you wondered.

You are not surprised though, that no one brings her up again in the conversation.

Eventually, growing restless from sitting and some of the ladies with their shrill laughs, you excuse yourself.

“Are you feeling okay your majesty?” Alma approaches you quietly. “We can retire to your quarters if you want to.”

“Oh no,” you shake your head. “I have barely had time to talk to Yuuji. I’ll find you when I am ready to head back.” You countered. You dreaded the solitude of your quarters, and a part of you wanted to extend your time at the ball as long as you could.

Your eyes find the young prince standing alongside the knight from earlier. The urge to be in the child’s company fills you and you take a wide step towards him, eager to be near. Maybe it was the slight alcohol in your veins, or maybe it was the mental fatigue you kept pushing away, but you step on the edge of your dress and lose your balance, tumbling forward.

Great! way to embarrass myself in front of everyone. You close your eyes, bracing for the fall. And for the eventual ridicule. Of how the ladies you were talking with would probably laugh and gossip about this for weeks to come. You were exhausted.

A pair of hands slip around your waist, halting your fall and bringing you against a firm chest. You recognize the smell of sandalwood, and the softness of velvet before your eyes reopen to focus on the king's face.

“Careful,” he says, his brows slightly furrowed.

“I apologize.” You replied, now steady on your feet. But his hold on you does not falter, supporting your body.

Yuuji comes up to you running, and the king's hand slips away, giving you space to speak with the boy. Your body misses the warmth where he held you.

“Are you okay?” the child asks, touching your hand and looking up at you with the most adorable, shiny eyes that reflect a hint of worry. You coo, holding his hand and rubbing a thumb over it.

“Sorry that I worried you. I think I might be a bit tired.” You whisper the last part, as if sharing a secret. A smile returns to his face.

“That’s okay!” He reassures. “Papa said it’s almost my bedtime too.” He shared, hoping to relate to you.

“It is. I’ll say my good byes to a few people and then we’ll head back.” Nanami drew close to Yuuji, looking down at him as he spoke the words.

“Can she come with us?” The child requests immediately. He sees his father’s brow furrow and lets go of your hand, now clinging to him “Pleaseeeeee?” he makes the biggest puppy eyes, and you see the king’s resolve falter. He looks to you, and you shrug lightly with a smile, causing him to sigh. He stays silent for a few moments, trying so hard to reject the child.

“Okay.” he finally resigns, and Yuuji almost launches himself off the ground in joy. “Yes!”

And here we go once again. I promise things pick up steam from here one! Please let me know what you think :)

Tag list:@ofcqdesi @tomiokasecretlover @luvstama @amisuh @abhootghiihii

@cosmicbreathe @lucreied @starmapz @tylersaiddonteatbananas @taeteddybear

@bopsigles @flaneur002 @evans-dejong @lazypostfandomer

[mariacallous]

The ultra-fast-fashion company Shein spent years carefully curating its corporate identity. Its apparent goal was to create a brand born from social media, distinct from any single place but whose products were everywhere. Shein has been more successful in some aspects of this pursuit than in others. The company grew into a global online shopping juggernaut, thanks in large part to its extremely low prices. But its efforts to remain anonymous and inoffensive have been undone by allegations of labor abuses, environmental criticisms and, despite moving its headquarters to Singapore, persistent concerns about its Chinese ownership.

Its latest shape shift took place largely behind the scenes in Washington, DC, where the company took a sharp turn over the past few years into the world of MAGA. Many companies have shamelessly courted President Donald Trump, hoping to curry favor with a uniquely transactional American leader, but few appear to have gone as far as Shein. The company counts Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as a shareholder in its parent company, WIRED reported in February. Deputy US attorney general Todd Blanche, the second highest-ranking official at the Department of Justice, disclosed that Shein was previously one of his legal clients.

Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative (USTR) who serves as the president’s top adviser on matters related to international trade, also advised the company before joining the Trump administration, according to a former Shein employee as well as internal documents reviewed by WIRED. And a host of lobbyists drawn from the orbit of Trumpworld continue to push the company’s talking points across DC. Shein, which did not register hiring a single lobbyist until 2022, spent $3.9 million on federal lobbying last year, according to public records. In the first quarter of 2025, it has doled out $1.49 million.

“As is standard practice for global businesses, Shein routinely seeks counsel from a range of advisers on priority policy areas for the business,” a company spokesperson told WIRED. “We welcome the opportunity to work with policymakers and industry peers wherever we operate to make sure our unique, on-demand business model, and strict supply chain policies are well understood.” The USTR office did not respond to requests for comment.

But despite the company’s overtures, Trump has dealt Shein a series of devastating blows since returning to office. His administration imposed punishing tariffs on Chinese imports that threaten to erode the company’s price advantage and simultaneously moved to close a crucial trade loophole called the de minimis provision that allowed the ecommerce giant to flood the US with low-cost packages shipped into the country duty-free.

These unwelcome developments come as Shein has struggled in its bid to go public. It is now reportedly seeking a place on London’s rapidly shrinking stock exchange after being shut out of the US market. The company is under pressure from investors to slash its valuation to around $30 billion, a steep decline from a valuation of $100 billion in 2022, according to Bloomberg.

Ahead of the November US presidential election, Donald Tang, an East-West dealmaker who previously failed to strike it big in Hollywood and now serves as Shein’s executive chairman, was making the rounds in Washington, dropping in to chat with China hawks skeptical of the company. “He was totally, chapter and verse, singing the MAGA hymn of ‘I love Trump. I love America,’” says Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank who has been critical of Shein and other Chinese companies’ lobbying efforts and met with Tang in June.

By then, Shein—once naive about how things work in Washington—had learned to play the uniquely American game of naked influence peddling. An eight-page Shein internal document from June 2023 reviewed by WIRED titled “U.S. Public Affairs Campaign Working Group List,” outlined what the company’s vast team of public and government relations professionals and some lobbyists was tasked with working on, including focus areas like US-China relations and media outreach.

Greer was then working as a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, and his focus area was described as “legal advice around international trade policy.” Two other King & Spalding partners are also listed on the document as providing guidance to Shein on related issues, such as crafting potential congressional testimony and handling investigations launched by lawmakers. King & Spalding continues to work with Shein, according to a person familiar with the situation. The law firm did not respond to requests for comment.

During Trump’s first administration, Greer served as chief of staff to the trade representative, and then went on to join King & Spalding in 2020, according to an announcement from the firm. It is unclear when his work for Shein began or how it was structured. A mandated financial disclosure that Greer filed in December 2024 before he was confirmed does not mention Shein or any of its related companies.

It does note, however, that Greer provided services to 51 additional clients that remained confidential because “disclosure of the client identity and the fact of representation would reveal a client confidence or secret.” In a separate ethics agreement about potential conflicts of interest, Greer promised to “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter” involving parties represented by King & Spalding for one year after his resignation without prior authorization.

A former Shein employee, who asked not to be identified because of fear of retaliation, says that Greer previously advised Leonard Lin, Shein’s president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and global head of public affairs. One project Greer worked on, the former employee says, was assisting Lin with drafting a response to questions about Shein’s business practices raised by a bipartisan group of senators.

The senators wrote in February 2023 to Xu Yangtian, Shein’s founder, seeking more information on the company’s alleged possible ties to supply chains in China’s Xinjiang region, where the Chinese government has been accused of widespread human rights abuses against a local Muslim minority population. The letter followed a report by Bloomberg the previous year that found cotton in some Shein products it commissioned for testing matched materials that had been produced with cotton from Xinjiang.

The response from Shein did not directly dispute the reporting. It outlined the company’s regulatory compliance policies and third-party auditing procedures, at times relying on nearly indecipherable jargon. It stated, for example, that Shein developed a “proprietary material traceability information management system,” to monitor its supply chains. (The letter was signed by Lin, not Xu, who maintains an exceedingly low profile. The Wall Street Journal has referred to him as “the world's most anonymous CEO.”)

Greer’s work for a Chinese company appears at odds with the dark vision he has articulated of Beijing’s intentions to remake the global order and how it uses international trade to accomplish those ends. A month after Shein sent the letter to lawmakers, Greer testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the US-China trade relationship, telling lawmakers that China presented an “existential” threat to the US. Beijing seeks to “dominate global manufacturing and technology to secure CCP leverage and control over the global economy and foreign governments,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Last year, he called for a raft of changes to the US trade relationship with China, including ending the de minimis provision.

De minimis, which allows for packages valued under $800 to enter the US duty-free and with limited oversight, exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic. Customs and Border Protection processed approximately 4 million de minimis shipments a day in 2024, up from 2.8 million the previous year, the vast majority of which originated in China. Overall, the agency says de minimis shipments account for 92 percent of all cargo entering the country. Shein said in the 2023 letter to lawmakers that most of its packages enter the US under the provision.

Adam Savit, director of the China Policy Initiative at the America First Policy Institute think tank, likens Shein’s liberal use of de minimis to broader issues he sees with Beijing's approach to trade. “The problem is China’s abuse of a global trade system that was built on the assumption that all players would abide by certain rules,” Savit says. For example, China does not extend the same de minimis benefits to the US. Trump “abhors lack of reciprocity, and the loophole is one of the most extreme examples,” Savit says.

Shein has already begun raising its prices in response to Trump’s trade policies. It is likely that shipping times will increase too, not just for Shein customers but for anyone purchasing low-cost goods from China. “Because the administration wants to discourage imports from China, you are going to pay duty, and it might take longer to get cleared,” says John Leonard, former deputy executive assistant commissioner at Customs and Border Protection. “It is the execution of a trade barrier.”

In January 2024, Shein brought on longtime retail lobbyist Kent Knutson, previously the head of Home Depot's Washington operation, a hire that marked the start of the company’s more dramatic rightward turn. Three months later, financial disclosures show, Patel, now the FBI director, began working as a consultant for an entity in the Cayman Islands called Elite Depot—the parent organization of Shein. Patel’s deal with the ecommerce giant was structured in an unusual way: He was compensated for nine months of work with stock valued at between $1 million and $5 million.

Patel retained his stake in Elite Depot despite being confirmed as FBI director, giving him a direct financial interest in a Chinese company. If Shein goes public, Patel’s shares would be his to trade on the open market. (Patel was named a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute during the period he was consulting for Shein. Savit, who authored a highly critical report on the ecommerce company, declined to comment on Patel’s work for Shein and other lobbying done by current Trump administration officials.) A Shein spokesperson also declined to comment on Patel’s stake in its parent organization.

A group of Democratic lawmakers wrote to Patel in February asking for more details about his role at Shein. They have not gotten a response, says a spokeswoman for Senator Adam Schiff, who organized the letter. The number of people willing to work for Shein shows “the low price that DC swamp creatures will sell their souls for,” Sobolik says. He cautions that, despite the company’s setbacks, Shein will be angling for a reprieve when trade talks begin again and is hoping its Trump-friendly connections eventually pay off. “They are going to have to hope and pray that whenever America and China start talking about some sort of an off ramp, that they are one of those bargain chips,” he says.

Less than a year before Patel began working as a consultant for Shein, his Trump administration colleague, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was warning his then senate colleagues about the company, arguing it “steals intellectual property, infringes copyrights, exploits US trade law, and uses fabric linked to Uyghur slave labor.” Rubio was particularly critical about Shein’s efforts to influence lawmaking. “Shein is hiring DC lobbyists to protect the trade loopholes that allow it to avoid accountability,” he wrote in a letter to his Senate colleagues. “No one should be fooled by Shein’s efforts to cover its tracks.”

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

As the world works to stop global heating by ending the use of fossil fuels in accordance with climate objectives, ensuring that everyone on Earth has a decent standard of living is possible if the world quickly and decisively implements emissions reductions, new research has found.

The study, led by research scholar Jarmo Kikstra with the Energy, Climate and Environment Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), looked at energy scenarios that line up with both the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“With climate change intensifying and billions of people still lacking basic necessities, addressing both challenges simultaneously is not only possible but essential,” a press release from IIASA said.

The authors of the findings analyzed whether scenarios outlined in SDGs and the Paris Agreement provide enough energy for everyone on the planet to have essential services like cooling and heating homes, clean cooking, health care, education and transportation.

“Our goal is to understand what it takes to eliminate extreme poverty while also advancing climate action,” Kikstra said in the press release. “We’re not just talking about lifting people out of extreme poverty; we’re looking at futures with high development ambition, ensuring decent living standards as a minimum for everyone worldwide.”

Using the new DESIRE model, the research team compared energy scenarios that make sustainable development a priority with those that continue with past trends.

“One striking finding is that sustainable development scenarios significantly reduce the number of people consuming less than the minimum required energy for basic needs. Under these scenarios, the number of people that do not have enough energy to meet their basic household needs is projected to decrease by over 90% — a much faster rate of progress than what would be achieved by continuing current trends,” IIASA said.

The study highlights that emissions needed to support decent standards of living are much lower than total emissions.

“Our findings challenge the notion that eradicating poverty and protecting the planet are conflicting goals. In fact, the energy needed to ensure basic human dignity is small compared to what is currently consumed globally,” Kikstra explained. “Even so, such a sustainable development trajectory means growth rates in low-income countries are much higher than we have seen. It requires appropriate development efforts and international support.”

The study, “Closing decent living gaps in energy and emissions scenarios: introducing DESIRE,” was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

[yearningaces]

Nyx is a fun sized guy :3

How would he feel if another human was trying to court his s/o? Especially if compared to him, they are big, strong and would be ideal for providing?

AND VICE VERSA

What would happen if another rabbit person tried to yet his attention when he has his s/o??

I love this question cause I get to display Nyx like a peacock the way I haven't yet

The thing about Nyx, is that he's anxiety incarnated when it comes to anything NOT including himself.

When on the topic of himself however? He's so overly confident it's almost arrogance but the way he's confident isn't "you're dating the best partner because I'm me" it's more "of course we're together, the best of humans only deserves the best of inhumans." He'll lift you up in confidence while also praising himself. Package deal.

A big human coming to HIS human with intentions of courting or even flirting??? No. Not allowed. Absolutely not. Stop, turn around, do not pass go do not collect 200$.

To the point he almost seems like a different bun, but really he relies on throwing people off, he knows an actual fight gives him low odds against a human, he would fight another bun though. But mostly he aims to confuse and embarrass or make others nervous as opposed to going straight to an actual fight

More specifically

~

"What is this supposed to be?" Your little bunny boy questions in a surprisingly bold tone, stepping to your side with his eyes fixed on the guy that had asked about going out for drinks.

Nyx, even as small as he was, seemed larger somehow... Oh. He's standing as tall as his hind paws allow, ears perked up, head held high, shoulders back, chest out. What a confident little bun he seemed, and it was certainly enough to catch your fellow human off guard.

"Oh, sorry man, didn't see you there. I'm Jax, I'm a co-worker of-"

"-of my human. Yes I'm aware, we've talked about you over lunch before." Nyx waved Jax off with his hand, turning to look up at you instead. His tone shifting from hinted malice and morphing into the usual softer lovestruck tone. "Speaking of lunch, Honey- you said you wanted to try out that new Yakitori place, right? They have all sorts of cuts of meat and veggies for me too."

There's something about how Nyx is acting, as if Jax isn't even worth the effort of being polite with while simultaneously encouraging you to leave. You'll have to discuss exactly what's up later but don't want to purposely upset anyone, so you turn to Jax to at least say goodbye-

Until Jax steps forward with some gathered nerve that's far too easy for a big guy to have. "Actually, rabbit- I'm going to be taking my coworker here out for a drink."

Nyx doesn't hesitate and doesn't second guess his actions because he springs forward, landing with a quiet thud on the concrete directly in front of Jax, making the grown man stumble back slightly. "Excuse you? I think you actually tried telling this incredible person what to do. No, that's not how you should be speaking to the greatest human you'll ever meet."

To both your confusion and amusement, Jax is stumbling backwards from a bunny half his size just from Nyx's bolstering display, continuing his steps forward, forcing Jax backwards even further. "No, because they're my wonderful partner and I'm theirs. And we are going to have a lovely lunch at the new spot they've been talking about, and we'll maybe go shopping after, and then go home. Alone. Without your nonsensical attitude and demands that honestly don't hold any water."

Jax stumbles back further. Gripping over the curb behind him and landing on his ass with Nyx standing far too close to be a respectful distance, the white and brown fur hybrid glared down, leaning over slightly to make eye contact directly. His eyes hold a challenge to them. "Now where in those plans do you see yourself included? I certainly don't see such a ridiculous notion anywhere." His perked ears twitch back to you, remembering you're there as well, and his tone and demeanor draws back slightly.

When Jax is silent -most likely confused and embarrassed- Nyx turns to walk back to you. He turns with the familiar bright smile and spring in his step as he wanders towards you, raising his hands to take your arm and guide you away, a slight spring in his step. "Come on, honey! I think that's the best pre-meal entertainment we could possibly get."

What a bun, that Nyx.

~

Now, if another bun ever tried, he'd go all out- nvm on explaining you get a two for one scenario here we go!

~

It was certainly a strange situation.

You'd grown accustomed to the burrows being a place where you have to be overly cautious and watch your actions closely as most bunny Hybrid around here were so easily frightened.

But this one seemed... Not.

The dark brown fur ears and tail were fluffier than Nyx's, and she was a larger type of bunny... Were there different species of rabbit-hybrids? There were characteristics in Nyx's family that you didn't see for each bunny out and about... Regardless, the one in front of you had hopped over to the bench Nyx left you on while he darted off to find something he left in his families burrow. So you were alone... Trying not to be too loud or too quick in movements but also trying to get this bunny -Alira- to stop flirting so much.

She had hopped up onto the bench with you at this point, leaning over herself and placing her hands on the bench to prop herself up all while speaking. "Come on, a strong predator like yourself all alone out here? You can't convince me that you're here with some silly bun... I think you're here looking for somebunny to devour" her grin didn't diminish though, apparently she was writing her own narrative in her head despite your many denials.

"I don't know what to tell you, you don't have to believe me but I really just wanna be left alone until my partner comes back."

"Partner?" Her ears perk up as much as they can despite the natural droop to them. "Oh dear, what a flimsy relationship... Not even a mate yet?"

At that you're caught off guard, "A what?" At the feeling of her hand on your arm, you jolt back, almost ironically given your dispositions.

What you're not prepared for, is to have a very familiar white and brown fur bunny boy springing on you out of nowhere and depositing himself onto your lap. Nyx fills your vision, his eyes alert, his smile bright and his ears up. He looks like the epitomy of a parading peacock. "Honey!" His greeting seems overly sugary in tone, his hands pressing into your cheeks and pulling your face down to his for a kiss. One and another and another spanning from your lips to your nose, your cheeks, your forehead, your jaw- "I'm so sorry it took me so long, Grandma bun was just telling me how they wanted me to invite you to celebrate the harvest holidays with us, isn't that sweet?"

After a moment, it's clear he's intentionally ignoring your company but once he sees Alira's hand still on your arm he swats it away, raising your forearm and pressing a kiss where her hand was. "Oh, my poor honey. All of this unwanted attention from strangers that don't know their place must feel so uncomfortable. Why don't we go back to the burrow, hm? I can make us some sweet bread and spiced tea to relax with? And we can talk holiday plans whenever you'd like."

There's something familiar in how he's acting. How any time someone tries to take your attention he purposely acts as if they're not around, as if so unimportant they're not worth noticing...

With that, Nyx hops off the bench, guiding you along with a delighted expression and promises of sweets and soft blankets to cuddle under, promises he would absolutely deliver at that.

[unsurprisinglyren]

Sam anal sex please 🙏

Rough anal wincest sex under the break, lovely! 🫶🏻

I love the idea of Sam struggling to get used to anal. Like, he’s not a natural at it and no matter how much Dean tries to get him adjusted it’s always a bit painful so one day Dean decides to get Sam drunk and just go at it.

The air was punched out of his chest with each thrust. A breathless, gasping, frantic thing.

He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t stop the onslaught. His wrists were bound above his head; Dean’s leather belt tight around them, biting into his flesh, unremitting, over-tight. Holding Sam precisely where Dean wanted him. Displaying his bruised up neck, adorned with purpling hickeys and reddened bite marks.

Dean’s guttural sounds were muffled by the way he nuzzled into Sam’s neck. Nosing under his jaw, warm-breath, a rush of it under the sensitive skin of Sam’s chin. Almost enough to distract him from the pressure and the pain of Dean’s thrusts. And lower, under the screaming discomfort was the burbling, deep-seated bloom of arousal. Sweetly shy. Swelling below the mind-numbing hurt.

Dean growled in the back of his throat, low-voiced, displeased. And Sam tilted his head back, arching against the mattress damp with their sweat, choking down a trembly breath. It stuck high up in his chest, refusing to go down, fragile, futile, a gossamer thing. A useless thing that only made his lungs burn for a proper breath.

“Relax.” Dean said through gritted teeth. His voice was not unkind, but Sam heard the steely note of impatience. Grit and gravel. He felt Dean give him a rougher thrust; a searing hurt in his channel, like fire made solid. Vicious. And in the same instant Dean’s teeth were sharp at Sam’s earlobe. A nipping bite with his eyetooth. Sam hissed, squeezing his eyes shut, but he didn’t try and shy away from the ministrations.

“I’m trying!” He gasped.

It never got easier. The stretch, the burn. Pressure and heat and Dean’s body weight pressing down upon him. Dampened with sweat, trembling with the effort of simultaneously holding himself up and pistoning his hips forward, a deep fuck.

“Ugh! Dean!” It was too much. A fever-pitch, spit-slicked. Pain and the frail fringes of pleasure warring with one another.

“You promised.”

Yeah. Yeah, he’d promised. But Dean didn’t understand. Dean wasn’t the one tied down and flat on his back. Not the one with his knees pressed up hard against the sides of his ribs, with his insides being rearranged. And fuck, it hurt.

No matter the amount of times they did this. No matter the preparation - though tonight Dean wanted only spit, no lube. It makes it hotter, Sammy, he’d whispered it against the shell of Sam’s ear at the bar, tipped in close on his bar stool, unsteady, smelling of sweet yeasty beer and the spicy scent of his aftershave.

And Sam should have retorted with: it makes it unbearably painful, Dean. But he hadn’t. He’d been plied with drink, his head a lazy, wishy-washy thing on his neck. Heavy. He’d instead suggested they head back to the motel room.

Dean wasn’t the one hurriedly fingered and barely loose enough to take two fingers comfortably let alone a not so insignificant sized cock.

Yet, when Dean paused a moment, holding himself still within Sam, a pulsating presence inside of him, hard as iron, impossibly large, Sam felt his body switch gears. An abrupt change of lanes.

It had nothing to do with the stillness. Nothing to do with his body having finally adjusted to the rough fucking. It was all to do with the way Dean pulled away and leaned back on his heels, a ripple of his abdominal muscles, sweat-slicked, a slow drag of the heavy cock out of Sam’s ass - not quite painless - it stood upright between Dean’s hips, red-tipped and leaking. Sam swallowed involuntarily at the sight.

A sigh from Dean that was both exasperated and fond as he watched the emotions play over Sam’s face; a jumble of arousal, confusion, and apprehension. And he was leaning back in, hooking his arms under the damp hollows of Sam’s knees and pressing his legs up higher, folding Sam in half. A brusque movement. Sam felt the rough palms hold tightly to the back of his thighs, pinning him in place, brutally exposed. His ass on display. His flinching hole. All of it. Every part of him vulnerable to his brothers gaze.

He wanted to shrink away. Cover his face with his hands at the very least. The belt prevented that, secured to the headboard as it was. Dean’s unwavering stare prevented any easy escape, also, holding Sam here, trapped in the harsh starkness of reality. And he was suddenly, inexplicably aware of every little detail.

The dripping shower head in the next room over; the smell of motel soap and shampoo from their earlier shower. The way the mattress dipped a little on either side of his body, a dissident creak of its springs, as Dean shifted up close to him again, knees spread wide so he could bring himself in close to Sam’s centre.

The controlled way Dean was breathing, opposite to Sam’s own ragged inhales, raspy in his throat from a combination of pain and pleasure. Of want and need. He heard the humming buzz of the lamp on the side table, its bulb old and dust-covered. And felt the moment Dean entered him again. No preparation. No warning. Just the unrelenting entry of his cock. A breathless squeeze.

Sam bit hard at the seam of his lips. Trying desperately to quell the knee-jerk reaction to beg. But he’d promised Dean that he wouldn’t stop in the middle tonight.

He wouldn’t tap out. No matter how uncomfortable he was. Achy inside. A pain that was deeply rooted within him. He wasn’t used to this. This roughness, or this position - on his back with Dean above him. He liked Dean’s fingers or his tongue. Could find enjoyment in such things. But this? With Dean buried to the hilt inside of him, hard as fucking granite and cramming Sam’s innards up into the cavity of his chest...? Yeah, “Ah!” Nah. It was too much. “Dean! It hurts!”

“You shouldn’t tell me that, Sammy.”

Something in his tone made Sam jolt. A physical reaction to the growling words. Dean was looking down at him, a bead of sweat at his temple, a look of concentration on his face that was overshadowed by the savage gnash of his teeth. Not anger. Far from that.

It was desire. Raw and unbidden. Displayed caustically on Dean’s face. It was both unnerving and inexorably compelling.

He looked like he wanted to hit Sam. Instead, he bent forward, catching himself on his forearms - framing Sam’s head on either side - and kissed him.

He wouldn’t be gentle with Sam tonight. And Sam had promised not to tell him to stop. He wished his hands were free so he could wrap his arms around the back of Dean’s neck and hold on while he was rocked up against the headboard, a repeated onslaught that drove the air from his lungs. It muddled his thoughts and consumed his body. It hurt so good.

[the-most-humble-blog]

🧪 The Science of Why Chivalry Doesn’t Apply to You (With Math to Prove It) 🚨

For years, modern women have been demanding chivalry while simultaneously rejecting every principle that made it exist in the first place. That’s like demanding a six-figure salary while refusing to show up for work.

But don’t worry—I’m not here to argue. I’m here to mathematically prove why chivalry is a dead investment.

📡 Using cold, hard, indisputable SCIENCE™, let’s calculate why modern women don’t qualify for male generosity, protection, or traditional benefits.

📊 Chivalry Used to Be a Fair Trade: The Original Equation

Traditional Contract:

(Male Provision + Protection) = (Female Support + Loyalty + Femininity)

Men provided, women nurtured. Each person gave something the other lacked.

💡 The equation balanced. 💡

Now? Women took their half of the deal, burned it to the ground, and still expect men to keep paying the bill.

Let’s run the numbers.

🛑 Experiment 1: Equality vs. Chivalry – Pick One, You Can’t Have Both

Modern women claim to want "equality" while still expecting men to: ✅ Pay for dates ✅ Open doors ✅ Take all physical risks ✅ Work harder to impress

Sounds good? Let’s test the equation:

📌 The Hypocrisy Equation: (“I’m a strong, independent woman”) ≠ (“But men should still pay for me”)

📌 Mathematical Proof: If: A = Equality and B = Special Treatment, Then: A ≠ B.

🔬 Result: You cannot demand chivalry while screaming “I don’t need no man.” The formula collapses due to a massive logic error.

📉 Experiment 2: The Investment-Risk Formula

Historically, men invested in women because women were low-risk partners. But today? Modern women are a goddamn financial liability.

📌 The Relationship Risk Formula: (Marriage Investment) - (Divorce Risk) = Net Relationship Gain/Loss

Where: 📉 Marriage Investment = Time + Money + Emotional Labor 📉 Divorce Risk = 70-80% (Filed by Women) + Alimony Payments + Child Support Extortion

📌 Data Shows: For the average man, marriage today is like investing in a company with an 80% chance of bankruptcy.

🔬 Result: High risk, low reward. No rational investor would make that bet.

🔢 Experiment 3: The Chivalry ROI Calculation (Return on Investment)

Men provide chivalry when there is a clear return on investment.

📌 Old Formula (Win-Win Situation): (Male Protection + Provision) = (Loyalty + Femininity + Family Stability)

📌 New Formula (Modern Disaster): (Male Protection + Provision) = (Casual Sex + Zero Effort + Divorce Lawyers on Speed Dial)

📌 ROI Calculation:

Chivalry Cost: Paying for dates, physical protection, social responsibility

Chivalry Return: A woman who tells you she doesn’t “owe you sh*t.”

🔬 Result: Net Negative Investment. If chivalry were a stock, you’d be bankrupt.

🧪 Experiment 4: The Attractiveness Entitlement Paradox

Modern women demand 6'2” men with six figures, a six-pack, and perfect manners. Meanwhile, their own attractiveness is “none of your business.”

📌 The Attraction Hypocrisy Formula: (Women’s Standards) > (Men’s Standards)

Where:

Women expect a Top 10% Man

Men are called “shallow” for wanting a fit woman

📌 Mathematical Breakdown: If: (Tall + Fit + Rich) = "Bare Minimum" for a man And: (Overweight + Loud + Career Focused) = "You should love me for who I am!"

Then: 🔬 Result: Equation doesn’t balance. You don’t qualify for chivalry if you refuse to meet men’s standards.

🚨 FINAL VERDICT: Chivalry is an Illogical Dead-End Investment

🔹 You demand equality, but still expect perks. 🔹 You reject traditional roles but demand traditional benefits. 🔹 You don’t provide value, yet expect full effort from men.

So, scientifically speaking… why the f*ck would men participate in this game?

👉 Chivalry is a financial, emotional, and social suicide mission. The math is clear—modern women broke the system, and now they’re mad men stopped playing.

🔥 REBLOG if you see why chivalry is mathematically dead. 🔄 💬 COMMENT if you’ve run the numbers and seen the disaster firsthand. 🚩🚩🚩 🚀 FOLLOW for more brutal, scientific breakdowns of modern reality. 🕵️‍♂️💣

⚖️ LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This post is written for the purpose of artistic expression, cultural commentary, and psychological exploration of social and gender dynamics. It does not condone or encourage violence, harassment, or discrimination of any kind. Any references to power, strength, restraint, or critique are metaphorical, symbolic, and rooted in historical and cultural analysis. This is not a call to action — it’s a cultural mirror. If you feel offended, ask yourself if it’s from actual harm — or from seeing something you hoped no one would say out loud.

✨ TL;DR: If you're mad, it’s probably not because it’s wrong — it’s because you know it’s true.