#where they were all speaking their languages and teach each other some words and expressions (while Roier mistreated Pepito)

[mademoiselle-cookie]

On BBH calling people « uncultured »

(Here the link to the clip, it's the only one I found)

In summary, during a friendly gathering, BBH called other streamers, including 2 non-Americans whose native language is not English, "uncultured" for not knowing an American expression. And the last person he spoke to before saying that, is someone who rightfully said he didn't know bc it's not his culture.

I saw a lot of people getting angry about it on Twitter X while I usually miraculously escape this kind of drama, and I'm still lucky to have only seen people talking in their corner without (really) directly attacking BBH or worse, harassing him. So obviously, it's Twitter X so it blown out of proportion, but I still wanted to come back to it.

It is important to specify

IT’S A JOKE.

BBH didn't intend to hurt anyone and it's apparently a common joke in the US. Insulting and teasing each other is very common among friends, which is what QSMP streamers are. They were all roasting BBH just before that. The people targeted didn't seem upset (Étoiles loves to be dramatic) and they're adults wjho talk to each other outside of QSMP. If they have a problem with a joke, they discuss it.

And after that BBH tried to find the equivalent in different of the expression. I don't know about Portuguese, but it didn't really work in French. There is no equivalent to "jumping the shark", since it's a reference to a old american serie which then became a (apparently niche) expression. The frence equivalent BBH found was "passer du coq à l'âne" which means abruptly changing the subject, while "jumping the shark" refers to when a series becomes bad/absurd.

The intention is still cool tho.

All this to say that this is not an attack on non-Americans, BBH also "insulted" Tina and Foolish, not just Bagi and Etoiles.

BUT

I understand why people get worked up about it (doesn't mean I tolerate harrassment. BBH doesn't deserve any of that).

First, the lack of reaction from streamers is not necessarily indicative of what they think. When Cellbit joked that Etoiles' team didn't listen to him (suggesting he was a bad leader) in Purgatory, Etoiles just laughed the first time and didn't say anything when Cellbit doubled down. Except that the fact that no one listens to it on day 1 is one of the reasons why the stream was an absolute nightmare to watch, so I don't imagine for Étoiles himself. Even Fit seemed to be dying of frustration even though he wasn't the target of this disrespect. And that’s not to mention that Étoiles was being harassed on social media at the time, and one of those accusations was that he was a bad leader. The joke really made me so uncomfortable.

It's very likely that it was discussed with Cellbit later since no one ever brought it up afterward, but no one said anything about the joke itself on stream.

Also, one thing I thought was stupid about people being personally hurt by Aypierre and Antoine's joke about Mike looking like Hitler was that they were joking about Mike's Minecraft skin. The target was very specific and Antoine had already called Mike a dictator in his face earlier, and Mike didn't have any problem with that (he literally had the political program of a dictator).

Whereas here, BBH calls a group of people "uneducated" because they don't know an expression. Which concerns a lot of people in the chats. Personnally, I've already heard about it but bc my passions gave me the opportunity to know it. And even like that I only see it TWICE in my life, and only one of them explained what it meant.

Unlike Aypierre and Antoine, who spoke in French – which means that only people who know the kind of dark humor that we are so fond of should have understood – BBH said it in a language that everyone understood, since it wasn't an aside but something everyone needed to hear.

These people in the chat are not friends with BBH so being insulted by him is significantly less likely to be taken as a joke. They don't necessarily know that it's a type of American humor and that there is no attack in his words. Being insulted by a friend and a stranger is a completely different experience, especially if you don't know the context behind it.

Because it's also another problem

The context

We have an american telling 2 people who are not american and which native's language is not English that they're uncultured for not knowing an american expression. The US has a bit of history being condescent with other culture for not being the same as them. The cliché that Americans are arrogant, nationalistic and insensitive to other cultures is still present and persistent. And we can't say it's not true, we just have to see the QSMP fandom.

(I know it's not only americans but Baghera's harrassment because she dared to use the word "retard" once, which means late in french, is a good example of people who refuse to aknowledge that non English speakers have a life and culture outside of the English language)

It is therefore not really surprising that the viewers didn't take well the remark.

Especially since this isn't the first time BBH has pissed off someone over something like this. The time he was debating with Forever and he got fed up because he couldn't defend himself properly since it wasn't his language - which let BBH have the upper hand and let him wrongly think he was totally in the right – and decided to speak in Portuguese and let BBH deal with the translator. I remember seeing comments under the clip on Youtube expressing how happy they were that Forever was putting down BBH's cackle by fighting on his turf.

Even if he is very nice, BBH is a very stubborn person who does not give up and with whom arguing is quite difficult. Whether he likes it or not, want it or not, he takes advantage of the lack of vocabulary and fluency that non-English speakers have when they speak English.

This isn't helped by the fact that BBH seems to be one of the few on the server to put very little effort into learning/speaking other languages. Foolish practices Spanish with Leo, Philza asked Tallulah to speak to him in Spanish (I don't know if he continues), Tina learns French with Etoiles, etc... (ofc I'm not listing the Non English speakers, it's obvious)

BBH has a French child and was adopted by the French as a whole, but I don't remember seeing anything remotely close to him learning/speaking French (apart from the "t'as les cramptés?" but it's on the same level as Aypierre and his "caralho mano") I don't watch Foolish but I know he's progressed enough to be able to translate into Spanish for Leo something BBH said they didn't understand. And I don't forget the gathering of 3 french (Baghera, Aypierre, Étoiles) with Ironmouse and they decided to speak spanish for her.

Apparently, BBH is learning spanish but is too shy/insecure to speak it on stream

And honestly, I have no problem to believe that. But that's also mean that the vast majority of people didn't know that. We're not likely to guess it on our own, and we French know a streamer who had major insecurity problems in the past, and yet who is now trying to speak in public what is probably his fourth language* (meaning that he has not mastered it at all and is currently busy improving himself in another language). So there is very little chance that we will make the connection alone. QSMP is the perfect place to improve and learn another language, if someone want to lean, we'll assume they will do that here.

(*I have no confirmation that Étoiles speaks Arabic but it is extremely likely, hence the "probably")

Like, yes, Etoiles speaks several languages so it's easier to be confident and daring. But that's the thing, isn't it ?

We have a someone who knows one (1) language telling someone who speaks rather fluently at least 2, who has a daily general knowledge show, who often plays general knowledge games, who organizes visits to museums/castles/operas for his streams, that he's "uncultured".

The irony

[yyuangss-main]

❝MOTHER LANGUAGES — SPIDERVERSE HCS

summary ; pavitr with a hispanic girlfriend who teaches him some spanish and he teaches her some hindi.

pairing ; pavitr prabhakar x hispanic fem!reader (no specific race stated)

note ; teehee i was so excited to show off the new layout 🤭 i literally have so much fun writing for pavitr. this concept was so cute, i started working on it immediately so thank you to the anon who requested it <3 mwah 🫶

• — pavitr prabhakar !

about three months into dating, pavitr started practicing some spanish on his own. went about his way to get a dictionary that took forever for him to find. he starts writing the words out and takes his time to pronounce them. he takes note that he’s extremely great at reading spanish just a little troubled on the way to say the words.

the very first phrase he ever told you in spanish, he had a slip of paper with the sentence written down. pavitr wanted to make it sweet and maybe tell you right after kissing you but poor boy forgot the phrase. so he had to squint and read off the torn paper.

“tu eres la chica de mis sueños.” (t: you are the girl of my dreams) the second he finished saying it you jumped on him, kissing all over his face, telling him how cute and adorable he is.

you told him that you were practicing hindi in secret to surprise him as well, but you were having a lot of trouble. it makes a big smile spread on his face to know you both had the same intentions.

it’s where he offers to teach you how to speak, read, and write hindi if you can do the same for him with spanish. you agree and then he goes, “hehe >:) and teach me the bad words too muhehehe” you’re just like “pavitr 😭”

pavitr really excited when you’re teaching him spanish. he’s listening intently and repeating each word after you. he doesn’t think it’s hard, but it’s definitely good to have a native speaker helping you out and giving tips.

keeps a separate notebook filled with words and phrases he wants to tell you. of course, they’re all him telling how much he loves you. you also have a separate notebook with hindi written in it and it’s mostly you practicing to write ‘i love you’ and memorize it.

he knows it might take you a while to fully understand hindi and he’s okay with that. you’re the making the effort and that’s what he loves the most about you. finds your confused face cute when he starts rambling in hindi.

you two practice by only having conversations in each others language. he finds it super helpful and you both will correct a word if needed. text messages will sometimes shift from spanish to hindi to spanish again.

his heart and feelings grow for you even more when he sees you talking to his aunt in hindi. she thinks it’s so sweet that the two of you are learning each others languages and don’t find the barrier to be a bother. she even starts to help you too in secret. she wants you to surprise pavitr with what you learned.

i cannot stress this enough. loves to introduce you as his girlfriend in spanish. “esta es mi novia, ella es mi novia”. mi novia this, mi novia that. he gets like a schoolboy when he says it. if he gives you gifts, pavitr always writes a little note that says “para mi querida novia” (t: for my dear girlfriend) or something along those lines.

whenever he meets someone who is either hispanic or speaks spanish too, he’ll speak to them in spanish just so they can ask where he learned. all because he can’t stop saying how his girlfriend taught him how to speak spanish.

he starts picking up on the expressions too. accidentally let “tch, no mames miguel!” slip out when he was getting sent on a new mission. miguel’s head whipped over so fast and just looked at him so shocked like, wtf did you say to me?

“no mames? no mames?! como que no mames miguel?! who taught you that huh?!”

“mi novia teehee :)”

[wubbowrites]

signs

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog

Relationship: Sonic/Shadow

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: Minor swearing (in sign language)

AO3 Link

Sonic discovers that Shadow was taught sign language during his time on the ARK.

Written for Sonadow Week hosted by @starlightzonee on Twitter. Uses the prompt, “Silence”.

(A/N: This was originally posted in December 2021 for a Sonadow week I found on Twitter! I remembered that back then, someone had posted a rec of it on Tumblr that got some notes, so I decided I’d cross post it myself if people here liked it ^_^ Not sure how many other older fics I’ll post here, we’ll see how I feel)

(ALSO the method of writing the sign language here is describing the hand motions. Translations of them are at the end of the fic)

As Shadow complained about his last mission with Rouge, Sonic noticed his hand motions.

It was unusual for Shadow to be so expressive when he spoke…At least, Sonic thought it was. It was only recently that the two became close enough to have casual conversations like this. Sonic wondered: Did he always move his hands this much when he talked with Rouge and Omega, for example? Did he only do it when he was frustrated like this, or did he do it during other heightened emotions too? Why did the motions seem so…specific? Practiced?

It suddenly clicked.

“Shadow?”

Shadow bristled at being interrupted. “What?”

“Do you…know sign language?”

He blinked. “Where did that come from?”

“You’ve been moving your hands around this whole time! I thought it was- Wait, did you not even notice?” Sonic asked.

Shadow looked down at his hands. He shook them a bit, pointedly avoiding eye contact all of a sudden. “I…suppose I didn’t. Yes, I know some sign language.”

This caught Sonic off guard. “Huh! When did you pick that up?”

“I learned it on the ARK.” He paused, waiting for a sign that he could leave it at that. When Sonic kept watching with expectant eyes, Shadow tensed some more and pressed on. “At times, when testing got particularly stressful, Maria would have nonverbal moments. She found it easier to communicate in these moments with sign language rather than writing or typing, so some of the scientists learned it to communicate with her better. Then when I was created, they taught it to me as well. Signing while speaking was an easy way to practice…but it seems the habit didn’t go away,” Shadow said.

Sonic grinned. “Teach me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Teach me some! Teach me some sign language! Even just a couple words, c’mon!”

“Why do you want this so badly all of a sudden? None of your friends know any, do they?”

“Our friends, you mean,” Sonic said. Shadow rolled his eyes. “And, well, no, they don’t. But like, it’d still be useful! Every once in awhile, I end up saving someone that can’t hear or can’t speak. Doesn’t happen too often, and I think I’ve done an okay job finding ways to communicate with ‘em, but it’d sure be easier if I knew some basics! Besides, it could be like a secret code if we’re around people that don’t know it!”

Shadow sighed. “Alright. The first answer I understand. But what use would we have for a secret code? There’s nothing I would have to say to you that I can’t just say aloud.”

“I dunno! Maybe for stealth missions?”

“Please. Your hopeless with stealth. A secret code isn’t nearly enough to save you.”

Sonic glared as Shadow huffed out a laugh. “Whatever! Maybe I do have secret things I would tell you! You’ll never know until we do it.”

Shadow sighed. He thought for a moment. Then, he decided: “Alright. I’ll teach you some. But for the record, your weak attempt at piquing my curiosity did not affect my decision.”

“Alright!” Sonic exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. “So…How do we do this?”

“Well…Perhaps the alphabet would be a good place to start.”

—

Slowly, over time, the other mobians began to notice the hand motions Sonic and Shadow would point at each other. It wasn’t often enough to be obvious. It was just something they did every so often. There were indeed a few times they would be battling Eggman together and would send each other a sign that the villain didn’t understand. Or they would happen across each other, and Sonic would smirk and swipe his finger under his nose. Shadow would reply back with a scowl, and he’d curl his index finger and thumb into a circle. Then Sonic would laugh and they’d go about their days and Tails and Rouge would be at their sides wondering what in the world was going on.

Frankly, though, a lot of Sonic and Shadow’s friends were pleased by the development, if only because it cut down on the loud arguing and boasting the two would get into.

—

On a clear, cool evening, Amy hosted a barbecue. Teams Sonic and Rose were invited, along with Rouge, who dragged her two boys with her. Everyone scattered throughout Amy’s yard. Amy herself stood at the grill with Knuckles, the two making food together. Shadow and Rouge sat at one picnic table just chatting amongst themselves, Omega standing beside them. Sonic and Tails sat at a second table a few feet away. Sonic watched over Tails’s shoulder as he played a game on his handheld console. Cream and Big had a blanket laid out that they shared, along with Cheese and Froggy of course. Everyone was relaxing in their own ways. It was already a lovely time.

Big couldn’t help but notice it when Sonic began to steal glances at Shadow. Big wasn’t always the most observant, but he was quiet. And being the fisherman he was, he could be very focused when he wanted to. For some reason, that focus fell on Sonic. The blue blur’s hands fidgeted as he tried to silently get the other hedgehog’s attention. Shadow was too distracted by one of Rouge’s stories to turn his head.

Eventually though, Shadow noticed. He stared at Sonic with a cocked eyebrow.

Sonic grinned back. He pointed to Shadow. He brushed his index and middle fingers down against his chin. Shadow kept staring as if expecting Sonic to take it back. After a second, Sonic chuckled and did it again.

Big had never seen Shadow blush before that moment. It was only the tiniest bit. He gave Sonic the middle finger and quickly turned away. He hid it as fast as he could. Nobody else seemed to have been watching anyway. But Big saw.

“Aw.”

Cream looked up at him. “What is it, Mr. Big?”

“Sonic and Shadow are really sweet.”

“Hm?” Cream looked up. The two were back to what they were doing before, not even facing each other. “What were they doing?”

“Sonic just gave him a nice compliment. But I don’t think anyone else knew it.“

Cream smiled. “Oh! That makes sense! Mr. Sonic is very kind! But…” She scratched her chin, suddenly rethinking. “I thought they didn’t like each other as much.”

“They must have made up,” Big said cheerfully. “That’s nice.”

“I guess so!” Cream nodded. “I’m glad we can all be good friends then!”

“Mhm.”

Froggy croaked and began hopping away. Big watched him go down the yard. He slowly rocked onto his feet and followed close behind. And with him suddenly leaving, so too did the secret message between Sonic and Shadow.

—

Translations of the ASL. I did my best to research these, but please let me know if something isn’t right! I’ll happily edit in corrections ^_^

“Sonic would smirk and swipe his finger under his nose” = fake, meant to invoke “faker”

“he’d curl his index finger and thumb into a circle” = asshole

“He pointed to Shadow. He brushed his index and middle fingers down against his chin.” = you’re cute

[persianatpenn]

A Persian Passover

This past weekend I went home to New York for a seder at my grandmother's house with all of my extended family. This was the first time I'd seen some of my grandmother's sisters since learning Persian and I was really happy that I was able to understand them when they asked questions and how excited my family was that I was learning Farsi. Whenever I come home and go to my grandmother's house I'm reminded of how comforting and welcoming Persian culture is and the beauty of large gatherings that showcase these values at the forefront. I was able to talk to some of my older cousins who grew up speaking Persian about the ways they are teaching their little kids now and to my great aunt's husband about new words and other expressions.

I also was made aware of the specific things my family does at our seder that are specific Persian traditions. For example, during the prayer Dayenu, my family hits each other with scallions. As strange as that sounds, I didn't realize that was specifically a Persian Jewish tradition. We also have all different kinds of herbs and radishes on the table to eat with the matzoh and not just the typical parsley. Additionally, at parts of the Seder where you're supposed to read things in English, my family does it in Persian.

It was really nice to be home and enjoy a typical Persian gathering. I also was able to recognize how much my Farsi has improved, as I was instinctively responding to commands and able to process things my relatives were saying to me without taking a second to think about it. It was really good for adding to my confidence, as I was immersed in the language in a different context and I was able to understand still, and even crack some jokes in Farsi.

my family at the seder table - my grandma is all the way to the back on the left

dinner!

اورن

[welldonebeca]

The Call

Summary: When Daemon and Rhaenyra are ready to get busy, Jace gives him a call, looking for some help with sex.

WC: 1.2k words

Warnings: Sexual language, a little bit of masturbation, mostly fluff. The Perils of parenting.

Masterlist

Daemon's mouth watered as he watched Rhaenyra laying on bed, spreading her beautiful legs as his eyes met her sweet, wet, beautiful cunt.

Gods, she looked so beautiful, his wife. The Realm's delight, they called her before he had left Westeros, the it-girl in all magazine covers, the object of every man and woman's desire. All his, with her sweet pale curls dripping with her wetness and her tits swollen and full of milk, just for him - Viserys had already had his share of them for the night. She was his until the morning.

"Well, my love," she tilted her head, lips curled in an amused smile. "Won't you come to taste me?"

His cock throbbed, and he smirked, reaching for her legs, ready to crawl between them and-

The sound of his phone ringing from the corner made them both turn and look at it, and they both froze.

Daemon had different ringtones for family and work. The children had their own songs, usually their favourite at some point.

This was Jace.

He rushed to his feet.

Was he in trouble? Did anything happen to him or Harwin?

Rhaenyra sat up straight as he picked it up, thankful that it was a common call and not on video.

"Yes?"

"Kepa?" he spoke on the other side. "I need help."

He stiffened up at his clear choice of not speaking a language known in his region.

It was the afternoon in Westeros now, and not a school day.

Was he in danger? And here he thought letting him go up there was safe. Gods, he should have locked the boy down in Valyria.

Daemon had his contacts in the North, he could have someone by him in ten minutes.

"Are you in danger?" he asked.

His wife stood quickly.

"Danger? What do you mean by danger? Where is he?"

Daemon raised his hand, stopping her. It wouldn't be wise for her to freak out, they needed a solution and not an emotional reaction.

"Send me your location, someone will be there in a second to-"

"Daor," he said quickly.

No.

No?

"Tolie sȳz hen dohaeragon."

It's a different kind of help.

He frowned. What now?

"Maghatan riña lenton nyke," he whispered, still in Valyrian. "Jāre naejot emagon qogror iksi. Pāsan. Isse se qrugh tistālion issa."

I brought a girl home. We're going to have sex... I think. She's in the bathroom.

Daemon exhaled, relaxing. Oh, good, good.

"He is alright," he assured her. "It's... hm... men talk."

Rhaenyra stared at him, confused, until her eyes widened.

"Oh," she mumbled.

She stepped away anyway, and he walked to the balcony, staying a bit away from her. Yes, he was sure his wife wasn't too interested in his sexual activities. 

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Did she say she wants to have sex with you?"

"Kessa," Jace confirmed, half whispering. "Īlon ȳdragotan gō ziry māstan kesīr. hm... we're kind of seeing each other. It's Arya."

We talked before she came here. 

Oh. The Stark girl, yes. He had seen a picture, she was lovely. Very into sports, quite feisty too.

His boy was a virgin. As far as he knew, all of them were.

Daemon and Rhaenyra were very sex-positive with the children, they all knew about consent since they were small - not a single person could ever hug Joffrey, Aegon or Viserys without their express consent, and they would also ask before touching anyone - and were taught about safe sex slowly, according to their ages. By now, both Baela and Rhaena had IUDs and could carry condoms, Luke had just gotten his first pack with an adequate size Rhaenyra had chosen to not know about, and they could, at any moment, bring a friend or partner over to the basement, which was mostly their space.

They both believed it was much easier to teach them than to scare them.

"Well, do you want to do it?" Daemon crossed his arms. "Do you need a reason to leave?"

"Daor," Jace mumbled. "Másino eman. Jaelan zirȳla naejot hae ziry. Jaelan zirȳla naejot hae nyke."

I have questions. I want her to like it, and to like me.

He relaxed.

"Alright," he agreed. "What do you need to know? Make it fast, I'm sure she won't take much longer in there."

"How do I know what she likes?"

"Well..." he shifted on his feet. "Her body usually reacts positively, but it is very good to ask questions. Ask if she likes the touch and wants more of it or a place. If she likes it, do it again. If she doesn't, ask what you can do.]"

"Skorkydoso?" How?

He glanced back at Rhaenyra, who was sat on the bed and watching him, a bit confused.

"Well," he spoke softly. "Some people like direct touches to their clits. Others are too sensitive, and direct contact is too much. So if she reacts negatively to direct contact, go around and ask her."

Jacaerys confirmed with hums.

"She likes it when I speak Valyrian," he whispered. "But I don't know what to say. What do I say?"

He tried not to act impatient. Things were so natural to Daemon, but he was in his 50s, married to his second wife, and had a whole life behind him, and years of fucking. This was the boy's first time, he was so nervous he was flipping through languages.

"Don't invent words," he instructed calmly. "You can tell her what you are going to do, how you want to touch her, how you are feeling, how beautiful she looks when she is all putty in your hands... you can just praise her. Lots of people like that."

"Praise her?"

He pressed his lips together, trying not to slip anything personal into the conversation. That was his son, after all.

"How good she is, how well she is doing something... but not like a parent, don't act like her parent."

"[Noted. But how do I know she likes it?]"

"If you are saying it in Valyrian it doesn't matter!" he reminded him. "And if it is the common tongue, then you just ask her if she likes it."

Jace sighed on the other side.

"Okay," he agreed. "Alright."

There was some noise on the other side, and he could hear him blocking the phone with his hand to speak.

"Just a minute."

His son moved right back to the phone.

"Kepa, how do I know if she finished?"

Daemon looked over at Rhaenyra again, and she was already on the bed. Fuck, was she touching herself?

Gods.

"Her cunt will squeeze you, she will get wetter and her clit will throb."

He heard a little sigh, absolutely purposeful.

"Any other question?"

"Are you busy?]"

Daemon tried not to scoff.

"Well, one of us is," he reminded him, though the quip could go both ways. "Just talk to her! It's a conversation, not a talent show. And wear a condom. And lube, it'll make it more comfortable for her."

"Okay," he confirmed. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Be safe."

Jace hang up, and he relaxed, tossing his phone back to the charging pod before moving to Rhaenyra again, and his wife smirked.

"You're such a good father," she teased him, fingers moving to scratch his scalp. "Such a good daddy."

Daemon pulled on the fingers between her legs, ready to suck on them and show how good of a daddy he could be, when a knock echoed through the door, stopping them.

"Daddy!" Aegon knocked on the door. "Mama! I had a nightmare!"

He sighed.

"This is not our night," he sat up.

But Rhaenyra stood before he could, already collecting her robe.

"I'll go put him back to bed," she told him. "We can resume this later."

Daemon rested on the bed, glad he was still wearing clothes.

"I'll be waiting," he put his hands behind his head. "I love you."

She smiled, unlocking the door.

"I love you too."

. . .

"The Call" is a story of the "Keeping Up With the Targaryens" series, and was posted in my Patreon in the 27th of February. To read other stories in the series before anyone else, subscribe to my page! It's just $2 a month and I post every day.

. . .

Forever Tags: @emoryhemsworth​​​ @amythyststorm33​​​ @shaelyn102​​​ @yknott81​​​ ​​ @maximofftrash​​​ @kgbrenner​​​ @thefridgeismybestie​​​ @magpiegirl80​​​ @mogaruke​​​ @shadowhunter7​​​ @musicalcoffeebean​​​ @megasimpleplan4ever​​​ @deemoriarty​​​ @05spn18​​​ @malindacath​​​ @kdcollinsauthor​​​ @random-fandom-fangirl2112​​​ ​​​ @frozenhuntress67​​​ @averyrogers83​​​ @notyourtypicalrose​​​ @nerdypinupcrystal​ @giruvega

[michelleelizabethtanner]

What are some of the key things you think about when writing for Brio? And any tips for writing scenes of confrontation between them?

P.S. Rough Night is the GOAT!

Aw, thank you, Anon! I still can’t bring myself to read through Rough Night after its completion, so your words mean a lot. I’m genuinely so touched. Thank you. ❤️❤️

Idk how good my tips for writing are. It’s so off the cuff for me, usually, and largely done by feel rather than overt planning. I don’t have any education on actual writing conventions and just try to imitate the type of writing I like to read. I’ve never paid so much attention to how dialogue is broken up or what descriptors people use in my life!!! 😂

I think most fic writing starts with a few key scene ideas. For me, there are generally a couple defining moments in my mind that really embody the feel of the message I want to convey. I can see clearly the mood, the tone, the volume of voice, the time of day, the weather, the facial expressions, the unspoken feelings. I guess the whole idea is that you, as the author, really understand your subjects on a deeper level than you plan to actually write in words. You should be able to see their entire histories that led up to those particular defining moments. Because the entirety of who they are has brought them down whatever the path has been to the moment(s) of impact. At least that’s how I do it. I have to have a connection to the characters as people to be able to tell a story about them.

And these defining moments don’t even have to be big or loud ones. They just have to have meaning in your own mind for the weight they carry. For example, in the beginning of Rough Night, I wanted to show a realistic path that I imagined would walk Brio toward each other in their tentative baby steps, and just how all those stars could possibly align for them to do so. I don’t think there were any big, loud moments in the beginning, but to me they were emotionally vulnerable and therefore impactful little bits of personal concessions from both Beth and Rio that allowed them progress. Acts of service (so to speak) from both Beth and Rio, where they selflessly provide each other pleasure at different times as a means of showing the other that they understand the other’s circumstance. Rio’s platonic presence and touch at a time he knew Beth was in an emotionally difficult place with her sister. Then a mirrored small, platonic physical touch initiated by Beth at a similarity difficult moment for Rio. A moment that she wouldn’t normally even be around for, showing support, showing a lot more just with her presence, going outside her comfort zone and actually touching when we all know she doesn’t do that. But Rio does. So she did it for him. Used his own language to say something meaningful without using words.

So I guess what I mean is, you should decide who these characters are in your mind and try to make us see them the way you see them. Give us glimpses into your cradle-to-grave knowledge of who they inherently are by showing us small behaviors that keep them consistently in character as much as possible. Don’t spell out their feelings in your narration. (This is the biggest rewrite I wish I could do in Rough Night. All the blatant telling instead of showing that makes me cringe.) Show us how they feel by their actions or even with their dialogue that very often may speak out loud the complete opposite of what they really feel. But we will all know they’re lying because we will see it on them through their small actions, their furtive glances, their tentative touches stolen in dark quiet moments. Think “I’m gonna teach you” there on her street in the dead of night. The way you could seeeeeee the feelings on him as he touched her hair. Think his little hand touch under the table, and her barely repressed smile about it. Baby touches. No big proclamations. “You trust me? / God no.” The opposite of what they really mean.

As for conflict and confrontation, I guess it largely depends on the moment and context. I know Rough Night has a climactic moment of confrontation where they are very verbose with their feelings. An OOC honesty, particularly for Rio who is verbally reserved and calculating. But it took something like 50+ chapters of smashing these two characters together in an increasingly intimate way for me to feel comfortable giving Rio quite that much dialogue. I do ultimately like how it turned out, but it took a lot of thought for me to feel comfortable writing the dialogue in quite that way. And don’t get me wrong, I do think Rio can give big speeches in emotional moments. Think 2.13, the way he prowled that loft and gave her a whole monologue on his emotions, but all veiled in threats. Rough Night didn’t veil his feelings, but I thought it would work because their trust had changed by that point, and he needed those words to progress their stagnation. But I would never give Rio an entire monologue like that in the absence of 50+ (or however is necessary) chapters of buildup and character development, allowing his character to feel the desperate need to behave so inconsistently with who he normally is.

Be careful about Rio, in particular, talking too much. This is maybe just my own preference (because I’ve seen people enjoy the catharsis of Rio finally making a grand speech in his own defense,) but nothing takes me out of a story more than when Rio suddenly begins to unload all his emotions without any building blocks getting him to that kind of openness. Think 20 questions. He had a lot to say in that confrontation scene. He was angry and hurt and also kinda cocky and smug because all Beth’s actions still chose him despite the ways she hurt him. But he couldn’t give her a speech laying it all out. He veiled it. He teased her and flirted with her and made her feel stupid for being the one who’s desperate and emotional and out of control. When in reality, Rio felt all those things too. And in the end he cut her as deeply as he could with almost no words at all. He used his presence, his oppressive sexuality, his knowledge of her in the most intimate of ways to cut her to the core and humiliate her in ways she would feel resonantly and for a long time. That’s how Rio fights.

Beth, on the other hand, is more verbal in her hostility, but remember, she has a problem with true vulnerability. Another thing that tends to take me out of a story is when Beth suddenly becomes too emotionally open and honest. She has the capacity for it in her inner monologue, but she rarely says what she means out loud in ways that expose her. She’s honest in moments of dishonesty. Think “if I have to bake another cookie I will die.” That is her truth, but she isn’t saying it in a true vulnerable way. She is intentionally using a small piece of her shameful darkness to manipulate and deceive. She uses others’ vulnerability to her advantage, even if she pretends to not notice or understand them. Think “that’s what I am? Work?” Oh, so you DID know he gives a damn about you then, right Beth? You just pretend not to so you didn’t have to experience the personal vulnerability of letting him down easy when you obviously used him for your personal means, thinking you two were done. See, she’s kinda like that. Manipulative yet also darkly honest when it suits her. Or when she’s giving us a rare glimpse that she truly sees and understands the vulnerabilities of the other person. “Gotta know if you’re good enough. / For you?” I mean, my god, her capacity for brutal and targeted honesty after she’s pretended to not know or not understand, all while veiling the actual truth in the process is like an art form. So writing her as too emotionally honest with her own vulnerabilities without (again) building those important building blocks toward character change would hit really OOC and, for me, ruins a really good story.

Take all this with a large grain of salt because what makes a fic “good” is so largely subjective. People like all sorts of things, but most of all, we love seeing Brio together, however that may be. A lot of the above is my personal preference and the things I think about when reading and writing Brio. But writing is a creative process so I think you and others should do whatever speaks to you. Helping us see your vision is what generally creates that magic and excitement about what we will find out next. Every author has their own voice and unique talents. I look forward to more fics in the fandom!!

[mitya-sollertinsky]

Ivan Sollertinsky (Research so far)

Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky, born December 3rd 1902, Vitebsk, Belarus, was a Soviet Polymath. Sollertinsky was an expert in theatre and languages but he is best known for his musical accomplishments: work in music field as a critic and musicologist. He was a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory and the Artistic director of the Leningrad Philharmonic. During these times he was an enthusiast and advocated Mahler’s music in the USSR. Sollertinsky had exceptional memory according to his coetaneous’; he was able to speak 32 languages, some of which were dialects.

After moving from Vitebsk to Leningrad, he graduated from Leningrad University with a degree in Romano-Germanic philology. In 1927, he became close friends with Shostakovich, and is known for introducing him to the works of Mahler that greatly impacted his style of composing and some of his compositions. Examples being his opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and his 4th symphony. Shostakovich wrote letters to Sollertinsky; letters date from early 1927- the 4 few days following Sollertinsky’s premature death in Novosibirsk.

In 1936, Shostakovich faced his first denunciation for the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Pravda launched a series of attacks calling it “Muddle instead of Music.” Sollertinsky greatly supported the opera and even wrote that it was an “enormous contribution to Soviet musical culture” in 1934 for a review in “Workers and Theatres”. However, in Pravda, he was termed as “The troubadour of formalism”. After the denunciation, criticism grew on the opera which resulted in accumulating pressure on Sollertinsky to withdraw his previous statements. However, he did not do so until Shostakovich told him to, fearing for the safety of Sollertinsky.

Sollertinsky contracted diphtheria in 1938 which temporarily paralysed his arms, legs and jaw. During this time, he married his third wife Olga Pantaleimonovna. He fathered a son with her, whom he named Dmitri Ivanovich, after Shostakovich: this broke the generation-long tradition where the son would have their first name as Ivan. During the 4 months in which he was hospitalised, Sollertinsky studied Hungarian. Soon after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Sollertinsky evacuated from Leningrad to Novosibirsk. In Novosibirsk, he engaged himself in a number of creative works, give lectures and speeches and to attend other cultural/artistic events. Even though him and Shostakovich didn’t see each other frequently during the war years, the Soviet composer, Vissarion Shebalin arranged for Sollertinsky to teach a course of music history at Moscow Conservatory. This was where Shostakovich was living at the time. Sollertinsky stayed in Moscow briefly to give a speech upon the death of Tchaikovsky in 1934. After, he moved back to Novosibirsk in the same year, there he gave a speech upon the premiere of Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony. This would be the last speech he would give before his death.

Doubts over the cause of Sollertinsky’s death persist to this day: according to a Wikipedia article, “On the night of February 10, 1944, Sollertinsky, feeling unwell, stayed at the house of the conductor A.P. Novikov. He died in his sleep at the age of 41”. The Russian newspapers say he died of a heart illness but rumours spoke of his having been murdered by the NKVD. Shostakovich expressed a heartfelt and touching message portraying his feelings for his dear friend:

“I cannot express in words all the grief I felt when I received the news of the death of Ivan Ivanovich. Ivan Ivanovich was my closest and dearest friend. I owe all my education to him. It will be unbelievably hard for me to live without him.”

Shostakovich dedicated his Second Piano Trio to the memory of Sollertinsky. He started this in 1943 and completed it within the following year in August. It was premiered on 14th November 1944. Sollertinsky’s death greatly impacted Shostakovich, he struggled with composing and fell into depression in the following months. One time the composer said that “It seems to me that I will never be able to compose another note again.” He was awarded the Stalin prize for the trio.

The relationship between Shostakovich and Sollertinsky was exceptional and heart warming. The two were inseparable and were always there for each other in times of need and to comfort one another. Sollertinsky was indeed an important and influential aspect of Shostakovich’s life.

-Sources: DCSH Journal, Wikipedia

[moonmoonthecrabking]

blackrose headcanons because i really need to cleanse my conscience

ocean and constance take forever to express their feelings

constance comes out first, she's like "so i should probably tell you i'm bi"

ocean, repressed lesbian that she is says, "great! i can't really relate but i'm so happy for you!"

when they eventually get together (thanks to the choir encouraging them), they take some time to click in a romantic manner?? but they get there!!!

whenever ocean comes up to constance, she drapes her arms around her and constance turns around and gives her a kiss

constance doesn't do the same bc she knows that ocean doesn't like being surprised

but yeah ocean is very physically clingy

they always give each other little kisses!!!! on the cheek, on the mouth, on the neck, arm, whatever!!!! (and butterfly kisses)

ocean's key love language is physical touch (giving and receiving)

constance's key giving love language is gifts and receiving is words of affirmation

but both appreciate the other's while learning in how to take care of her girlfriend better!!

they have the deepest conversations, in person and over text, and they always squeal when the other drops in some really romantic stuff

constance always sends ocean a good morning text (ocean has been awake for hours) and ocean always sends constance a good night text (constance will be awake for hours after)

ocean does not know how to flirt, but constance is a master at it

whenever constance flirts she's just like "kiss me and teach me"

ocean realises she does not have to be perfect at everything and their relationship is not a competition

they always team up on game nights because they like to win against the rest of the choir (when playing monopoly, it's them against the world)

constance isn't always the best at speaking up (even though she got better at it after canon) so ocean makes sure that, even if no one listens to her, they'll listen to her girlfriend

if in an everybody lives/reanimation au, ocean gets a job at the blackwood cafe to spend more time with constance

but constance is a big fan of making sure everything is cleared by hr (her parents) while not wanting to tell her parents everything, so ocean sacrifices by quitting and instead starts hanging out at the cafe

constance is the best at presents and ocean doesn't know what to do about that

so for constance's 21st she gets the whole choir together (they won't be in school anymore but like you get the point) to brainstorm

after weeks of brainstorming, she comes up with a "constance fair", where everyone in town comes out to celebrate her, giving her her favourite things for free (ocean paid them in advance), and displaying the gifts she gave them

ocean even wears a sweater of her own volition!!!

constance loves getting to see everyone in town and seeing them reciprocate all her kindness (and ocean enjoys it second hand)!!

but then she's got 6 weeks until ocean's birthday and while she doesn't want to surprise her because ocean likes feeling in control, she doesn't want to make anything too obvious

ocean doesn't change her mind a lot, so she goes through their chat backlogs and looks through her memory to see if ocean has dropped any hints

oocr: In part to spite Noel, I think Australia is the perfect romantic destination. connieblkwd: is it bc you wouldntve to wear a sweater when ur there??? oocr: The Opera House is majestic! oocr: And I'll admit, it would be nice to not be freezing for once.

when they were 20, ocean said "i'd love to put a lock with your name on the sydney harbour bridge"

so constance scraped together a bunch of money to make her way to australia for ocean's birthday

ocean was overjoyed

but because they had to get on a cheap plane - "constance, this feels a little troubling" "it's just turbulence" "what happened last time i said something was rickety and you didn't listen to me" "it didn't kill us! for long..." "constance!!" "you can hold my hand if you like"

constance eventually got her to sleep for the rest of the flight by singing broadway standards (bc ocean has rachel berry energy)

and they have a great time, perhaps even moving there a couple of years later???

ocean hates being given pet names, so constance laid off them, but constance really likes being called "my melody" and "my sweetness" and "sugar cloud"

ocean once suggested "heartbreaker". constance didn't like even thinking about breaking ocean's heart!!! but then ocean said, "no, everyone else's, because i have you". constance still didn't love it though so ocean stopped!!

while they couldn't communicate when they were pining teenagers, they got better at it!!!

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

hi, i love ur work sm. there’s no rush for anything and i hope you’re doing okay. i wanted to request a marilyn x fem reader who is also a teacher at nevermore. i wanted to make it a really tense romance where they both have feelings for each other but they just can’t express it the way they want to.

so one day during parents weekend larissa confronts the reader about her obvious feelings for marilyn and gives her advice on how to tell her. the reader decides to listen to larissas advice and she goes to marilyn to make the first move which makes marilyn go all shy and she ends up running away out of shyness/embarrassment bc she doesn’t know what to say back. a couple days pass and marilyn comes to the readers room and confesses her feelings for her. (i was wondering if you could write some smut and some fluff as well).

thank youu!

Yesss here it is!!! I hope you like it!!! Sorry about the language mistakes

Too shy

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill x Fem, Teacher! Reader

Warnings: Smut, strong language, fluff

Word count: 3,728

Summary: You love her, but she doesn’t know. You’re shy and coward, and one day you’ll have to do something to tell her about your feelings

 N/A: Requests are open!!! Sorry about the delays, I’m working hard on your requests. I love you all!!!

You were pacing the halls as usual. Classes always left you with a horrible headache, and you liked to walk to ease it a bit. You would have liked to go outside, but it was raining heavily.

In your head you planned the next day's classes, or rather tried to. Something else was going around your head. Or rather, someone. When you started working at Nevermore, everything seemed normal, pure routine. Teaching classes, calming the werewolves, trying not to be fooled by the sirens... Normal things at Nevermore. You were a girl who always wanted to have everything under control and unfortunately, an unexpected variable slipped into your calculations. A variable with first name and last name, Marilyn Thornhill.

She was a nice woman, she taught botany. She was normi, but except for a few teachers, no one else seemed to care, and she also had the invaluable trust of Larissa, the Nevermore principal.

Love at first sight always seemed like a lie to you, a cliché, something that did not happen in real life. It seemed impossible to you that time stopped like in the movies. Until the day you met her. Indeed, film directors did not invent anything. You remembered that scene from “Big Fish” in which Ewan McGregor waved away floating popcorn when he saw the woman he would love all his life.

It wasn't as dramatic, but you felt exactly the same. Her eyes, her smile, the way she spoke. Everything was perfect for you. Every time you saw her you blushed, every time you heard her speak your heart pounded. You hoped not to be too obvious, to disguise your attraction to her, but you weren't sure you were doing it right.

At first you talked about anything, for hours. You could sit at a table, in the library or in the patio and spend time chatting. That changed a while ago. You hadn't gotten angry, or argued. You two were just too embarrassed to talk to each other. You didn't know why, but you liked to think that she also had feelings for you, that she lowered her head when she saw you for the same reason that you did.

That tension became too strong soon. The monosyllables reigned in your conversations, and the nervous smiles too. You wanted to run into her arms, tell her that you loved her, that you would spend the rest of your life by her side. You couldn't, you were too shy, or too coward.

There was no student on your mind, no exams, no werewolves, no vampires. On your mind there was only her.

The next day was not just any day. It was the parents' weekend, and you had no tasks, so your mind was only dedicated to imagining scenarios for possible confessions of love. They all looked bad to you, they all terrified you, but what scared you the most was her rejection.

You were sitting at one of the wooden tables, with no food on your plate. That woman had taken away your hunger and sleep. If you didn't do anything she would end up killing you, or so you thought. A bit exaggerated.

You looked ahead of you and your heart sank. There she was, sitting at the opposite table, and what was better, she was looking at you. Noticing your eyes on her, she quickly looked down at her plate. You couldn't make it out very well, but you thought you felt how her cheeks turned the same color as her hair. Yours also turned red, of course.

“Do you like the views? (Y/N)?” Larissa asked, sitting next to you. You jumped on the spot, without even thinking about that question. When you did, you panicked.

“W, what?” You stammered, pretending you didn't hear what you did.

“I mean, you have some good views from here, don't you think?” principal Weems repeated, nodding slightly towards the redhead.

“I, I don't know what you mean,” you said, pretending to be clueless.

“Please, (Y/N). Don't try to fool me. I have known for a long time that there is an unbearable tension between you and Marilyn. Every time you are together, it seems that sparks are going to fly,” she said amused. You wanted to die of shame. You knew you were pretty obvious, but you didn't know that even your own teammates would be able to read your mind.

“Oh, well, I…Okay…” You sighed in defeat. There was nothing to lose by coming clean, and you had already reached a pretty critical point. “Yes, I'm crazy about her.”

Larissa smiled at you with a satisfied smile, as if you didn't need to admit it.

“And what do you plan to do about it?” She asked, taking her drink to her mouth. You shook your head, completely dismissing the possibility that you could make a first move.

“Well, nothing,” you said, looking sideways at Marilyn, who seemed quite distracted by her food. Larissa's eyes widened at that statement.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing”

“What a nonsense. I see how she looks at you, (Y/N). The two of you are made for each other.”

“I don't know, Larissa, I'm not too sure about that,” you said, lowering your voice a bit.

“Well, I am. I assure you that if you wait for Marilyn to take the first step, you are going to get gray hair.”

You agreed. She was probably right. You were both shy. If she didn't do anything and you didn't either, you'd never be together. You thought that this type of love problems only existed in adolescence. A kind of intuition came to your mind and suddenly you felt courageous to act, to do something.

“And what am I supposed to do? I don't even know where to start,” you said, somehow more sure about things.

“It’s very simple, (Y/N), talk to her. Tell her what do you feel,” Larissa said. You thought that this advice could have been given to you by anyone and you felt a little disappointed.

“That sounds easy, but it's not. I can't find the time or the place, and every time I talk to her I get tongue-tied. It would be a disaster.”

Larissa looked thoughtful and snapped her fingers, as if she had come up with the best of her ideas.

“What about now?”

“Now? But, but…” You said, getting a little nervous.

“You should trust me, and be brave. She's not going to say no to you.”

“You can't know that.”

“I know, I just know,” she said smiling, indicating that you stand up. “Look into her eyes and tell her how you feel about her. She is a very sensitive woman, and a few nice words will move her.”

“But, but…” You said, getting up half forced. Larissa shook her head and adjusted your clothes a bit.

“There are no buts, (Y/N). Go to the library door. There will be no one there. I'll get Marilyn to come too and when you're alone, tell her how do you feel.”

You weren't sure at all. It was too sudden, no time to prepare, but you obeyed Larissa and left the courtyard.

“This is not a good idea, I know it is not a good idea…” You repeated to yourself, while you walked from one side of that hidden corridor to the other. The sound of accelerated footsteps interrupted your thoughts, and that fleeting idea of escaping. Marilyn.

“(Y/N), are you alright?” She asked, looking at you concerned. You frowned and nodded, wondering what exactly Larissa had told her.

“Me? I'm fine,” you asked, pointing to yourself. Marilyn shook her head and blinked rapidly.

“Larissa told me that you needed me here, that it was something urgent,” she explained. You clenched your fists in anger, what a great plan.

“Oh yes, yes. Well, it's not urgent but...” You said, scratching the back of your neck and feeling the familiar warmth of the blush on your cheeks. “But I would like to talk to you.”

You wouldn't have a better chance. The excuse was bad and unexpected, but if you didn't say something now, you'd probably regret it forever.

“Oh, really?” She asked, perhaps less surprised than you expected.

The calm and serene expression of the redhead was the last thing you needed to throw yourself into the void, to say everything you had been thinking for a long time. It was now or never, and you would not let that opportunity pass you by.

“Emm, yes…” You said timidly, hiding a growing nervous laugh. “You see… I… I…”

Marilyn nodded, taking a step closer to you. You swallowed hard and started to sweat.

“We are, we are friends, right?”

“Of course we are,” she said, with that innocent voice that made you lose your mind.

“Brilliant. Well I... I was wondering if that's all we are...” You said with an almost inaudible voice.

“What do you mean?”

“I, well, I want to say that maybe friendship isn't strong enough… What I mean is that it is strong, too strong and that's why I…” You were nervous and the words that came out of your mouth didn't make any sense. Your whole body began to shake and you sighed, overwhelmed by the situation.

“Calm down, (Y/N), breathe…” The redhead told you, putting a hand on your shoulder. That didn't help at all.

That sudden contact made you regret what you were about to do. But you didn't finally and reached for the hand that was resting on your shoulder, holding it gently.

“I… I… I'm not good at saying things,” you whispered embarrassed.

She didn't take your hand away, but she also caressed yours gently. That moment was perfect, like a movie. You couldn't contain yourself. If words didn't work, maybe actions would. You slowly brought your head closer to hers and placed your lips on hers. It wasn't even a kiss, just a little touch.

Marilyn didn't move away, she even closed her eyes for a moment. Everything seemed to be going well, but when you moved away from her, you saw a certain astonishment on her eyes and also a certain nervousness.

“I…” You said, shaking your head. Her cheeks were red and her look was one of utter surprise.

“I think, I think I have to go I have… I have to…” She said stuttering and moving away from you.

You didn't know what to do, you just shook your head. It wasn't a rejection, or so you liked to think, but when the redhead nervously walked out of that hallway, you began to fear the worst.

You wanted to run away, escape from that academy. You had taken a very big step and it had not gone well. You couldn't blame Larissa, she just wanted to help you. If anyone was guilty, it was you. You couldn't settle for a declaration of love, you had to kiss her. You were always this clumsy and you started to think that maybe that was why all your dates were running away from you.

You were lying in bed, after two days of absolute silence, thinking about your next step. If you had to get out of there, pretend nothing happened or try again. None of the options was valid for you. Maybe it would be best if you stayed in that room until the end of the semester. Yes, that would be the best.

Someone knocked on the door and made you jump. It was late, at night. You didn't expect anyone, much less, nobody expected you.

You got up from the bed and crept up to the door. The nerves ran through your body again and you reached for the knob with a trembling hand. You opened the door and looked shyly. You were about to slam it shut. It was her. Marilyn was there, playing with her hands.

“(Y/N) May I come in?” She asked, her voice very low.

It was expected. Surely she came to tell you that she didn't like women, that she only wanted your friendship, or something painful like that.

You closed your eyes and nodded slightly, wanting to faint to get rid of that conversation. She walked through the door and closed it immediately upon entering.

“Marilyn, I… I'm sorry about the other day. I do not know what happened to me. I mixed things up and...”

You couldn't finish your pathetic apology. The redhead shook her head and kissed you deeply, taking your face in her hands. Your heart skipped a beat and you grabbed her waist, bringing her body against yours. She jerked away as gasps began to fill the room.

“I don't understand anything,” you said, smiling happily. She laughed and hugged you.

“I'm the one who has to apologize, (Y/N). The other day I got nervous and ran away,” she said, with a tender voice while she looked at your lips with desire. “I'm very embarrassed and I didn't know what to say. I'm a mess, I know. But I've spent two days thinking about how to talk to you, how to tell you that I wanted that kiss as much as you did.”

“So… do you like me?” You asked, feeling the greatest relief of your life. She nodded, kissing you again.

“Since I met you, (Y/N)…” She whispered, continuing to caress her cheeks. “I wanted to tell you, but I never found the moment, I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same.”

“Me too,” you said, laughing right after. She did too, and she ground her forehead against yours.

“How stupid we are…” She sighed

“Think that we've wasted so much time…” You said, with an exaggerated voice.

“So many kisses…” She said, following your game.

“So many nights…”

The kiss turned deep, passionate. In your head there were no more doubts,  no more fear. It had all been a matter of shame, of shyness. That card never played in your favor, except on this occasion. What annoyed you the most at that moment was to have to agree with Larissa, and you also wondered if she had said something similar to Marilyn.

But it was not the moment to think about that, it was the moment to make up for lost time.

The kisses became messy, hungry. Marilyn slipped her jacket around her shoulders, indicating that she wanted it too, that this tension had exploded and you couldn't stop anymore. Your hands moved to the buttons of your shirt, slowly undoing them.

“You're not going to run away now, are you?” You said amused, as you went to her neck. She shook her head, bringing her hands to your bare chest.

“I'll never do it again,” she murmured, enjoying touching your bare skin with her hands.

With a graceful movement, you let your shirt fall to the floor and hugged the redhead, reaching for the buttons of her dress. There were no words, just gasps and the sound of kisses. You stopped for a moment, looking at each other, as if you needed a signal to continue, to let yourself go completely.

You walked forward, gently pushing Marilyn away, until she was against the wall. Once there, you finished unbuttoning her dress and dropped it. She was smiling, watching you enjoy the view you didn't think you'd ever see. The skin under her dress was something you could only imagine until that moment. She always covered herself a lot and you couldn't help but bite your lip at that precious discovery.

“You've stayed very still, (Y/N),” she said playfully. Your cheeks blushed when you realized that you were looking at her body obsessed. You shook your head and attacked her neck again, this time more savagely.

Her hands went to your back, desperately searching for the clasp of your bra. When they found it there was no pity, there was no compassion. The click came immediately after. You parted slightly so that the garment fell, revealing your chest and drawing a thirsty gasp from the redhead.

You imitated her movements, looking for the lock that was hidden against the wall. You were short of breath. The sight of her bare chest was more than you had ever dreamed, and you couldn't help but bring your kisses to her clavicle, slowly going down until you reached the desired place. She, as if invaded by an uncontrollable passion, grabbed your head, making you stay in that position, trying to keep your mouth from leaving her nipples.

“You're so good…” She whispered, while you played on her chest.

You lifted her head and grabbed it, pulling her into more hungry kisses. With your other hand, you took hold of her leg, caressing it with determination.

“You're perfect,” you said, leaving her leg on the ground. She shook her head as she parted her legs, indicating that yours should be between them.

You didn't want that contact to be with the fabric of your jeans, so you moved away a bit to unbutton your pants. Marilyn grabbed your wrist, pulling you against her again.

“Leave it to me, (Y/N). I want to undress you with my own hands.” You nodded profusely and brought your hands against the wall, on either side of her head. Marilyn sighed and brought her hands to your pants, unbuttoning them in a painfully slow manner. When she did, she inadvertently thrust her hand inside it, caressing your crotch through your underwear. You moaned at the unexpected contact and spread your legs so she could reach lower.

“Fuck…” You whispered, being caressed in that area in a surprisingly skillful way. If she could give you those feelings with your underwear on, you had a hard time imagining what it would be like when you no longer had them on.

“I can feel your desire, (Y/N)… I can feel how your body needs me,” she whispered in a suggestive, lascivious way.

“That's because I need you,” you said, almost out of breath.

She laughed and jerked away, bringing her hands to the edges of her own underwear.

“I need you too, (Y/N). I need you to love me…” She told you, lowering her panties down her legs and leaning against the wall. The redhead gestured for you to come closer. Before obeying, you finished pulling down your pants, having some difficulty taking them off, you almost fell to the ground.

Once naked, you looked at your lover with desire and bent down, kissing her now totally naked body, slowly going down, until you reached the lower part of her belly. Before kissing that area, you looked up, hoping for some kind of approval.

“Do it, (Y N), kiss me…” She told you.

You smiled and ran a hand between her legs as you knelt down. Her arousal was evident and slippery and her moans began to sound as you caressed her.

You didn't want to keep her waiting, and you plunged your mouth into it, running your tongue along the entire area, stopping at strategic places, sucking on the point of greatest pleasure.

“That's…” she gasped, unable to hide the pleasure she was feeling. “(Y/N), I need you inside of me, make me yours…”

You agreed, while you enjoyed her smell, her taste... You raised your hand and without making her wait any longer, you inserted two of your fingers into her, causing her to moan somehow scandalously.

Your rhythm was soft, but intense. You were so close that you could see your actions, you could see how you entered her, how you made her enjoy. That turned you on even more, and your desire was starting to hurt. You needed more of her, you needed her.

Little by little her moans turned into some bad words, apparently inappropriate for her. Her hips moved, while you tenderly kissed her sex.

“Don't stop now, (Y/N)… I'm going to…”

She couldn't finish the sentence. With a series of high-pitched moans and a strong grip on your hair, her entire body went rigid, letting you know that she had reached that point, that point of ultimate pleasure.

Without giving you time to recover from that paradisiacal vision, she pulled you up and kissed you passionately, with unbridled passion, moving you towards the bed, continuing to take her hands all over your body.

When your legs touched the bed, you dropped into it and Marilyn climbed on top of you, placing her legs between one of yours, as if it hadn't been enough, as if she needed to rub against your body.

After a few seconds of rocking, her hand slowly moved down your body, and she reached that needy, hungry area. Just as you imagined, the sensation that her caresses caused you without clothes through her could make you go crazy.

She knew where to touch you and how to do it. Your look became pleading, desperate. As if she had somehow understood you, she inserted her fingers into you.

Her pace was fast, skillful. She stopped just when she had to, where she had to. You were writhing with pleasure, and you couldn't take much. You were ashamed of not being able to control yourself, of succumbing to the pleasure so rashly, but you decided to let go and scream when the sensation became too intense. Marilyn raised her eyebrows and put on a teasing smile.

“How fast, (Y N),” she said she amused.

You turned red, and you felt deep shame. It had been a long time since anyone had made love to you, and that was always a problem. Marilyn didn't tease you anymore, she just went down and kissed you warmly on your lips.

“I'm sorry… It's just…”

“Do not apologize. We have all the time in the world to enjoy…” She told you affectionately.

“I know this will seem childish to you but…- You said, sitting up a bit. “Do you, do you want to be my girlfriend, Marilyn?”

“Of course I want,” she told you enthusiastically, kissing you passionately again. It was one of the happiest moments of your life, but a vibration on your mobile took you out of that state of euphoria.

You took it and unlocked it, cringing with embarrassment as you read a message from Larissa:

I'm very happy for you, but could you be a little more discreet? I need to sleep ;)

[ratcatcher0325]

Hello Alexander!! It is me again! Thanks for your insightful answer, I’ve quite enjoyed reading it! How’s your leg? I hope it’s healing up nicely and you’re letting yourself be spoiled by Natalie, you deserve to rest! So, I have another question for you, if you don’t mind me asking; You speak more than one language, right? Which ones and why, how did that come to be? Did you have to learn them or did you want to? Which one of them came easy to you and which one was the most troublesome? And last but not least…do you have a favorite out of all of them?

Sorry, that was a lot…have a great day/night!

Ah, what a welcome relief, it’s @lucentbliss ! Thank you for reaching back out. Finally, an ask worthy of my intellect, what a refreshing change!

I am glad you appreciated my well-written response, I admit I’m quite proud of it, myself. It’s nice to see you possess enough awareness to recognize its greatness.

My leg? Hm… well, at the moment it’s doing rather poorly, I’m afraid. I still can’t put any weight on it and the knee joint doesn’t bend at all, really. So, I have the current misfortune of being essentially immobile and having to rely on a certain pair of human hands to carry me place to place. I’d very much like to rely on my own two feet one of these days… here’s to hoping I heal up soon!

Letting myself be spoiled by Natalie? I am not spoiled by anyone. Did you not see how agonizingly long it was for her to finally turn off that confounded smoke detector when it was blaring in my sensitive ears? Do you see how hard I’ve had to fight just to get her to buy me decent clothes and even the ones I got were uninspired and lackluster! She’s learning, I’ll give her that… but she still leaves much to be desired.

Ah, you want to discuss languages, then? Yes, I see my reputation precedes me: I do, in fact, speak four languages fluently. I can converse in English, German, French and Latin. English was my first language, which I was taught before finding myself in the old man’s clutches, so that one, of course, came naturally. I was directly taught German as it was the old man’s native tongue and sometimes, after a long day of meeting with American clients m, he found it strenuous to continue speaking in English once his doors were shut for the day. It benefitted him to teach me, and so that’s why he did, by trial and error until I got it right. I remember he would get angry with me if I mispronounced anything in his beloved first language, but he’d also fly into a rage if I pronounced English words with more ease than him. I had to be very careful not to come across as “better” at English.

I taught myself French, simply out of curiosity. For a while, the old man kept a copy of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables in the original French on his desk and I wanted to read it, so I managed to hunt for a translation Bible in the library and, by some miracle, succeeded in dragging it up to the surface of the desk, despite the fact that it practically weighed as much as me, and was able to stuff it in the back of the shallow desk drawer when I was done using it for the night, where I’m fairly certain it continues to collect dust today.

Latin, well, that one had obvious practical use in the legal world, didn’t it? I absorbed much through my studies of court room proceedings and legalese, but I worked to fill in the gaps by perusing a copy of Virgil’s The Aeneid which happened to appear on the desk one day and had Latin in one margin and an English translation in the other on each page. As you can plainly see, much of my education hinged on what information I gained access to, by happenstance. I can’t articulate enough what a relief it’s been to now, finally, have regular access to the internet, where I can find instantaneous answers to my inquiries! No more scrounging for scraps of information!

I must admit German was the only language I was forced to learn, and while I enjoy its structure and modes of expression, which are often times far more to the point than our clumsy English, it was a bit of a pain point for me, early on, to learn as I was very often punished for not picking things up instantly. The old man never really enjoyed the process of educating me on anything. It was too slow and laborious a tedium, but, nevertheless, a necessary evil in order to arm me with the know how he wanted me to have.

I found Latin the easiest to learn, simply because it has such prevalent roots in my native English and the conjugations tend to follow the same rules with some regularity. Besides, it made me feel proud to be able to comprehend Latin phrases used in court without having to ask or hide my ignorance. I never liked to ask him for anything, if I could help it.

So there you are, a brief introduction into my linguistics knowledge. Did this satisfy your curiosity?

Merci beaucoup for your intelligente Frage, erat voluptatem to answer.

Yours Truly,

Alexander

[amingethia]

okay so. here's the thing.

parrots and apes are the intelligent animals that I feel like we've got the most information on. apes because of our longer history, and both because we were able to teach them language to communicate with them.

that's a pretty significant barrier with other animals, though, right? specifically, octopuses can't use sign language with us like apes can and they can't, yknow, speak verbally like a parrot.

but we're humans, we're clever, inventive, creative fuckers. so my idea is to, first and foremost, study a species of octopus and its body language. let's say the larger pacific striped octopus (LPSO for short). the one that I just now found out is known to be social.

so we get a baseline for what they're trying to say, when. Cool, right?

Then, we get a linguist involved, and this is where shit starts to pick up and get wild. I would love to be the linguist, of course, because I actually do want to study linguistics, I just never found out a good place to start.

So let's say I'm the linguist, having done a custom major with focuses on neurobiology, psychology, animal behavior, animal cognition, and language development. A great combination for studying non-human intelligence. I take the basis of what we know already exists in LPSO body-language-based communication.

(and this is where I accidentally sent the ask too soon whoops lol)

Ming's response:

Absolutely all of this. Thought.

You know those sound board things some dog owners having (I would never get one)? That has words? Do you suppose an octopus can be taught to use something like that? Perhaps if the buttons/sensors were inside the tank and each had a unique shape and possibly colour (can they see colour?)

It’s a start?

Also have you ever heard of the time humans tried to teach dolphins to talk? Crazy.

(I'll get back to that at the end of this, I promise. Continuing on:)

I could use the basis of LPSO body language to develop an octopus sign language. That language would give them more room for nuance and specificity that body language doesn't always allow for, even for masters of it like octopuses.

Shit's wild, right? But it gets better.

See, we can't exactly use any kind of octopus sign language. We might be able to do some rudimentary signs with our fingers acting as 'tentacles', but making an octopus sign language that both octopus bodies and human hands can work in directly would severely limit the options of expression available.

The solution is that we don't use our hands. We get a roboticist/tech engineer and a puppeteer to work together to create an aquatic, robotic, octopus-shaped puppet, that can use soft limbs to move and digital thermoreceptors hooked up to color-changing materials visible as or near the 'skin' of the puppet to allow for communication via color change, that a skilled puppeteer could have a say in how the controls are customized, etc.

Then the puppeteer and LPSO could learn the octopus sign language. The puppeteer could be a line of communication to the LPSO, could be given prompts on what to say and also just allowed to converse in general, and we could directly communicate with an octopus without having to teach the octopus two languages. I mean, either way, if we want the octopus to talk to us with words, it'll need its own words, and it'll need to understand our words. Why not make those words the same?

(In an ideal world, I would take puppetry classes and do the puppetry myself. I desperately want to be the one who talks to the octopus, but I understand if I need to step back for science's sake.)

As for the buttons, I feel like we'd have more luck with the language, considering that the buttons meaning anything would require some kind of differentiation, and octopus' hearing stays pretty low compared to humans (400-1000hz, best at 600hz. For comparison, we work from 20hz-20khz). Meanwhile, their vision is not the greatest, and it still feels kind of... indirect, you know?

Not to say that it wouldn't be worth a shot, just to say that I think that this wild-ass idea could get us a whole hell of a lot further.

I feel like I've heard about the dolphin, but I don't know anything about it. Humans will try to communicate with anything. I mean. I'd gesture at this post if I had digital arms to do so with.

I got nothing to really add but ye.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Steph's Crew - Part 3: Life without Bret

(cw - strong language)

Intro:

In this part of the story, Bret is back at school, doing what he does best - cause trouble. He gets suspended yet again, and this affects the other members of the friend group in a major way.

This part is probably my favourite so far, as it gets a good amount of all the characters, and it explores the group's dynamic in ways that haven't really been done before. There's a little bit of tension and drama between two characters in particular, and it doesn't fully get resolved for a while.

Something I should probably establish is that this group doesn't have the healthiest dynamic. They clearly care about each other a lot and love spending time together, but there's a lot of really harmful/toxic aspects of their relationship that are really clear here - things like peer pressure and manipulation, as well as the fact that they are all kind of overly dependent on one another. They are all such followers that if one of them decides to do something outrageous and stupid, they all have to join in. Just because they don't want to feel lonely and left out.

(Heated conversation between Elise and Stephanie)

Disrupting class

Bret: (walking into class) Yo, what's good, Mr J?! Are you ready to teach me some science, or what?

Mr Johnson: (sighs) Good morning, Bret. Please sit down and try to focus today.

Bret: (sits down and starts to snicker) Focus? What's that? Some kind of drug you're trying to sell me, sir?

Mr Johnson: (ignores the comment) Welcome, class! Settle down. Today, we're going to be learning about photosynthesis.

Bret: (starts to laugh) Ha-ha! Photosynthesis? What a weird word...

Mr Johnson: Uh, Bret?

Bret: That sounds like some kind of porno. Ha-ha! Why the fuck does that sound like a porno? Are you trying to turn me on, Mr Johnson?

(some of the students start to giggle)

Mr Johnson: (getting frustrated) Ok. Bret, that's enough. If you can't control yourself, I'll have to send you to Headmaster Stein.

Bret: (still laughing) Ooooh, the Headmaster. He's just as boring and stupid as you, mate. I don't give a fuck about either of you.

Mr Johnson: (losing his patience) Bret, I'm warning you. If you don't stop this behaviour, I'll send you to his office.

Bret: (stands up) YES. Please do. I'm sure he's just dying to see me. I'll give him a show he won't forget. Don't worry.

Mr Johnson: (shakes his head) Fine, Bret. You leave me no choice. Please leave.

Bret: (laughs) Sure thing, Mr J! I'm out of here. Peace, bitches. (practically sprints out of the room)

Mr Johnson: (sighs) That kid… Anyways, where were we up to?

Meeting with the Head (again)

Bret: UGH! What's the big deal, man? I mean, it's not like I was using that language in church or something.

Headmaster: Breton, the way you talk to people is rude, immature and completely inappropriate. So is your behaviour! Not just in this school, but in any setting. You can't just go around using that kind of language without any regard for the people around you. And don’t even get me started on the constant disrespect of teachers and staff. You must understand that you can’t just do and say whatever you feel like all the time. People deserve basic respect, and you never take the time to give it to others, whether-

Bret: (interrupts, shrugging) Whatever, man. I can't help it if I like to express myself with a little bit of spiciness every once in a while. I mean, come on. It's not like it's hurting anyone.

Headmaster: It's not just about hurting anyone, Bret. It's about showing respect - both for yourself and those around you. And you're not showing any respect at all with the way you're acting.

Bret: (laughs) Respect? Who gives a damn about that? I'm not here to impress nobody, sir. I'm just here to get my education and be done with it.

Headmaster: I'm sorry, Bret, but I can't just let this behaviour slide You're suspended for two weeks. I suggest you take this time out to think about the way you're speaking and how it affects others.

Bret: (shrugs) Whatever.

Headmaster: I hope you'll take this suspension as an opportunity to reflect on your behaviour and make some changes. Because if this continues, I'll have to expel you.

Bret: (leaving the room) Sure, man. Whatever you say!

Talking about Bret’s suspension

Stephanie: Hey, guys! What the hell is going on with Bret? He won’t answer any of my calls or texts, and I haven’t seen him in days. I hope he’s alright…

Dylan: Oh, Bret? Didn’t you hear? My guy got suspended yesterday.

Stephanie: What?!

Dylan: Yeah. He’ll be back in about two weeks, I think.

Stephanie: I can’t believe he’s already gotten another suspension! Wasn’t he literally out of school last week? This has to be some kind of record!

Alice: Yeah, they’re being extra hard on him lately. Pretty sure he got in trouble for swearing in class and being inappropriate.

Stephanie: Wait, wait. So, Bret got suspended for swearing too much? I didn't even realise that was possible. He must have really pushed the limits.

Dylan: Dude, come on. I mean, have you ever heard Bret talk? Guy's got a mouth on him…

Alice: But is it fair to suspend him for that? Swearing isn’t that big a deal, is it? We’ve all done it. Hey, even Elise has let out the occasional f-bomb. Haven’t you Elise? Elise?

(Elise is sitting on the table across from them, deeply invested in the book that she’s reading)

Alice: ELISE!

Elise: Oh, hi. (puts the book down) What’s up?

(Alice sighs)

Dylan: We’re talking about Bret getting suspended again, El.

Elise: Oh… that. (she looks visibly upset)

Stephanie: Man, I cannot believe Bret got suspended for swearing too much! That's hilarious, but kind of fucked up. I mean, Alice is right, it’s not THAT big a deal… or, it shouldn’t be, at least. That’s just my opinion, though.

Alice: Yeah, mine too. I agree with you. The most he should’ve gotten was a detention or something. Now we can’t see him for God knows how long…

Dylan: Two weeks. That’s how long.

Alice: Whatever.

Dylan: I'm not all that surprised though. Bret's always getting into trouble. It’s who he is. He's like a walking disaster waiting to happen.

Stephanie: True dat.

Alice: Yep.

Elise: Oh, Bret. This stuff always keeps happening to him… It really sucks.

Alice: Yeah, but I mean, he kind of had it coming, didn't he?

Dylan: Yup. (sighs) Poor guy. That poor idiot guy.

Elisee: Yeah. I feel so bad for him. I mean, you’re right, Alice, he did have it coming. It is his fault that he’s suspended, and he needs to take responsibility for himself and his actions. But I don’t know… I’m worried about him. What if he's going through something right now? What if he needs help? We should try to be there for him. We’re his friends, after all.

(solemn silence)

Stephanie: Hey! I have an idea. Let's all get suspended too.

Dylan: What? Get in trouble like Bret?

Stephanie: In solidarity WITH Bret!

Alice: (sarcastically) Yeah, because getting in trouble is so much fun. And because Stephanie's plans NEVER backfire… ever!

Elise: I'm with Ally on this one. I really don't think that's a good idea, Steph. We should try to focus on helping Bret out, not getting ourselves in trouble.

Stephanie: Come on, it'll be like an adventure. Plus, we’d be free. We could spend the whole day hanging out with him. It would be great! And think about the stories we'll have to tell.

Elise: But what if he doesn’t want to spend all day hanging out?

Dylan: You know, I have always wondered what it would be like to get suspended… Fine, I'm in. Let’s get started as quickly as possible so that I don’t change my mind.

Alice: Right, well, I guess I'll do it too. But only because I don't want to be the only one not doing it.

Elise: I don't know about this, guys. Our top priority as Bret’s closest friends in this school is to support him through this tough time, and help him get back on track. I don’t see how voluntarily getting suspended is going to achieve that. To be honest, it really feels like a mere excuse for you guys to act as badly as you want, just so that you can have a crazy story to tell about getting suspended, and say that you were a wild child too once.

(at this, the group has mixed reactions. Stephanie gasps, Alice sniggers, and Dylan just looks surprised)

Dylan: (glances at Stephanie) Oooooh, ouch…

Stephanie: (scoffs) Why are you being like this, El? I told you, this is our way of standing in solidarity with Bret. To make him feel like he's not alone.

Elise: That may be what you said, but it’s not what you meant. You’re just being selfish. You’re doing this for you, not him.

Stephanie: (getting frustrated) Elise-

Elise: Have you not considered how Bret might feel about his only friends in school getting in trouble over something he did? Like, think about it now - how do you think he would feel about this? Do you think he’d want us to do this or not?

Alice: I mean…. come on, now. He probably wouldn’t give a fuck either way. We all know how he's like.

Dylan: Yeah…

Stephanie: Honestly, that’s true. He wouldn’t care about whether we do this or not. He doesn’t care what people do…

Elise: True… but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care what he does.

Stephanie: You’re right El. You know what? Let’s not do it right away. Let’s sleep on it. We shouldn’t totally kill the plan, but it is something that needs a lot of time and thought.

Alice: Agreed.

The next day (after sleeping on it)

Stephanie: Okay guys. Time to put our plan into action. Let's all get suspended like Bret!

Dylan: YEAH! Let’s!

Elise: WAIT! (realises that she's yelling, and lowers her tone) What? Are you guys serious? It’s only been one night! You said to put a lot of thought into this decision!

Stephanie: I said to sleep on it, and we’ve slept on it. Let’s go cause mayhem and blow up this lollipop stand, or however the expression goes.

Alice: Yeah, definitely not how the expression goes…

Elise: STEPH! What is wrong with you?! Did you not think about a single word I said to you yesterday?!

Alice: I'm not sure about this, Stephanie. It sounds like a lot of trouble. I'm not in the mood for trouble today…

Dylan: Ok, Alice, the thing about making bold, spontaneous choices is that you can’t overthink it. Don’t give yourself the time to doubt. It kills the enjoyment.

Stephanie: Aw, come on, Ally, it's going to be so much fun. Plus, think about all the free time we'll have.

Dylan: I'm in, let’s go. What's the plan?

Stephanie: Here's the plan. We'll all wreak havoc in our own separate classes and see how far we can push it before getting suspended.

Alice: Okay, fine. I'm in. But if I get expelled, I'm blaming all of you.

Elise: I don't know about all this, man…

Stephanie: Come on, Ellie, live a little! This’ll be a positive experience for you, too. Who knows, maybe we’ll even learn something on the way!

Elise: That’s not how that works, Steph. Plus, this is still wrong, and you know it.

Stephanie: (pauses) Fine. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, El. It would probably be better if you didn’t, actually. We all know how you’re like under pressure.

Elise: Steph! I- We should be doing the right thing, here. We should just focus on behaving ourselves, being good students and staying out of trouble. Just try and be sensible, that’s all. Getting suspended is serious. It’s not a game - it’s a big deal!

Stephanie: If you want to stay a boring goody two shoes forever, you do you. I won’t stop you, El. Let’s go, guys.

Alice: Come on Steph. Don’t be like that.

Dylan: Yeah, man. We can’t just leave her out.

Stephanie: Why not?

Elise: Yeah, why not? I can’t afford to get suspended; I have a straight A average to maintain…

Stephanie: (brief pause) Huh… look who's being selfish now.

Elise: What’s that supposed to mean?

Stephanie: Nothing. Just the fact that when I said to get suspended in solidarity with Bret, you said that I was selfish and that we shouldn’t do it. But the real reason why you didn’t want to go through with it was because you care more about your grades than your friend’s wellbeing. Because that is basically what you said, isn’t it?

(Elise gasps. Dylan and Alice stare in shocked silence)

Elise: (taken aback) What the hell, Steph?

Dylan: (murmurs to himself) Damn, man… that's not cool…

Alice: Ok, everybody, just stop! Are we doing this or what?

Dylan: Yeah, you two are giving me a lot of time to second-guess my choice here…

Stephanie: No need for that, dude. We’re doing this thing. (pauses to glare at Elise) All four of us.

Elise: (glares back) Fine by me.

(long, awkward silence)

Stephanie: (forces a smile) LET’S DO THIS THING!

All: Yeah!

(bell rings for the next class)

This is it for now! Thanks for reading my work.

If you can, please let me know what you think. It would mean a lot if I could get some feedback.

[mystery-wings]

What Is Next For Alexan?

So those who come across my blog, are familiar with a particular Sanders OC, Alexan "Love" Sanders.

Well, since December (12)/23/2023, I have been creating another version of him. Which is of Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia.

I will not tell all in this post, but I will tell.

Age: 28-34 — I will do flashbacks and we can have a situation where Alexan is de-aged by someone's Quirk. Also, I am considering, expanding Alexan's age range more.

Pronouns: He/him-They/them-It/Itself

Birthday: March 15

Quirk: Heavenly Angel

Hero Name: The Angelic Hero – Watcher

Origin of Quirk: Scientists from four different countries decided to come together. They were jealous of Japan and desired to have someone similar to All Might. Those of Japan recognized time was ticking for the Symbol of Peace and the hero’s reign would not last forever, so a decision was made, one that they never wanted to see the light of day. They were influenced by beings of ancient times, well-known as angels — using knowledge from Israel, in modern and ancient Hebrew, and in an ancient language called Aramaic. From there, they became further into their decision — choosing the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, using all the angels from each triad. 

Explanation of Quirk: From his abilities to his appearance, they are same or similar yet different to angels themselves — Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. 

Training: Training is incredibly important. Not just for improving and expanding the abilities of the Quirk, but to maintain control in a variety of ways and for his body—and mind—to even handle the Quirk. Because of this, he didn’t develop certain abilities until he was a certain age, and physically stronger. Though being a quick learner does help, there are limitations.

The hero school he attended, was U.A. High, and as an exchange student.

He is selectively mute, which means some social situations cause so much fear or anxiety that he finds speaking difficult or impossible. For him, it can happen because he feels overwhelmed or paralyzed by anxiety—which it can appear as though he is refusing to talk—but it is an “autopilot” response rather than a deliberate choice — He can become tense or stiff posture, or freeze or feel unable to move, a “deer in the headlights” have a blank expression, might avoid eye contact, avoid social interactions or not participate in them, and not ask for things wanted or needed.

When Alexan is mute, he uses other forms of communication: widely understood sounds (such as “uh-uh” for “no” and “uh-huh” for yes) or other noises, nonverbal communication to avoid talking (such as writing responses or pointing to things in a book, and sign language), and use gestures or other movements (such as facial expressions, pointing, miming, or nodding or shaking his head). The communication is minimal or reduced — Which come in the form of slowed responses, using single-word responses or very short sentences, mumbling, stuttering or whispering, and changing one’s voice (speaking in a robot-like voice or changing one’s natural pitch and tone).

He has a teaching license.

As a Pro-Hero, he works in the spotlight and underground — meaning he is not always in the spotlight. He also knows how to create his own hero uniforms and support gear—which are useful abilities to have for when he attempts to not use his Quirk for as long as possible.

More often than not, Alexan has medical bandages wrapped around his body—from being experimented on by the scientists and other things relating to the experiments themselves. Though he was taught how to hide them, and learned more ways to, without their help. However, because of this, he never tells anyone (outside of the scientists) about any injuries and wounds—having the scientists help, or helping himself in secret.

He has self worth issues—and more—it’s difficult not to. And feels as though he exists, but isn’t living, and nothing else. So he has mixed thoughts about his existence, though he personally believes shouldn’t even be here—but he has never told anyone.

Outside of being a Pro-Hero, Alexan loves to sing and play instruments. He prefers to create videos—only song covers—of songs, which tend to be lyric videos more than videos showing himself.

I am now roleplay with Alexan — Though, I must warn everyone, I never stopped updating on Alexan. But I will let you know. And if you are interested in writing outside of roleplay, or prefer that instead, I do and will collaborate with fanfiction writers on Tumblr and A03 — You can message me on Tumblr, TikTok, and Quotev. Just go to the linktree link on here or TikTok and you will be on your way. From there, I will the document with all of the information on Alexan — As well one filled with references. I can also send the TikTok collection I created for this version of the OC, as well as the YouTube playlist.

[microfinanseer]

The Art of Humility

A quick definition search for the word "humility" got me to this: "a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness." Yes. That feels about right. Because humility is not just a trait, but a feeling. When was the last time you felt humbled?

For me, it has been every time I go to one of my clases here in CDMX. Whether the Spanish class I signed up, the pottery class, or the minifiction writing class. In each of those, I have shown a different level of proficiency, but more often than not, I felt a great deal of humility. Firstly because I am taking these classes in a language that I have had exposure to over the years, but haven't really mastered in any way. Sure, I have spoken Spanish for years with family and friends off and on and taken classes in pottery at different periods in my life. So those skills ( I see you Spanish grammar!) need polishing, but they are there in some basic way. However, I have not been prepared to read and write at a more advanced literary level. Even the little I have read in Spanish -- my past attempts at reading Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez were modest -- hasn't prepared me enough to take a course to write and present in Spanish, even in its briefest form, as I do for my weekly writing class. As I mentioned in a previous post, I never studied Spanish formally in the way I have my native tongue or French. Therefore, this class has been the biggest challenge for me while in Mexico, and I am grateful for it. I get nervous sometimes in class that I will be asked to present and the words won't come out right, or that I will feel too shy to raise my hand with inevitable ideas I have but feel too inadequate to express. It doesn't feel right to seem so reserved to speak up. I have proudly grown my voice and skills over a couple of decades of schooling and working, but suddenly feel muted by my own inhibitions. Professional butterflies!

I have a career that spans more than 25 years in the world of social service and nonprofits in the U.S. I've worked in community and global organizations, and I have taken on more responsibility in my positions as I have moved along that journey. And with each career step, I have been expected to bring and voice more of my experience and insight for my work. Each step has been a building block on the previous, where I prepared and succeeded at exceeding expectations toward more leadership. And while a lot has been written in the last decade or so about how leaders don't have all of the answers (and never did) and should practice not being the loudest or only voice in the room, many leaders (especially those in training) don't have enough practice in humility. It's tough when you are being praised to do your job well and to lead others to follow and implement your ideas. It's easy to believe the hype and believe you are always correct and worthy of others following. The whole, awful mantra of "fake it until you make it" is built on this premise that even if you don't know what you are doing, just act like you do and others will buy it and somehow this attitude will breed a good, strong leader.

However, if you have followed my writing and ideas before, you know I don't believe in authoritarian leadership or "fake it until you make it" talking points. That's the kind of leadership, when simply because of a title or position, a person is believed to be the one with the answers and not to be questioned. We have all worked for leaders like this, and hopefully we have recognized it is not the route to a healthy organization or to stronger teams. In my leadership roles, and even in positions when I was a leader in action if not by title, I practiced humility as much as I could and appreciated that all in a room/office/meeting have something to teach and learn. All have experience that can be complementary and valuable. And it is not just those sitting at the "top" of some hierarchical perch that deserve attention. I have worked to flatten hierarchies in the organizations, to build distributive leadership, and to invite more diverse voices in conversations, whether around the proverbial "watercolor" or in strategic planning sessions. I see the value in mentoring and supporting colleagues -- more junior and more senior in their careers -- than myself to cultivate their own leadership and use their voice in the workplace. I'm an advocate as well as a champion and ally for my colleagues, whatever my position. I was lucky to have a few great role models in this sort of leadership, but sometimes we learn from the worst, too. I have had my share of know-it-all colleagues and never-question-me managers. In both situations, I have not stayed long in a position because the organizational culture was not right for growing and sharing, it was more about following and not asking.

It's why I created M.O.V.E.S. at the United Nations Foundation years ago. To its credit, the leadership then saw the potential and appeal of my idea, and supported my efforts to launch it more broadly for all staff. Of course, this showed me that the organization at the time was a real learning organization and entrepreneurial enough to encourage staff to take the lead (and the risk) on new initiatives. M.O.V.E.S., which stands for Mutually beneficial, Organic, Voluntary, Exchange for Staff, was a platform for staff to connect with and learn from each other on a variety of professional topics. I believe strongly in the power of social capital and open communities to have positive impacts on social change and progress. M.O.V.E.S. was founded on those beliefs and served as a place for all in the organization to have a voice, showcase and learn skills, and practice humility to always stay curious and be willing to learn. I see humility as a basic foundation for curiosity and learning. Once you think you have finished learning, you are in big trouble existentially. And if you believe in hazing the next generation of professionals by stifling their voices and crippling their self-confidence when they want to share their insights, then if I may, I think you are in big trouble morally.

So, go ahead, leaders. Take a class or join a conversation where you are not sure what you are doing or are not an "expert". Join a group to learn and grow, instead of show off your skills or assets. There is a place for feeling a sense of accomplishment and expertise because of your years on this planet. However, I also believe, as I recall hearing a lot in social work school, that if you let go of your ego, you can be free to embrace more of what others have to offer.

Until next week!

[thejokertalks]

Fly Camp 3

I am on a flight back to Mumbai after finishing camp. There are so many thoughts going on in my head. I guess it is still camp hangover. So many moments, I go back with so many memories of this camp but as I try to put words to my thoughts, I am blank. Maybe the English language doesn’t have words to express the emotions I am feeling or maybe mine is too limited, alas I am no Shashi Tharoor who can use “Pulchritude” like words in a sentence to express myself.

Camp 3 will always be special for me. We had cancelled multiple camps before this and it looked like the same fate awaited this one as well but we went ahead and thank god for that. This camp, we had players traveling for about 90 hours to be at camp for 48 hours. We had players who had exams starting 3 days after, coming in for camp. I kept thinking that I had to make sure it was worth their time. That the output was worth their spending all this time and effort on. What can be taught, the plan on field and what to do in the session?

I was wrong. I was looking at it all wrong. It was not about them learning skills on field. I cannot teach Alex how to throw, Laxman how to position himself in defense, Anna how to run a game. In fact, I cannot teach any of the kids who were there any new skill on field. I am a mismatch against any of these players on field. So, was this camp a failure? Should we not have, had it?

We absolutely should have! None of the metrics that we generally associate with success were met. However, it was all about changing the metrics to success. This camp was all about off-field bonding. It was about mentality. It was about happiness. It was a showcase of everything that is right in the world.

We had players from different cities who had met each other probably 5 times in their life. Age, gender, Social status, geography, language, religion, nothing matches. This group was diversity personified but they bonded like they have known each other for years. People say it cannot work chalk and cheese. I guess a few of us kids still eat chalk like we eat cheese.

Few highlights from camp that have my heart-

Alex, Ajay, Talib and Laxman ribbing each other as if they have been friends for years

Kalpana, Megha and Nithya dancing and making reels.

Manjeet the therapist’s “aunty aapki life mein koi problem hai?” discussion with Emma

Arun finally opening up and speaking up during camp.

Anna & Alex getting competitive over Uno and my god the trash talking!

The goss session I had with Nithya.

Sass Queen Naina’s “I am not 12, I am 14!”

Conversations with Mandal and Vikas.

The dancing session (which I missed ☹)

Over and above all of this, we had Snakey who was going through a tense situation in the office, working hard to make this camp happen. It would definitely not have been possible without him. We had a family which had nothing to do with these kids taking care of all these kids who came in from Delhi. The warmth and the love we received was aspirational. I want to be like them. It was a lesson in compassion and love. 2 hours in that house with these kids and I was transported back 20 years to a house full of cousins during summer vacations. It was loud, it was happy, it was madness!

None of this reads as something fantastic, none of this reads as special but I guess some of the best moments are too simple and small that they cannot be put on paper, but they still mean the world. Maybe that’s where lies the beauty of sport- the great leveler. :)

[its-deputy-caleb]

Could I request the Four Lords reacting to thinking the read is scared of them and that’s why they won’t speak to them, but really reader is mute (whether born that way, because of trauma, or a physical injury)

Maybe they know sign language and that’s how they communicate instead?

Okay so i’m very sorry for the late delay of these I’ve been super busy and i just whipped this up really quickly and i apologise that it’s really rushed!! I hope these aren’t too bad although i’m not super happy with how they turned out :((

Alcina Dimitrescu

It’s only natural that working in Castle Dimitrescu that you’d be a little fearful of unpredictability of Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters.

However what you didn’t know was that she’s taken a liking to you already, watching you work from afar and she made it very clear that no one was to harm you.

Whenever you interacted she could help but notice how quiet you were, finding it rather odd when you responded to her commands with a short nod and a bow.

Alcina becomes fascinated with you, her eye always on you and sometimes even beckoning you to come and pour her wine just to see your reaction.

She walks past the cellars one day and notices you talking to a maiden. Well you weren’t exactly talking but the two of you were moving your hands in a way that looked like you could understand each other, watching the smile on your face.

Her curiosity and mild jealously meant she took it upon herself to understand exactly what she saw and came to learn that you are mute.

She becomes very overprotective of you after seeing you smile and light up like that, wanting to keep you by her side and away from anything that could harm you.

Eventually you earn her respect and no longer have to work for her. Instead of working you spend your days having tea in elaborate outfits, sitting across from Alcina as she rambles for hours about the girls dragging more bloodied corpses onto the new carpets or Heisenberg’s dramatic outbursts at family meetings or the complaints from the villages.

All of it made you smile and Alcina feels so accomplished when she sees you light up the way she first saw you. Feeling like she’s finally found the way in to your heart.

Her favourite thing to do is at the end of each night walk you to your permanent chambers, bringing a kiss to your hand and signing “goodnight my love” in sign language. It was one of the first things in sign language that you taught her and she’s never once forgetten it.

Donna Beneviento

At first Donna didn’t really notice that you are quieter compared to most people as she’s often finds herself falling into long periods of silence herself.

Not only is she generally reserved and not inclined to socialise like her siblings but a lot of the trauma and experiments she received from Mother Miranda has led to her withdrawing even more.

The only one she really talks to is Angie, although the doll is apart of her, it’s how she copes and allows herself to come out of her comfort zone without having to interact with her family which remind her of all the terrible experiences.

At first Donna believes you’re scared of her and Angie especially. She’s just so excited to finally have someone from outside the family who she trusts and wants to be with and doesn’t want to scare you away.

This makes her tense up a lot and push you away because she hates the thought of scaring you but Angie is apart of her and she doesn’t know how to keep you in her life while remaining herself.

But she quickly learns that you’re mute and although you can’t express it through words you care just as much for her.

That’s how you both discover that just being in each other’s company is enough for you to be happy together.

Touch is the one thing that keeps you both connected. Whether you have your hand in hers or you’ve got each other in a tight hug, touch is the way you both say ‘i love you’.

Sometimes when she’s having a bad day and you can feel the nerves pouring out of her, you walk up and hold your palm up to her.

Donna’s hand will sit softly against your own with only the tips of your fingers intertwining, just the slightest touch can calm her. Your forehead presses to hers and you hold her close until all her worries melt away.

Even though you can’t tell her, all the fleeting touches and gentle movements are how you tell Donna every day that you could never be scared of her but in fact you love her very deeply.

Salvatore Moreau

Salvatore instantly panics when he sees you don’t talk, his mind instantly jumping to the conclusion that you must either fear him or hate him like everyone else.

He doesn’t want to lose you, and is almost desperate for you attention which he doesn’t understand can’t be said through words.

He’s gonna bring you all of the things he likes in hopes to show you that he’s not scary like everyone thinks.

Each night he’s bringing you blankets (which are damp and kinda smell but he doesn’t know) and each morning he’s got breakfast for you and he’s gonna bring all the cheese he owns.

He’s still convinced you’re scared of him so he drops them in front of you and retreats into the corner with his hands raised, anticipating your rejection but still no less scared of your reaction.

“I’m not scary, I promise…”

Eventually he realises you can’t speak and that you enjoy his efforts to make you comfortable, thinking it’s adorable.

When you become comfortable around each other you being to show him some phrases in sign language so he can communicate with you. He’s definitely eager to learn, practically begging alcina for books on it from her library.

He’s not very good at it but you spend your afternoons teaching him and you both end up giggling and laughing at his attempts. By the end of the night you’re both crashed on the couch after watching movies.

He loves to take you outside to see the reservoir and windmill where you write little messages to each other on the snow.

Karl Heisenberg

When Karl first learnt that you’d be sent to his factory by order of Mother Miranda he was furious that he’d have to babysit you.

He ignores you at first, not even looking at you as he left you in some room of the factory with the door locked behind him.

One day after a fight with Alcina he comes bashing through what’s slowly become your bedroom of sorts. His fist collides with the metal countertop leaving a dent in it as metal shards rattle around the room.

“If that bitch humiliates me one more time at a family meeting i’ll hit her with my hammer!”

He looks at you and notices the startled look on your face from having to dodge all the metal now flying around the room until it drops to the floor. Karl looking at you with a sheepish face, upset with himself that he scared you.

“Sorry about that…”

Karl spends more time with you after that, showing you around his factory and telling you all his elaborate plans to bring down Miranda and vent about his sister after he realised you were a good listener.

In fact he started to realise that you were almost too much of a good listener… and that you had never once spoken to him.

He didn’t even know you name and that frustrated him beyond all means.

While he was still confused at your behaviour, he couldn’t bring himself to hate it as you grew closer with each passing day.

Sometimes his favourite thing to do is to sit with you in his living quarters, sitting on the couch with his head in your lap as your fingers brush through his hair.

It’s there where he’ll talk to you for hours about everything and nothing at all. Just happy to have someone in his life.

He’s comforted by the fact that you’re mute because you don’t judge him, your actions towards him always soft and warming.

He’s never had someone who could be there for him emotionally and physically, and he loves that you show him how much you love him by the little gestures like cuddling, playing with his hair and holding his head in your hands.