#which isn't to say i think he doesn't want to be a leader and doesn't want to be an act of violence or a salve or a liberated ex-experiment

[muninnhuginn]

Thinking about "your weakness is how you always want to be the hero" and how the series returns to this at the end

Li Lianhua hated how he acted as Li Xiangyi and spent years trying to distance himself from it, but ultimately he still fell back into the similar patterns, for all his added experience

His main priority was always to "do the right thing" regardless of how that would impact on those around him. And it *did* impact those around him. From Qiao Wanmian and Shan Gudao as Li Xiangyi to Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng as Li Lianhua

Giving the Styx flower to the emperor so he could use it as leverage to guarantee Fang Duobing and his family's safety. Using the last of his power to save Yun Biqiu. Constantly putting others above himself whilst actively refusing to recognise that his self-sacrificial nature would hurt those he cared about most

And sure, he thinks he's going to die anyway. They're going to be hurt regardless and he can't do anything about that. His odds are low of the Styx flower even working. But ultimately, he refuses to even consider trying. Li Xiangyi has been dead a long time and Li Lianhua is just there to tide things over. What value is the life of a ghost

To the end, he lives and dies a hero. To the end, he refuses to live for himself.

[twpsyn-who]

Something something soulmate au in which you dream little moments of your future up until you meet your soulmate for the first. The catch? First, you dream only of your future with your soulmate. Little moments of you two together. If your soulmate isn't there, you ain't seeing it. Second, it is a dream. Not everyone is going to remember those. Third, it stops once you meet your soulmate.

Now this but JeanMarco. And I don't know about Marco, but Jean 100% remembers his dreams. It just sucks because more often than not there's more people around so, you know, finding out who's actually the soulmate takes some time on his part. Also he takes notice of the fact that he only sees moments of his time as a trainee. Aka something happens. Cue to Jean spending all his childhood trying to understand what his dreams are trying to say and eventually trying to keep them both alive during Trost.

[kaurwreck]

fav chuuya trivia: he’s a lightweight and a wine collector. combine it with the fact that poisons a weakness for him, ability wise, and too much alcohol is in fact poison. he chooses that often.

bonus: combine that with the fact that dazai’s coming of age came with going to a bar, and i don’t know what that means

anon cause shy

Untitled I. My dear, even though you treat me kindly, I'm stubborn. After we parted last night, I went drinking and berated some weakling. This morning, Waking up, I remember your kindness And sadly reflect on my vile behavior. And now, I, a total fraud, will here confess that, without shame, Stripped of all dignity, and therefore lacking honesty— I was urged on by my own illusions, raving mad. [...] III. In this world we sadly live in like this, your heart— Don't let it grow stubborn my dear Because I hope for intimacy with you Your heart— don't let it grow stubborn my dear.

[Excerpted from Poems of the Goat, written by Chuuya Nakahara, translated by Ry Beville]

[dazais-guardian-angel]

kinda wild to me that one of the most compelling aspects of both Chuuya and Kunikida's characters to me, that I never really see talked about, is how they're heavily set on a doomed crash course towards complete and utter destruction, and how I am so, so worried for them both.....

[skrunksthatwunk]

kinda drives me up a wall when people go "hey i think x action in a war/combat scenario is inhumane and cruel and shitty" and someone responds with "oh but within the laws of war it's allowed or there's procedure for it etc etc". it doesn't have to be a war crime to be unforgivable man it's a shitty rulebook anyway

[alexisomnias]

— "CUTEST COUPLE IN TOWN" . . . | twst

⤷ their family comments on how cute you would be married to him!

requested by anonymous ,,,

characters | dorm leaders

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS + chenya / trey

• its as if chenya never leaves him alone about this! his face is nearly always red everytime the idea of getting married to you gets brought up as a tease. whats worse is that he does want to marry you. so riddle can't even deny it! trey has his back on the occasional manner, whenever chenya brings up the idea of a happy marriage with you, it leaves riddle fuming for two separate reasons.

"what am i telling you trey? they're purrfect for eachother." chenya laughs, "i can't im-eow-gine them separating."

"i can see what you're talking about, they are rather a cute couple."

"shut up you both."

LEONA KINGERSCOLAR + farena

• leona is not a fan of his brother meeting you. why were you so insistent on meeting his family in the first place? it could've all been avoided. (he would sigh, but in the end there's some warmth in his heart seeing you fit in so well). for the most part, leona was phased out of the conversation. choosing to just instead lay on your side lazily, eyes shut.

• "you and Leona would make such a cute married couple!" farena casually throws out into the conversation, the dumb smile leona is so used to destroying his brothers face as his lions ear twitches., a scowl painting upon his face.

• "farena, mind your own." he mumbles, leaning further against you feeling your stomach bounce with laughter. he feels much better himself, in the arms of your own laughter. "be nice, Leona."

• he rolls his eyes, scoffing perhaps. classic leona behavior (the kind you grew to love), but if you took the time to translate it over to the language of love. leona would love to make you the ruler of his heart, for you already conquered his life.

AZUL ASHENGROTTO + mother / father

• azul was embarrassed. he knew his parents were less then... casual, but of course he loved them (as he loves you, which is why he hoped this interaction would go well: it did.), though he never expected for the topic of marriage to be brought up either in conversation. and the idea sent him into a romantic spiral, for how his heart beat at the thought of putting a ring on your finger. a ring to signify he was yours, and you were his.

• "M,,, mother! You shouldn't say things like that..." he stumbled, word tumbling over word. His mother merely laughed, his step-father joining in, and don't think azul missed hearing your chuckle from the side.

• "i'm sure you two would be adorable, married."

• azul did not deny, for he knows you'd make the perfect spouse for him. you'd make him the happiest man in the world, but he's not ready to discuss that with you... not until he has found the perfect ring.

KALIM AL ASIM + siblings

• kalim is utterly ecstatic knowing he has so much support behind his back, and when its suggested that his siblings thinks of you and him as an adorable couple? and even suggest marriage? oh how quickly it propels him to the marriage rot. if anything you should expect a proposal by the end of the visit for how much the thought of marriage excites him, even if you decline he's perfectly happy by your side..! marriage isn't always the result of love, just an existence between two people is enough for him.

• "big brother! you and [name] are so cute together!" "yeah, when are you two getting married?!" "I hope soon! they make you so happy!"

• kalim loves his family dearly, and he wants to welcome you into his own as well (jamil isn't as welcoming with that idea as his kalims arms are...)

VIL SCHOENHEIT + dad

• vil had no doubt in his mind his father would love you, and he wasn't wrong. his father was utterly welcoming at the idea of you and vil as a couple, in fact he even brought up how cute you two would be married, (vil can't deny how happy it made him, even if it doesn't show.)

• "i think you and [surname] make a cute couple, i wouldn't be surprised if you two got married."

• as vil moves his gaze over to you, he can't say his father was wrong... oh how happy he would be if he could lockdown and secure you as his. a beautiful wedding, taking you as his spouse. yeah, vil likes that idea. "maybe one day."

IDIA SHROUD + ortho

• "you're perfect for my brother! I can already see you two being in a happy marriage!" ortho happily exclaims, unaware of how those two simple sentences destroyed, and crashed his brother. feeling as if he made a fool of himself, he finds himself wishing to lock himself in his room away from everyone, and never bare to see your face again because omgimaginegettingmarriedtoyou?!

• he's not.. against the idea, but at the same time! is it really that casual of a thing to be brought up!? an actual marriage?! not like.,, a silly online one or one with a fictional character?! imagine if you did want to actually marry him!

• he catches a glance over at you, through his pinkish, blue hair. and when he see's your smile, he wonders if you truly were meant to share the same last name... surely that day will come... right? [Name] Shroud...  

• that thought sends him spirally again.

MALLEUS DRACONIA + lilia

• lilia commonly teased you and malleus about marriage. much like how a close friend would ship a couple, funnily enough malleus never caught on. in fact, he's already under the impression your engaged, and lilia is hyping up the ceremony. you don't have the heart to admit he never proposed (who knows? maybe he did, just in some type of fae courting system). so you let the teases happen.

• malleus is utterly blissed, the fact that lilia is so accepting of your marriage (that's not even legalized), and ready to support makes him happy! if anything he's already booking a venue, with lilia helping him with the organization (you think lilia's only doing this for his own entertainment at this point)

• malleus must've already foresaw a marriage from a long way ago, for every time he looks at you, its as if his eyes say "i do."

[angelltheninth]

Make up sex with Genshin men? I really love how you write all of them.

Well make up sex is supposed to be the best right? The sweetest of all. Other then maybe hate fucking which I also have an ask for.

Pairing: Kaeya, Itto, Thoma, Ayato, Cyno, Pantalone, Kaveh, Tighnari, Zhongli

Tags: nsfw, smut, rough sex, gentle sex, marking, possessive sex, jealousy, cum marking, make up sex

A/N: I already did this one for a few characters so that's why they're not included here again.

Kaeya doesn't like to go on a mission while fighting with you. It will be all he can think about, he can't be a good leader like that. His lips are very rough on yours, he's rushing through everything, he's thrusting into you with wild abandon, coming inside you as he groans apologies against your neck, he wants to make things better, but he also wants you to feel good after he's left.

Itto isn't too good with words of apology. He'll try to spin them in a semi joking way to make the situation lighter but he knows when things are messed up between you two. What do you want him to say? That he shouldn't have been so reckless? Maybe not, but he would punch a hundred men to protect what matters to him. So stop fucking looking at him like you pity him while he's trying to fill your womb with cum! You're gonna make him cry, that wouldn't look cool.

Thoma is all gentle touches and hushed apologies against your heated skin while he slowly moves his cock in and out from behind you. He doesn't want to leave an inch of your skin unmarked by his lips in apology. After tonight there will be no doubt of how sorry he was for not being with you more. Maybe he should ask for a little time off, so he can take you somewhere to relax, not just have quickies.

Ayato has you in his while he's kissing your hand, his eyes looking into yours, his cock slowly making its way past your entrance. He doesn't really want to move right now, he wants you to stay perfectly still on his cock, feel your inner walls fluttering around him, slowly getting him to an orgasm while the two of you talk through your issues, after which he will come into you as an apology for neglecting your needs for so long.

Cyno never likes to see you go to bed angry at him, it doesn't feel right to him. He'd rather you yell at his face for forgetting your date then have your back turned to him and him not being allowed to touch you. You really expect him not to try and say he's sorry? To not pull you against him and let his cock slide between your legs? Then why do you arch your back? Why do you moan for him if you want him to leave? Come on, turn around, let him see you, let him apologize with a kiss.

Pantalone doesn't have an easy time admitting when he's made a mistake. In his line of work mistakes cannot happen, so he has the same attitude in relationships. In fact he thinks you should apologize to him! The audacity of this man whose cock you have deep in your pussy as you cuss him out for being such a fucking idiot despite being really smart to not see when you were trying all day to get his attention. Now he has to sit still and let you take charge for a change.

Kaveh kisses your neck while he keeps your wrists pinned above your head, his hips making your legs twitch every time he slams them against yours. You're not getting away from him until you've worked this out. Him being jealous is not your problem. You can spend as much time with his roommate as you want. Correct. But he also has every right to fuck every inch of his cock into you as a way of asserting his dominance.

Tighnari thinks you're pretty attractive when you're angry but less so when that anger is directed at him. There have been some little arguments in the past but nothing that resulted in the two of you screaming at each other and him spending the rest of the day on patrol to blow off steam. The last thing he expected was for you to blow his cock when he got home.

Zhongli has you propped up on his desk, tail wrapped around your leg to lift it up, his fingers working tirelessly on your clit while his cock hammers away at your tight pussy. Relax, being so tight is only gonna make him finish faster and he's already stated he's not stopping until you agree that he can just work on papers when he gets home as well. You'll still have his attention, just divided between work attention and home attention.

[gay-jesus-probably]

Okay so I have a lot of thoughts about the whole thing of the Gerudo being a race of entirely women, with the only exception being one man born every hundred years, and that man automatically being their king. Now this worldbuilding comes from Ocarina of Time, and there's obviously a metric fuckton of unfortunate implications there, because it was 1998. And it seems that Tears of the Kingdom is sticking with the lore of Gerudo men being extremely rare and becoming the King of their people, which once again has a metric fuckton of unfortunate implications because it's 2023 and Nintendo has somehow gotten even worse about this shit.

But let's set aside the whole... everything, and look at this from just the in-universe perspective. How does it work? I mean, it's pretty clear that there is no overlap between the kings; the old ones are normally long gone by the time a new one is born, but the Gerudo manage to take care of themselves during the hangtime. So they must have an established system of government and leadership that doesn't involve a king, and somehow that system is set up in a way that does a smooth transfer of power once a new king is born and old enough to take the throne. But why bother always declaring a random guy to be your King when you already have a perfectly functional system in place?

I mean again, the whole thing has a lot of sexist implications, but we're not looking at this from a real world context, we're examining it in-universe. And we could just go the lazy route and say that their king is in charge just because he's the only man, but I don't like that. I mean come on, the Gerudo are a race of entirely women, and most of their outside problems come from Hylian men being creepy about it. They are entirely a matriarchy; there is literally no reason for their culture to have an inherent respect for men, even if the man in question is one of them. And they're desert people; they live in an extremely harsh and dangerous landscape, if they don't have their shit together, they will die. By sheer necessity, their culture needs to put a lot of value in being practical, because if they're stupid about things, people die. They really can't afford to have a shitty leader take over, and just letting some guy take the wheel doesn't really fit with the way their culture must otherwise work.

So again, why the fuck do they bother having a King?

I think it's mainly just a ceremonial position. Yes, if the guy is a good leader he'll be in charge, but if he isn't good at being a King or isn't interested in the job... fuck it, they've already got a functional government system that's been leading their people the whole time, why fix what isn't broken? The title of Gerudo King isn't about leadership or power. I think it's more about belonging. Because the Gerudo are a culture where every single one of them can be defined in the same way... and there is exactly one exception once a century. Men are considered to be inherently outsiders at the best of times, and more often they're enemies. A man born into this culture is a natural outsider; he is completely unique, and that means he doesn't really fit into his community. And well... when someone is fundamentally different from the rest of their community, they tend to be ostracized.

So I think that's why the position of Gerudo King exists. It isn't about them needing or even wanting a man to lead them. The title of King doesn't need to involve any leadership at all. It's about giving the man born every century a place in their society. It's a way of saying yes, you are one of us, you are a Gerudo, you belong here, you are wanted and you are loved.

The Gerudo know that every hundred years, one of their children will be fundamentally different from all of his peers. And so their society is built to ensure that a child who is completely different from them will still be loved and accepted. He will always have a place in their society. He doesn't need to earn their love, he has it just for existing. These are his people.

The title of Gerudo King isn't an inherent position of authority. It's a promise of acceptance.

[shanastoryteller]

HAPPY HOLLYDAZE!! More Lady Mo if possible!!! ✨

a continuation of 52 53 54 55 56 57

"I believe," Lan Wangji says severely, "that what my wife does or does not do is no one's concern but mine."

Xuanyu raises an eyebrow at that, which he ignores. He knows exactly what she thinks about his concern regarding her actions. She'd been irritated that he was upset she faced fierce corpses alone, of all things.

Jin Zixun pales, but he must have a high opinion of his own importance because he says, "For fuck's sake, you're being ridiculous. A year ago no one would have cared if she drunk herself to death and now she can't even have a little wine?"

Lan Wangji does not make the conscious decision to unsheathe his blade, but there it is gleaming in his hand.

Jiang Yanli is being pushed back into her seat by her husband while her son stares wide eyed.

There's some intense shuffling from the Lan section. Although he doesn't turn around, he does hear Jingyi and Sizhui whispering furiously. He wonders who is restraining who.

Jiang Cheng is standing with a hand on his sword and no one is going to any effort to restrain him at all. Li Shuchun, the only one that might have a chance of it, is leaning back to exchange money with another Jiang disciple.

"This is quite enough!" Jin Guangshan shouts. "What's this about? Sect Leader Lan-"

"Oh, be quiet Father," Xuanyu says, getting to her feet and stepping forward to grab his hand and shove his hand down. "What's with you today, Wangji? Put that away." She's very close and glaring at him, so he resheathes his sword.

"Jin Xuanyu!" Jin Guangshan thunders.

She rolls her eyes, turning to Jin Zixun. She punches his shoulder, a move that he dodges instantly. Which leaves him wide open when she grabs his sword off his hip, tosses it to Jin Guangyao, and then drops to kick his legs out from under him.

She pushes down on his shoulder, keeping him on his knees, and says, "Wangji, dear, would you hold him for me?"

She called him dear.

He steps to grab Jin Zixun's wrists, keeping him in place.

"What are you doing?" he howls. "You can't just-"

"You wanted to drink, right?" she asks then picks up a wine bottle with one hand and pinches his nose shut with the other.

He opens his mouth and Xuanyu pours wine down his throat. He can either drink or drown.

"Come on," she says cheerfully, "don't you want to drink to another fruitful year? Have some more!"

He drinks until he's coughing and sputtering, eyes glassy. Everyone just watches, but then again who is there to say anything? Jin Zixuan is keeping himself firmly in his own seat and Jin Guangshan and Madame Jin are just staring, probably more interested in watching everyone else's reaction then anything else.

"There," she says once the bottle is empty. "Feeling better?"

"You're crazy," he coughs.

Xuanyu's grin widens. "I am the legitimate daughter of Sect Leader Jin. I am the wife of Hanguang Jun. What I am is someone who is above you. You're lucky I don't have you whipped for your impudence. Isn't he, Father?"

Jin Guangyao has never once made a fuss about his status, afraid that what was easily given could be easily taken. Xuanyu clearly is, because her own status can't be revoked without making a mockery of the Jin's treaty with the Lan, and Jin Guangshan either reaffirms her rights and privileges as his daughter or risks lowering the authority of the son he does favor - Jin Zixuan.

Lan Wangji is suddenly grateful that Xuanyu hadn't been interested in manipulating him to her benefit.

Jin Guangshan is nearly purple in rage, but he gets out through clenched teeth, "Yes, Xuanyu. Of course."

"Why has the music stopped?" she asks the hall, giving Lan Wangji a look. He lets go of Jin Zixun and can't help the curl of amusement when he falls flat on his face. "This is a banquet, after all!"

The music starts up again and conversation slowly starts once more as Jin Zixun stumbles from the hall. He doesn't want to leave her side, but she's seated by Jin Guangyao once more and chatting about the schedule for tomorrow. Jin Guangyao seems supremely relaxed, which Lan Wangji is given to believe that means he's laughing on the inside.

He sits down next to his brother, waiting for the scolding he rightfully deserves.

"Wangji," Xichen says seriously. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think I love your wife."

He hides his smile behind his teacup.

[cupidscrule]

sooo if u could do bullysatosugu x fem!reader u would do me a biiiiiiggg favorrr and thak youuu

PUPPY BABY !

BULLY!Satosugu× afab!reader (no prns r used)

WARNINGS - light bondage, mean Satoru and suguru, slight non con? Reader doesn't explicitly consent but it's Implied, au where suguru isn't a cult leader, p in v, forced blow job, marking, reader gags on their panties

1.2 k wrds

You were their victim, all throughout highschool and now as a teacher. Still their victim, even though you three had grown up that didn't stop them, Satoru. Suguru.

Fucken assholes, calling you names, making fun of how you look, talked, anuthin' they could.

It was miserable, you couldn't do anything against them either way so it was pointless, the only reasonable person in your life was Shoko

"I swear I'm gonna kill them." You mutter to her dramatically falling back onto her bed, "I know they're annoying " she replies glam in over at you, she was the only person you could TALK to. At least she was always there as a buffer between you and the bastards, always let you rant and scream with her.

They never fucked around with Shoko though, no idea why they won't respect you but they will her.

"I'm so tireddd" you groan leaning back in the empty classroom, your students were currently out on a mission, probobly not dead. Shoko was off doing god knows what and, well there was Gojo and Geto. Honestly it was a pretty good day, they weren't around you; they were doing their own thing. Meaning you get peace and quiet. Which is rare.

"Hey y/n! What's up" the way too familiar voice echos, sound of the creaking door opening. Standing in the doorway the men.

"The hell do you want" you murmmer looking over at them, eyes halflided looking both grosed out and annoyed. Typical reaction to seeing those dicks.

"You looked lonely, thought we'd stop by" suguru said causally, shrugging his shoulders.

"Whatever bullshit your up to, I don't care" you say plainly, to your dismay they don't leave though. Coming up closer to you, Satoru talking about random shit, suguru just looking over at you. You were leaning on one of the old desks, too tired to be bothered to get rid of the pests

Satoru coming up beside you pulling on your hair harshly, slightly whimper comes from your lips

"Oh fuck sugu~ hear that" the white haired one says smirking like a cunt

Pulling away from him, standing a few feet away from them. "Fucken' whore" he whispers small laugh coming from him

" 'toru aren't you being a bit mean to the poor thing?" Geto hums, hands in his pockets. Eyes lingering on the display infront of him

"Nah shes not crying it's fine!! Sugu don't be such a downer " Satoru says fake frown on his dumb little face. Looking back over at you his hand going to grab your face, only to be stopped by you slapping it away

"Don't touch me." You say short, teeth gritting

"Bitch oh you're gonna regret that" he glaring at you, roughly grabbing onto your shoulders pushing you firmly against the wall, his grip tight, nails digging into your soft skin though the fabric of your uniform

Before briefly releasing you, shoving you down. Honestly you're kinda shocked, shocked that he thinks he can just get away with this. But of course it doesn't even MATTTER suguru's standing beside the cunt. They both have a devilsh look on their eyes which made you shudder, brows furrowed at them

"Yknow I've- fuck always been more a dog person"

Fucking humiliation is all you felt, they had you on your knees. Hands held behind your back, gagging on Satoru, even worse was your soaked panties, the fact you were getting off on this

Suguru sat on a chair behind you, holding your wrists firmly, while you were buried between satorus legs, his hand held on your hair gripping it and fucking your sore throat. Only sloppy moans came from you, tears in your eyes

"Shit you crying? What happened to tellin us to fuck off ?" Suguru laughs, using his free hand to rub the tears off your face.

"Mmf- don't even have a gag reflex you really are - fuck a slut huh?" Satoru says, forcing you to take his whole length, feeling his seed seep into your throat.

He pulls out, still semi hard dick in his hand "swallow." He said, watching you, a teary pretty little mess choke it down, face all red.

"Better listen hunny" suguru mutters patting the side of your cheek, you would almost think it was endearing if it wasn't for your situation.

No matter how much you tried you just couldn't make a coherent sentence, just babbles of cuss words.

"F-fuck y- you-"'

"Use your words" suguru says again in that sickly sweet tone

Satoru still up in front of you, looking down at you as if you're a bug.

"I h- hiccup hate- you. " Only words to come out of your mouth, wasn't really what they wanted to hear but it was something !

Suguru letting go of your wrists , releasing you, thighs were pressed together , dribbles of cum coming down from your chin with still teary eyes, awe it made satorus heart melt. For a moment he almost wanted to take away all the pain you were in, but then you wouldn't be crying so what's the fun in that?

"I'll take care of you hm? Alright hunny?" Suguru says, picking you up, bending your down, stomach down and ass up on the cold desk you were sitting on, you still had all your clothes on. Well despite your shirt being ever so slightly unbuttoned. Suguru with ease pulled down your sweats, your white lacey panties soaked, small giggle comes from Satoru after seein' that

"I was just jokin' damn, slutty one aren't ya?"

Suguru gently pulling them off, handing them to Satoru who proceeds to jam them in your mouth, making you taste your own filth, hearing suguru unbutton his pants, running his dick on your slit making muffled moans escape from you

Bullying his dick into your right hole, soft groans is all that's heard in the room, suguru has your legs resting on his hips while he digs into you.

Hands digging into your ass, earning small whines from you

His pace wasn't as bad at Satorus, still sore though. Till eventual you can feel him slowdown chasing his high, pulling close into you and cumming inside, hands still gripped onto your ass making small red marks.

"Cries too much" Satoru says pushing you over onto suguru

"Satoru, be nice they've been through enough ~"

"Mfm-sore- hurt" you whine snuggling closer to them

Huh, maybe they aren't so bad.

PT 2 CHAT?1!!1

[fastcardotmp3]

welcome to dot drops something that's been sitting in her tumblr drafts for 4 months Saturday I hope you enjoy your visit mwah! Steddie; Ballet AU; Dancer!Steve; mentions of cancer treatment; 1.5k words

Dress rehearsal is supposed to be a mess.

That's the point of it, really, to get all the mistakes out of your system and start the actual show run with a clean slate. Or at least, that had been the point of which they'd all convinced themselves when Steve was the one performing.

Bad dress meant good show, or so the old adage went, and so at least there was some ease of worry with the collective understanding that it won't happen on the night within the company.

That was the case when Steve was a student, when he was an apprentice, even during his time in the big leagues at Joffrey, but right now? At the end of a truly abysmal dress in this run-down theater on the edge of a town from which he'd once run away?

Steve is not the performer. He's the guy in charge.

And so he spirals.

He'd never wanted to be a director or an instructor or the head of a studio like this. It had never been in his plans. Steve was a man of action, where the people who do these jobs are the brains behind the operation.

Steve knows how to work hard, how to force his body and even his mind into submission until he gets the steps just right, but this? These past six months back in Hawkins temporarily helping out?

(God, please let it be temporary.)

He's not built for this. He's sitting center stage after everyone has left with only half the house lights to illuminate his misery and he's not. Built. For. This.

Not built for being a mentor or a leader or a role model; not built to handle the strenuous nature of his mother's legacy; not built to carry the name she's made for herself as a teacher and a choreographer and a shaper of young dancers.

Steve's not built for it!

They'd had a shitty fucking dress.

"Hey, uh, you gonna be a while? I kinda need to close up for the night."

The voice echoes across the empty space, bouncing off the high ceiling and straight up to land on the Marley floors at Steve's feet. The stage isn't built for dancers, much like Steve isn't built to be here, so they'd had to pull up the floors from the studio and drag them halfway across town just to roll them out here.

"Hello? Are you, like, alive up there?"

Steve sighs. "Yeah," he calls back, catching sight of the figure talking to him at the back of the theater, the young guy who runs the place and who Steve met a grand total of three days ago. His name is Eddie and he dresses more like he's running a music venue than a local community theater, but he's mostly stayed out of Steve's way so far. "Sorry, I'll get outta your hair."

"Sure," Eddie says, but he's just sort of leaning against the back wall by the window to the sound and lighting booth without an ounce of urgency to him as Steve drags himself to his aching feet and lugs his three separate bags of show stuff onto his shoulders.

There's an energy to an empty theater, one which has held a performance and one which now holds the ghosts of that performance, which tugs at the anxieties sitting buried deep beneath the more immediate ones.

Fears about his mom's health, about what will happen to the studio if she doesn't win this particular battle, about what will happen to him.

There's an energy here in the creak of the steps which lead down off the front of the stage and there's an energy to the plod of Steve's sneakers up the long, racked aisle between the seats.

There's an energy, but it's also not empty, is it.

"Hey, good show, dude," Eddie says, pushing off his wall as Steve grows nearer. "Like, talented kids you've got there."

Steve scoffs before he can help himself and then pinches the bridge of his nose in a grimace for not being able to help himself.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," he grits out, thinking about his bed. Thinking about how he never made time for dinner and he has to be here early again tomorrow.

"Wow, resounding confidence on this one," Eddie snorts, and when Steve opens his eyes it's to genuine amusement, genuine curiosity in the tilt of a head and furrow of a brow.

"No, just," he shakes his head, "you should see 'em when they're really on their game, y'know?"

Eddie hums, and when did Steve come to a stop right in front of him? He's leaving. He has to leave. Go home. Think about all the spacing corrections he needs to fix tomorrow and run through with the girls before show time.

"Bad dress, good show though, right?"

Steve startles. Maybe a little too visibly because Eddie is actively holding back laughter at the sight of him.

"What, I've worked at a theater for four years and I'm not supposed to pick up a thing or two about the ballet?" he snarks good-naturedly. "Caroline, the lady who did your job before you, she was a chatty one, taught me everything I know about Giselle."

It's a knife between the ribs. It's a soothing sort of heat, like from a roaring bonfire.

"You--" he clears his throat, "you know Caroline?"

"Highlight of the job honestly, before she retired," Eddie shrugs.

"She didn't retire."

"Oh. She...?"

"Chemo," Steve doesn't know why he's saying it all so willingly, why after months of trying to run the studio without having to talk about how's your mom doing, sweetheart? he's opening up to this stranger with the curly hair and curious eyes. But he knows her. He's-- Well, he knows her. "I'm just here to-- to fill in until she can come back. So."

Eddie is studying him now. Curious eyes turned intelligent, knowing, sad with the weight of realization.

"You're the wonder boy," he says on a breath like oh, I get it now.

"The what?" Steve balks.

"Her kid," Eddie says like it's simple. He's leaning against the wall again, like he's not planning on getting back to work anymore, "she was-- Shit, man, she loves the hell outta you. Oh, you should see my son, he's in Les Corsaire this season! Oh, my boy, he's just gotten promoted to soloist, he'll be a principal in no time! Oh, the talent on him, the--"

"Okay, okay, Jesus," Steve cuts him off, a half-hysterical laugh bubbling up out of his chest in the process.

"You should tell her I say hi next time you see her," Eddie isn't remotely deterred by having his little, lilting performance derailed. There's a softness to him that deserves a smaller space, walls less prone to echo.

"I will," Steve nods. His bags grow heavy on his shoulders.

"And you should chill out a little bit," he says, this time with the kind of glint to his eye that needs a bigger space, needs to be up on the stage to the point where it has Steve floundering, "y'know, about the the shitty dress that, between you and me," he leans in conspiratorially, close enough to feel the heat of his breath, "wasn't really all that shitty."

Steve sucks in a breath.

It strikes him somewhere old, the reassurance, somewhere young deep inside of him. The comforting from a mother that if he just works hard enough he’ll land that double tour in fifth some day soon, the unbroken promise that she would never give him special treatment as the son of the studio owner, but that she would never hesitate to reward him when he’d earned it on his own.

It strikes him because no one tells you how little reassurance the guy in charge is ever offered and it strikes him because it’s been such a long day and it strikes him because—

“Hey, have you had dinner yet?”

Eddie’s eyebrows lift high on his forehead and Steve sees it, the attitude on this dude that his mother absolutely would have loved in an instant. There’s a performer in there, even just in the brief interaction they’ve shared so far. There’s a spotlight pointing inwards and a show begging to be dragged out.

“No,” Eddie drags out slow and curious, “you offering, ballet boy?”

Steve needs a sounding board and he needs another set of eyes and he needs his mom to be okay and the show tomorrow to prove that he can handle this for her if she’s not, but maybe what he needs most right now, on the other side of a spiral in a dark and echoing theater, is this.

“Meet me at Benny’s in thirty,” he says simply as he makes his way for the door. “Since you’re such an experienced test audience.”

Eddie’s responding laugh is bright and his eyes glitter with curious amusement and maybe this is what Steve needs because maybe all of this is one big rehearsal at a big new life in and old small town.

And maybe this is his chance to make a mess of it. At least until the real show starts.

[autistichalsin]

The fact that Halsin is almost certainly a recovering alcoholic is not discussed enough. Granted, the line that shows that this isn't just him not drinking much (like he tells you at the Grove celebration) is hidden behind a rarely-encountered party banter to Wyll.

Buuut here we go:

First is the aforementioned celebration discussion. Halsin doesn't go (as recovering addicts do- there's a reason alcoholics avoid bars and parties. If they go, they won't be able to resist). He tells the player with a smile that he only imbibes on special occasions because, basically, he can't hold his liquor. As Halsin tends to do when saying something that implies his trauma, he keeps it light. "I'd be bursting into song or declaring love for the first person I saw." Like it's just a funny little quirk.

Then comes the line to Wyll, which the player is not very likely to encounter, and Halsin still downplays a bit: "After the shadow curse, I became overly fond of honey mead and melancholy evenings by myself. Now I rarely imbibe - only on the most special of occasions."

Overly fond of not just the drink itself, but of "melancholy evenings by himself." Addicts often refuse to do their addiction in view of others, knowing the likelihood of being judged; this would have been compounded by Halsin, an apprentice-turned-leader, likely struggling to prove himself as worthy.

Wyll responds that he wants to break Halsin's dry streak (not grasping the depth of the issue), and Halsin doesn't respond- in the negative or affirmative. This indicates that he doesn't even consider breaking the Shadow Curse as a reason to break his sobriety.

Lastly comes the ending, where Halsin agrees to a drink. And immediately gives away something very telling: "Perhaps after a drink or five I'll be tempted to inflict some of my singing on you all - as if the city has not suffered enough."

Maybe if you are or know an addict, you spotted it. I'll give you a hint: it's not the jokes about his bad singing.

"Perhaps, after a drink or five".

Or five.

The instant Halsin imagines himself having a drink, it's not a drink or two; it's MANY. And yeah, sure, just saved the whole world, of course everyone's probably getting shit-faced-drunk, but he leaves no room for the idea that he could have just a single drink.

Which will be familiar for anyone who has spent time around addicts or is an addict themself.

I know it's understated, only being in a few scenes, and this one is easier to wave off than Halsin's sexual assault backstory. But I think it's still an important part of his story- showing how he struggles with control, and how he still carries a tremendous amount of trauma/PTSD from the Shadow Curse.

[stevieschrodinger]

Eddie finds King fucking Steve Harrington crying in a bathroom. It's the last fucking thing he ever expects to see and he really, really wants to laugh about it. Really, he does.

But Steve's a perfect Omega in his perfect cheer leader get up and even with his face blotchy and red he looks fucking beautiful. And Eddie might think King Steve is a bitchy piece of work, and he might think that Steve almost definitely deserves whatever is happening to him...but Eddie's just a weak ass Alpha, and the whole bathroom reeks of distraught Omega, and Eddie finds himself saying, 'hey, man, are you like, okay-'

'Just fuck off!' Steve snarls back at him.

And, yeah.

Okay.

Eddie gets it.

Just as the door is swinging shut on him he hears Harrington shouting suddenly, 'wait! Munson! Hold on-'

So Eddie goes back in, 'yeah?'

And Steve has his wallet in his hand and is pulling out a wad of cash and is fixing to buy every pill Eddie has. Which, wierd enough to maybe clang a tiny alarm bell in Eddie's head but also, like, fuck it. This isn't his problem and Harrington's cash is as good as anyone's, 'you planning a party?'

'Sure,' Steve replies, pocketing the baggies somewhere in his cute as fuck cheer skirt, 'it'll be a rager.'

'Whatever man,' Eddie says as he leaves.

'Oh yeah,' Tommy fucking Hagan. Eddie hates him, but it's hard not to overhear, 'he cried he was so fucking desperate for it.' And all the jocks laugh.

Turns out there is a party tonight; Steves not here yet though, not as far as Eddie can see, at least. Not that he'd thought about it. Not that he was worried about the Omega, or anything. Just stupid instinct.

'It'll be the end of the cheerleading, that's for god damn sure, no Omega of mine will be walking around dressed like a slut.' And Eddie paused, deliberately stops to listen.

'Where is Harrington then, since he's so yours then?'. Some stupid moron pipes up.

'Piss off,' Hagan snaps back, 'doesn't matter where he is; that's my pup in him. He's not gonna have a choice, I'll have him bit by this time next week.'

It takes about four seconds for Eddie to put it together, and then he's running, pushing and shoving people out of the way to get out. He knows Exactly where Steve lives. He's been there to sell at a couple of parties and he probably breaks fifty speeding laws on the way over. The house is dark and no one answers and panic is truly clawing up Eddie's throat now.

He's imagining Steve dead on the floor somewhere, mouth frothing from the overdose.

He doesn't think twice about throwing himself over the back fence, Harrington had big fancy sliding doors out onto the back yard and if those are locked Eddie will just smash them-

Steve's sitting there. Just sitting there. He's got a beer and his feet are in the pool and Eddie can hear gentle splashing where he moves his feet around.

As Eddie gets closer he sees a little pile of baggies and...they all still have pills in them. Eddie's never been more relieved in his entire life.

Steve startles when he realises Eddie's there, must have been so in his own head he didn't even notice Eddie scramble over the fence.

'Hey, Steve, sorry, I just- I was- I got worried.'

Eddie crouches next to Steve, sweet Omega who smells so desolate; he hasn't even opened the beer.

'I, ah, heard Hagan, you know, he, uhm, anyway, got a little- thought I'd check on you, you know.'

Steve's voice is cool and emotionless when he answers, 'he telling everyone about my heat?'

Eddie nods, Steve snorts derisively, 'didn't even want him, just got caught out and he swore he'd use a rubber, lying fucking prick.'

'You don't have to do this, though -' Eddie starts to slide the little stack of pills away, but Steve gets him by the wrist.

'No take backs no refunds, right? That's what you tell people?'

'Well, yeah, but, I mean, I'll make an...an exception.'

'No thanks. Not like I got a lot of choices right now.'

'Steve...there...there's got to be something-'

Steve kicks a little, splashing the water. It's dark now, the stars are out, and he cranes his head back to look at them. 'I'm pupped. Without an Alpha I'll get separation sickness and all that shit. He's going to want to bite me, so my choice is let him, die to the sickness, or just do it now. And like fuck am I letting Hagan bite me, that's a fate worse than death.'

Eddie privately agrees, 'but what about, like, a different Alpha?'

Steve snorts a laugh, 'someone I know? Going against Hagan?'

And Steve is right, there's no one around who would do that; pretty much the whole school would turn on them at Tommy's whim. They'd be a social pariah; Tommy would do his best to make their life not worth living.

Fortunately Eddie knows an Alpha who is already in that position. 'What about me?'

[stealth-liberal]

Whew, I have a lot to say, and I know for a FACT that not a single non Jewish person on here will give a shit... but I have to vent.

Antisemitism in America is so bad that I honestly don't know if it's safe to send my daughter off to college in 2 years. She doesn't know either. Both of us have discussed her staying home and doing as much of her university education online, so as to keep her safe. She has sensory issues and an anxiety disorder... and already she has been rejected all over the place in her high school campus since 10/7.

The Women's Empowerment Club? The club leader has made it so that no female Jewish student feels safe there, and all of them quit. The little leftist neo nazi in charge of it probably cheered as they left and patted herself on the back for her "praxis". Maybe she can start goose stepping and yelling "Heil Hitler!" while she's at it. But she's not unique. Feminist organizations the world over deny mass rape of Jewish women. Why? Because it's Me Too Unless You're a Jew. They want us all raped and in the grave. Period.

The Pride Club? Forget it. All queer Jewish kids are persona non grata there. Apparently it's cool if Jewish queers are the subject of violence... and I can't say more or I'll start wanting to kill people. I am bisexual, my husband is bisexual, our daughter is lesbian. I have been part of this community since I was 12 as an ally and since I was 15 as a bisexual (took me some time to figure out what I was). My daughter came out in 4th grade for G-d's sake. We've been there, fighting the fight and now... queer organizations all over the world are abandoning us. They honestly hope we will all die, the more violently the better.

I was a proud intersectional feminist and a proud queer woman my whole life. Or at least ever since I could make decisions about that sort of stuff and what I believed. And I have been abandoned, my daughter has been abandoned, for blood sport. Her friends are pulling away from her and we all know why... because she committed the unpardonable sin of being Jewish.

Funny part? The Muslim Student Union has done nothing to her or the other Jewish kids on campus. Ponder that thought leftists if you will.

My son is in 8th grade and for the entirety of his 6th and 7th school years he was relentlessly bullied for being Jewish. We live in a red town and it was right wing antisemitism. It was so bad that I had to remove him for his safety from the school for a while. Now? It's left wing as well, he's catching it from both sides and I don't know how to protect him.

No one cares. Frankly, if my 13 year old son committed suicide to get away from it all... they would throw a party. Another dirty Jew/Zionist down... am I right? None of you give a fuck.

I marched, I protested, I voted, I phone banked. I lived my beliefs in action, and the left betrayed me. They fantasize about me and my children being raped and murdered. The more graphically it could happen, the better for them. Frankly, I think they get off to the videos Hamas released in the privacy of their rooms at night.

There's nowhere to run. Israel isn't an option. I know everyone thinks Jews are dripping in wealth... but I frankly do not have enough money to move my family to the other side of the planet. My husband is in IATSE, the stage hand local. There are no jobs waiting for him there. There are no jobs waiting for me there. I have no family there. Neither does he.

Actually, my husband isn't Jewish. I am, our children are, but he is not. He supports us in our Jewishness 100%, but he is not a Jew and he never wanted to convert. Which is fine with me... but how the hell does that work in a country where there is no civil marriage?

I'm not Orthodox, I don't want to be Orthodox. I want full egalitarianism, so I go to Reform, Renewal, or Conservative synagogues, depending on what is closer to wherever I live. Israel is a VERY Orthodox country, and the options are Orthodox or completely secular. This is a criticism I've been laying at Israel's feet for DECADES.

And Jew Haters better not use this as a way to say how awful Israel is. Not when the countries surrounding Israel are either dictatorships or absolute power, divine right monarchies who kill dissenters constantly.

So... there's really nowhere for my family to go. So I guess I'll stay where I am being a liberal Jew and waiting for the sick marriage of MAGA and Leftists to come to my door and kill me and my family.

None of you care. All of you would cheer. I'll never trust any of you again for the rest of my life. Till the day I die... I'll never trust any of you in any part of my life (online or offline) again.

1 in 5 members of Gen Z think the Holocaust didn't happen. 2/3rds of Gen Z think stories of the Holocaust are exaggerated and that Jews were somewhat complicit in what happened to us. Blame the victim...amirite? The rates amongst Millennials are not as horrific... but they're still bad. You all are going to commit a 2nd Holocaust and pat yourself on the backs. And when history remembers you all as the Nazis part 2... you will babble in your nursing homes that you were "Just trying to save the world from the Zionist/Jewish scourge."

When that happens, I hope you die in a puddle of your own shit.

[gffa]

What are your thoughts regarding the “Lost Twenty” of the Jedi Order?

I think it's significant that the Jedi not only create busts to remember them, but display them in the library where anyone can walk right by them--a reminder to everyone, adults and children alike, that it's possible to leave the Jedi life and that path is perfectly valid, the Jedi won't stop you, they'll remember you fondly. When Jocasta is talking with Obi-Wan about Dooku in the deleted scene, she literally strokes the bust of him and speaks with such a fond smile about how his politics took him on a path away from the Jedi:

Or there's a scene in Dooku: Jedi Lost (Disney supplemental canon, so take it as you will) where Yoda and another Jedi Master are walking a bunch of children through the Archives and they ask about the busts. Yoda takes the time to point out that asking about the Lost Twenty is a good thing for the kids and speaks highly of them, that many of them went on to become leaders of some kind, some chose to teach, but most simply vanished, and the whole scene is speaking well of all of those choices.

The Jedi aren't ashamed that some Masters chose to leave, they're not afraid of teaching their children about that even, which says a lot about how they're not forcing this life on others, how they're not trying to hide that other paths are available for Jedi, they're supporting that. And I like that it's specifically the Lost Twenty Masters over the course of their history, because it makes sense to me that there would probably have been far more Jedi who left as younglings or even Knights, when they were still figuring themselves out, because being a Jedi takes a huge commitment, that's one of the things Star Wars as a whole emphasizes, that the Force and the Jedi way is a very serious thing, it takes a lot of dedication, it's not just a whim. And being able to touch and use something as powerful as the Force should require a huge commitment, especially because of how it works based on your thoughts and feelings, you have to be mentally stable to use it, that's literally just how it works. But by the time you're a Master, you've had time to really consider your life, you've had time to question whether you really want this, you've had time to commit yourself truly to this path--and you can still leave! They'll still give you a bust in the library! It just doesn't happen very often because, by that point, a Master would have been asked to undergo several Trials to make sure this is what they want, to make sure this life is right for them, and given a lot of time to consider it. So, that we know the Lost Twenty were a thing in the Jedi Order, that it was significant enough to include in the worldbuilding and specifically how it was included (in a positive way), says a lot about who the Jedi are and how they treat those who leave. I mean, look at Dooku in AOTC, Mace and Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke positively about him right up until he was revealed to be a Sith Lord, because they trust Jedi who decide this path isn't for them. And if you go by Padawan (and possibly Tales of the Jedi), Dooku was STILL VISITING after he chose to leave:

Not only that, but he was there to talk with the Council because they still valued him:

Or in Tales of the Jedi, he was there during the events of The Phantom Menace because he asked Qui-Gon about the Sith he ran into, showing that he was still welcome:

He was also there after Qui-Gon's death, by which time he was already under Sidious' tutoring, so he would have had to have left the Jedi by the time of Qui-Gon's funeral:

Take Disney era canon as you will, of course, but even without it, the Lost Twenty speak well of the Jedi and how they treat those who decide to leave, even the ones that have spent decades committing themselves to this path. The Jedi are open about how you can always walk away, you can always change your mind. They ask that you be serious about it, but they make sure even the younglings know that it's always an option!

[tossawary]

The Qijiu position as the top two peak lords is fascinating to me, because if Shen Jiu really, REALLY didn't want to be around Yue Qingyuan, he could just leave! Shen Yuan spends about 3 years wandering after the Immortal Alliance Conference, so Shen Jiu wouldn't even have to leave permanently, if he needed to get away.

But Shen Jiu pursued the wealth and power and stability of Cang Qiong, and he's not giving it up! On the way to Shuang Hu City for the Skinner Demon, Shen Yuan comments on the carriage being packed full of luxuries like a fancy chessboard that won't be used and multiple tea sets, so I think it's fair to say that Shen Jiu liked being rich and being seen to be rich. Shen Jiu spent his childhood wandering the streets and his teenage years trailing after Wu Yanzi, he doesn't want to be back out there, even if he's now a powerful cultivator with the means to support and protect himself. He won't walk away from it.

The sect comes with rules and protocols and traditions. Yue Qingyuan has authority over the entire sect, but he can't press Shen Qingqiu and Qing Jing Peak too hard (it does not matter that Yue Qingyuan wouldn't do this, because Qiu Jianluo would have) without the other peak lords sitting up and taking offense at the sect leader interfering with one of these 12 subsects banded together. The entire cultivation world might take notice if Yue Qingyuan behaved badly. This kind of mutually assured destruction is not without tension, but it gives Shen Jiu a measure of control, which he is not going to give up to leave himself vulnerable and Yue Qingyuan as a powerful sect leader (enjoying the power and privilege that he thinks Yue Qingyuan happily abandoned him for).

I wonder if Shen Jiu ever told Yue Qingyuan to "prove himself" to him by abandoning Cang Qiong. "If you didn't leave me so you could chase power for yourself, then prove it, give it up," kind of thing. "I'll keep Cang Qiong for myself and YOU go away," kind of dare, because Shen Jiu is bitter and wants to hurt Yue Qi back or just wants to be left alone or whatever. (If Yue Qingyuan gets to enjoy this, then Shen Jiu isn't going to be the one to give it up and walk!)

Unfortunately for Qijiu's communication and potential reconciliation, I don't think Yue Qingyuan would do this, because I don't think he's willing to give up the power and control of being a peak lord either. Yue Qi also had an extremely shitty childhood and presumably hates being vulnerable. He's not about to abuse his position over Shen Jiu, but his position is how he protects Shen Jiu, so he's going to dig his feet in and refuse this demand, even if it makes Shen Jiu angry, because he's also worried about their survival. Better to have Shen Jiu angry and alive than defenseless.

So, they're stuck in this awful, tense state of affairs, because they both know what it's like not to have anything and they're not willing to give it up! Yue Qingyuan won't talk and Shen Jiu won't listen, so there's just this! It's agonizing.