#Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought of them during this scene

[wish-ful-thinking513]

Iroh, staring at a tea pot: How do you think it tastes? Zuko: Like tea. Iroh: Yes. But is it floral? Bitter? Mildly sweet with notes of buttery-- Zuko: Warm. And wet.

#Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought of them during this scene #avatar the last airbender #atla #zuko #iroh #atla incorrect quotes #chris rambles #shadow and bone #<<< in case you were wondering where the quote is from #idk how to use the source thing lol been here for years and I still don't know how to use tumblr #zuko alta #iroh atla

[lazycats-stuff]

Please write Damian x friend reader who's really shy, and they have to make a school project together, and they do so at the manor, but because the reader is shy he doesn't want to meet the family. The family (to annoy damian) want to meet this friends, but Damian actually likes the reader and tries to protect him from his brother's

Hell yes. Oh I love this. The fam would do this. Alfred would be stopping them. I don't know why, but this gif is really adorable to me.

Summary: Damian has a crush and the boys decide to annoy them

Warnings: fluff, angst?, Damian comes out to Bruce and Alfred, shy reader... Mostly fluff though.

Damian Wayne, the son of Batman has a crush on his classmate. Yes, you read it correctly. Damian has a crush on (Y/N) (L/N), a shy boy in his class. Damian thought he was adorable and his shyness made him even more cute to Damian, but Damian knew for a fact that he didn't have a chance with (Y/N).

Anyone who dates a Wayne, will be in the spotlight. And being in high school doesn't make it any better. The pressures and the fact that the girls and some guys were throwing themselves at him and for that, he only got his reputation as cold, not interested in anyone.

That made it much more difficult to even think about approaching (Y/N).

And the fact he was suffering alone made it painful. He didn't tell his family, knowing that they would push him to talk to him, but they wouldn't understand the situation that Damian is in. For Damian, (Y/N) is something that is both within his reach and yet so far, far away.

Damian has come to terms with the fact that he will never be able to be with (Y/N). If only he knew about (Y/N)'s feelings...

But fate has some other plans. During a biology class, the teacher announced that he will pair the kids to make a project. Damian dreaded it because there are two bad outcomes that could come out of it.

One is that he ends up with a person who wouldn't do anything and would just use it for bragging rights and would annoy him to no end. It would be awful and Damian would have to control himself to not kill someone and not to cause a scene.

And the second one is the fact that there is a chance that he will be paired up with (Y/N). That wasn't bad per say, not at all, not by any means. But... The mere fact that he would be paired with his crush wouldn't be easy, not even for Damian. He may have a lot self control, but with (Y/N)...

Damian remained calm when he was paired with (Y/N). Only externally. Internally? He was screaming. How does he even approach him? How in the hell? Okay... Try to be nice...

Damian rubbed his lips, trying to remain calm and devise a plan. Approach him when everyone leaves the classroom. Then tell him and give him phone number so they can contact one another... Okay... That's the first two steps.

Wait... What about his family? Oh no... Well, that's a thing to worry about later.

Damian took a deep breath as he approached (Y/N). (Y/N) blushed already and look at Damian with an uneasy smile. " Hi Damian. "

" Hey (Y/N). Can you give me your number so that I can text you the time and we can contact each other. " Damian said as he took his phone out, allowing (Y/N) to put his phone number in. (Y/N) did just that, ever so nervously.

Damian watched in silence, waiting patiently. After that, (Y/N) quietly mumbled see you later and left. Damian followed him, but in a much slower pace. He walked to his own locker, getting his stuff and leaving the school quickly, going to the car to let Alfred drive him away.

During the drive, Alfred noticed that Damian was bothered by something, but he knew that asking was going to be like pulling teeth. Painful and no one would even bother to do it, but Damian wasn't an average person nor a child.

So all in all, it will be a painful conversation, no matter how they turn it.

" Damian, can we talk? " Bruce asked as he sat down next to him on the couch, Alfred setting down the tea for the three of them.

" About what? " Damian asked as he put a book down on the coffee table. Bruce and Alfred got ready for this. Alfred sat down next to Damian, but not too close, just keeping some space in between the two.

" Something is bothering you and we want to know what's going on. " Bruce has started gently and Damian's internal guard went up quickly. They clearly don't know what, but... How will his father react about hearing that he is gay? Oh God...

" Nothing is bothering me. " Damian lied quickly, but Bruce saw right through it.

" You can always talk to us Damian.. You can always come to me, I will never judge you. " Bruce said softly and Damian had to take a very deep breath to stay calm...

Is he really going to come out now?

" It's... " Damian started, clearly out of his comfort zone. " I have a crush... "

Bruce and Alfred smiled. Damian is in love. " And what's her name? " Alfred asked.

And here it is.

" It's his. It's (Y/N). " Damian said quietly, getting ready for rejection.

There was silence for a couple of moments before Bruce hugged Damian tightly. Damian was shocked at that, more so when Alfred hugged him too, but he didn't question it by any means. He hugged Bruce back tightly.

" Please don't tell me that you think we were going to reject you master Damian. " Alfred said from behind, still hugging his grandson.

" Oh Damian... " Bruce said quietly, making sure to squeeze Damian tightly. " I would never judge you for being gay. You are my son and I won't love you any less. " Bruce says softly, rocking his son a bit to calm him down.

Damian nodded, hiding his face, not wanting these tears to fall down. He didn't want them to be seen.

And the time has finally come. (Y/N) has arrived into the manor and Bruce made sure to tell his other sons to stay clear and away from the library today. He said a few warnings and the other three seemed to listen.

Again, seemed.

The project was going well. Damian has been calmer and (Y/N) has been quiet, but was working hard to make it the best project ever. Damian was impressed by that and more impressed that his brother's weren't bothering him or (Y/N). But there was a bad feeling in the back of Damian's mind.

Something was going to happen.

And Damian isn't liking this at all.

And he was right. After an hour, Jason popped his head in. Damian whipped his head around so quickly that (Y/N) thought he got whiplash. (Y/N) blushed slightly at the sight of Jason who had a smirk on his face.

Damian got up quickly. No. This is not going to happen.

" Out Todd. " Damian said as he walked up to him and started pushing him out.

" Oh come on, I just want to meet you frie-" Jason was cut off with the door slamming in his face. He smirked at the sight of the barely controlled anger from Damian.

Oh he loves to push those buttons.

Damian took a deep breath and turned to (Y/N) with a small smile. " My apologies (Y/N), Todd is annoying and he loves to push my buttons. " Damian said as he sat back down and (Y/N) nodded with a small smile.

" It's okay, siblings are annoying. " (Y/N) said quietly.

" Do you have one? " Damian asked as he moved a notebook out of the way.

" A single child, I'm afraid. " (Y/N) said and Damian nodded.

And everything was fine. Until one hour later.

Now Tim popped his head in and Damian was going to kill him.

" Out Drake. " Damian said as he quickly stood up and started pushing him out, still calm, trying to not scare (Y/N), who just watched in silence and wonder.

" Oh Damian, " Tim started, but Damian just threw him out and slammed the door. (Y/N) raised his brow, curious, but to hesitant to ask.

" Again, my apologies, they are just annoying. " Damian said yet again and sat back down, getting focused to continue working on the project.

The silence was nice and comfortable and the library was just peaceful.

That was until the doors opened for the 3rd time and Damian stood up quickly, pushing out Dick into the hallway, closing the door.

" What the hell is wrong with you three?! " Damian whispered yelled and Dick sheepishly smiled.

" I just wanted to check on you two, to see if you need any help. " Dick said quietly.

" Sure. Make sure that these two don't come by again. " Damian said coldly and went back inside, clearly annoyed, trying to calm himself. But the moment he set his eyes on (Y/N), he was calmer and less annoyed.

" Sorry, another brother is annoying today. " Damian said, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm down.

" Are they always like this? " (Y/N) asked softly and Damian nodded.

" I'm afraid so. " Damian said, glaring at the door for a second before he focused back onto the project.

After some times, they have actually managed to finish it. Damian was happy, but then this means that hanging out with (Y/N) is over. After this, they probably won't ever talk.

But Damian just couldn't let it go. He had to confess.

He had to.

But is he brave enough? Maybe.

" (Y/N)? Before you go, I need to tell you something. " Damian said once they were outside.

(Y/N) nodded and waited for Damian to speak.

" I... I like you. A lot... And... You are allow to say no, but do you want to go out with me? " Damian asked softly.

(Y/N) was outright speechless. Damian felt the same way? This had to be a dream...

" I would love to. " (Y/N) said, blushing like mad and rubbing the back of his neck.

" I'll text you the plans later. We can go tomorrow. " Damian said and Alfred got the car ready to drive (Y/N) back to his home. After (Y/N) and Alfred left, Damian slowly turned to his brothers who were eaves dropping.

" You 3 have 5 seconds to run before I get you. " Damian said coldly and the three quickly ran. Damian chased after Jason.

Bruce simply sipped his coffee. It's not worth his nerves. Or annoyance. Or even the agitation.

Bruce sigh. Just let it be.

#dc comics #dc x male reader #x male reader #batfamily #bruce wayne x male reader #batman x male reader #jason todd x male reader #red hood x male reader #dick grayson x male reader #nightwing x male reader #tim drake x male reader #red robin x male reader #damian wayne x male reader #robin x male reader

[the-broken-truth]

Leaving The Web [Part 4] - Platonic Yandere Miguel O'Hara w/ Daughter Symbiote Spider Reader

Summary: Imagine having a day off and deciding to spend it as Spider-Woman exploring the city. However, your plans take an unexpected turn when Miguel O'Hara attacks you and tries to take you back to your own universe by force. Luckily, you are able to rely on your ally, Venom, to take care of him. But, there is a concern that Venom's Symbiote tendencies may cause harm to your loved ones, particularly your father. Will Venom be able to control himself and keep everyone safe?

The black web connected to the next building as you swung through the in-between of the city in your Black Spider-Woman Suit; there wasn't any trouble to deal with today but it's a peaceful way to spend your day off, at least that's what Venom tells you. He was the one who wanted to get a breath of fresh air - he's content with staying inside your body during the day but he wants to have some time just swing around and you take the passenger seat for once.

"You having fun there, V?" You asked your Symbiote, only getting a chuckle from him.

"Yes, it's nice getting out and spreading out legs. You really need to exercise more; we were getting a bit chunky with all that chocolate and tater tots." V said as he pulled your body up and landed on the side of the building before sticking to it and looking at the city bustling below; some people noticed you and took your picture while others waved and sang your praises.

"You're the one that always wants to eat the leftover chocolates from Kristen's Chocolate Shop. If you found something else to eat, then we wouldn't be gaining so much weight; ever thought of that, V?" You asked in your smartass tone of voice.

"Well, if you want us to stop eating so much chocolate, maybe we can start eating the brains of the villains we capture? They are scum anyway, who would miss them?" Venom asked but you just groaned.

"We talked about this when we came to this world, V, we can't just go around & eat whomever we please. We're the heroes of this world and if people started seeing us eating people, it would make them scared of us. Do we want that, V?" You asked.

"No. No, we do not want that. I guess we will have to stick to eating chocolate." Venom said as he lifted your arm to swing to another building when your spider-sense started going off. Venom looked around but saw no one coming until he heard a yell coming from behind him; he turned your body around but you were tackled off the wall by a towering figure and headed to the ground. You looked at the body and saw the familiar dark blue and red colors that you wanted to forget more than anything and Venom caught on quickly.

"Miguel/Miguel!" You and Venom said in unison as you took control from Venom and Gorilla smashed Miguel in the back, making him grunt in pain before letting you go and crashing into the wall as you shot a web and swung away from the scene; knowing Miguel O'Hara, he was going to follow you and you need to keep the people safe from this confrontation. You swung until you reached the top of the building a few distances away from where you were and you waited - soon enough, Miguel showed up with his mask off. You had Venom remove the mask and glared at him with your brown eyes.

"What the hell are you doing back in my universe, O'Hara? There are no Anomalies for you to take this time." You demanded to know but Miguel just pulled out a bracelet, the same bracelet you left behind when you left his universe. "What are you going to do with that.

"I've waited long enough. You're coming home, mija, and there is nothing you can do to stop me this time. I know this world doesn't have any Canon events and it wouldn't collapse if you were here but I am your father and i want you home - in our universe, where you belong." Miguel said as he held to bracelet out for you to take but you just glared at him.

"V." You said.

"Yes, [Name]?" The Symbiote asked.

"Take care of him, don't kill him just hurt him enough to know that I want nothing to do with him." You said as you closed your eyes as your mask returned to your face.

"Understood!" Venom said as the symbiote took over and grew into his muscular body - showing that he wasn't going to hold back anymore. Miguel looked very horrified at the massive body before him as Venom charged at him and punched him in the face, making him drop the bracelet and skip on the roof like a stone.

"Venom! Stand down! I'm just trying to bring [Name] home!" Miguel said as he put his mask back on.

"WE WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HURT US OVER AND OVER AGAIN! MAKE US FEEL LIKE WE WEREN'T WORTHY OF YOUR LOVE AND RESPECT! NOW, WE HAVE A HOME WHERE WE ARE LOVED AND RESPECTED! WE WON'T GO BACK, LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE AND GO BACK TO YOUR WORLD BEFORE WE BREAK YOU AND SEND YOU BACK!" Venom said.

"Then, you'll have to break my body then." Miguel said.

"With Pleasure!"

#spiderverse #yandere miguel o'hara #daughter reader #female reader #spider!reader #venom symbiote

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not changing my OCs backstory?

Saw some recent posts about people fighting over RP characters so I thought I'd throw mine in.

I (F25) am in a RP server for peoples OCs. It's a small server for friends or friends-of-friends so everyone is either a friend or an aquaintence.

There's a channel specifically for people to post their OCs to see if anyone wants to RP with them. The posts are basically references with the characters name, appearance, backstory, etc. and a list of things the person wants to RP with them (smut, angst, medieval, coffee shop, roomates, etc.)

Anyways, I started RPing with two other people, Amy (F23) and Jenny (F25) recently and things were going good. We were doing a modern with magic type RP and all of our OCs met each other at a bar.

Eventually as the RP progressed my OC revealed that she thought she was a lesbian and then realized she was bi (they were all sitting at a table together commenting on other people in the bar and who they thought was cute).

Amy suddenly stopped responding to the RP so it was just me and Jenny, and I just figured that Amy was busy with college stuff so I didn't want to bug her about responding.

A few days later I get a DM from Jenny saying that Amy is REALLY uncomfortable with my OCs backstory. I'm of course confused and ask her why Amy didn't just message me. She told me Amy was really upset and didn't want to talk about it. I say "If she doesn't want to talk about it why is she telling you to tell me? If she has a problem she needs to tell me so I can fix it."

About 20 minutes later I get a message from Amy with a list of problems she has with my OC. The list said:

My OC is lesbophobic.

Your OC is saying that being lesbian is a phase (not at all what my OC's dialogue said during the scene, the word "phase" was never once used).

There's not enough lesbian rep in things and you're taking away even more.

You're replacing actual lesbian rep with an inferior straight character (yes, she used the word inferior).

She basically demanded that I change her backstory and make her a lesbian again, or AT LEAST make sure she ends up in a relationship with another woman.

I was pissed.

I replied back and said:

"Please go back and highlight the dialogue line where my OC stated that being a lesbian was a phase, because I searched the word "phase" in our channel and I couldn't find it. That word wasn't even used once during our RP, by any of us.

Also, there's nothing wrong with something being a "phase". People don't get one chance to pick a sexuality or gender and then get stuck with it for the rest of their life. Sometimes it takes people a while to figure themselves out. Sometimes things change.

My OCs sexuality is literally based on my own personal experiences. I thought I was straight, and then I thought I was a lesbian, and now I realize that I'm actually bi. I'm not lesbophobic for changing my mind, that's not what that word means.

If you want more lesbien rep then go make more lesbian characters. I'm not "taking away rep" because it was never there in the first place, and again, my OC is based on my OWN EXPERIENCES, and I as a person do not exist to provide representation. Why is lesbian rep more important than bi rep? I can name multiple, canon lesbian characters but I can only think of one character that canonically likes men and women.

I'm not replacing lesbian relationships with a straight relationship because even if she dated a man she would still be bi, not straight. It's fucking disgusting that you think a relationship or person is "inferior" because they're not the sexuality you want them to be. She's based on me, do you think I'm inferior for something completely out of my control?

I'm not changing shit about her backstory, especially not to coddle the feelings of biphobes."

She responded with a huge rant that I'm not going to post here but the TLDR is "You're lesbophobic and you hate lesbians and you're awful and dangerous and you don't care about good rep fuck you." and then blocked me.

I told Jenny what Amy had said and she said "Idk, it's not really a big deal to change it? It was a small part of her story and it made Amy uncomfortable :/"

So AITA for not changing it?

It IS a small, insignificant part of her story that wouldn't change anything if I removed it but for me it's the principle: I'm tired of bisexual characters (and people!) being treated as lesser or not as good as "real" LGBT+ people/relationships.

Also I'm planning on making comics with my OCs and I make sure that there's at least a few lesbian, gay, trans, etc. characters in each story so that EVERYONE gets rep. Which matters way more to me than "rep" that only like 15 people in a discord server will see.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[frankcastleonlyfans]

Daemons other kids get jealous of the bond between him and alyssa and they come to their mother for reassurance therefore Daemon finds out they feel this way and reassures them aswell? 🙏🏻🙏🏻

-🧋

𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐘, 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘

pairing: dad!daemon targaryen x mom!reader

similar ask: "Do the kids not get jealous of how Daemon treats Alyssa compared to them? imagine them crying to they’re mom about it" – anon

warnings: child neglect ☠️, sorry i swear daemon doesn't do it on purpose, he's not a bad father, alyssa is for him what rhaenyra is for viserys, HIS ONLY CHILD ☠️☠️, reader is a good mother tho, baddest mom in westeros, this is a domestic scenario that i wrote thinking about my girl @holy-minseok prompts that she send me on a ask one day

author's note: hii 🧋nonnie, i'm SO SORRY that it took me SO LONG to work on this, but here i am trying to remind daemon that he has other kids. AND ALSO, the start of this is based on that scene between elizabeth and philip where they talk about their favorite between their children (season 4 and episode 4 of the crown). i'll write another one just for daemon and the boys.

reblogs, feedbacks and likes are appreciated. support your content creators 💓 please leave a comment if you like my work, and enjoy your reading.

gif by @elena-gilbert

· ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ୨♡୧ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ·

During one of your rare alone moments with your husband, you decided to open up about something that happened to you today.

"Something funny happened today." You mentioned, as you braid your hair, getting ready for bed.

Daemon glanced at you, as he stripped the bed sheets, "Really?"

"Yeah, I was talking to Rhaenyra about motherhood, and she described Lucerys as her favorite child."

Daemon frowned, trying to understand your point with that subject. "Is that interesting?"

"The way she said it was, without equivocation or thought. Who would do that?" You explained, watching Daemon from his reflection in the mirror in front of you. "Openly admit to preferring one child to another."

"Any honest parent." Daemon retorted.

"What?"

As your fingers stopped dancing on your hair, you turned your back to the mirror to face your husband, who now sat on the edge of the bed, facing you.

"Any honest parent would admit to having a favorite."

"Who's our favorite?" You asked.

"My favorite or your favorite?"

"Is it different?" You frowned.

Daemon nodded, "I'd say so, yes."

"All right, you first. Who's yours?"

Of course you knew the answer to that already, you were not blind. And frankly, Daemon never did much to hide his favoritism.

"Alyssa." He answered, without any hesitation.

You gasped, "You said that alarmingly quickly."

"Because it didn't require thought." The prince shrugged.

"Daemon!"

"And your favorite is..."

"I don't know." You stated, confused.

"Liar!" He accused.

"It's true! I really don't know."

"Your lack of self-knowledge sometimes is breathtaking."

"On balance, I'd say that was an asset." You affirmed.

"Well, do tell me if you discover who's your favorite." He said, getting off to bed.

Daemon had been out all morning, flying with Caraxes around King's Landing.

Alyssa wanted to go with him, but the boys started to complain that they wanted to go as well.

You had to make an intervention, otherwise Daemon would had taken Alyssa and left the boys behind.

So there you were, at the yard tent, drinking tea and embroidering, while watching Maegon and Rhaegon playing with wooden swords.

Alyssa was also trying embroidery, but the amount of times she had stuck her finger on the needle showed her lack of skills.

"May I please retreat myself? I'd like to go to the library." Alyssa asked, clearly annoyed that she wasn't in the skies with her father.

"Yes, darling, go on. Have a good reading." You smiled, sipping on your tea.

Dealing with Alyssa was quite complicated, because she was so much like Daemon.

And she was a woman, which made it even worse.

You were the only one who could tame Daemon. He would do anything for you.

But unfortunately, he was the only one who could tame her.

You honestly felt sorry for the poor soul who would have to learn how to control her someday, otherwise, your daughter would remain single forever.

That's probably Daemon's dream come true.

When they felt tired, the boys finally came to sit with you under the tent.

Maegon sat on your right, placing his little hand on your baby bump.

Rhaegon came behind you, giving you a little kiss on the cheek.

Although he was getting bigger with everyday that passed, Rhaegon never stopped giving you little surprise kisses.

"I'm sorry you couldn't go dragonride with your father today." You gave them a reassuring kiss.

"It's okay. We just wanted to spend some time with him." Maegon muttered, bitting on an apple.

"I mean, it's unfair that he spends most of his free time with Alyssa. He's only with us on the training yard, and that's only when Cole is unavailable and father feels like picking on Aemond and Aegon." Rhaegon blurted out.

You felt hurt that your own children felt neglected by their father.

Honestly, it almost sickened you. But you knew Daemon didn't do it on purpose, that's just the way he is.

You could tame him, not change him.

"I'm sorry you feel this way, son. Both of you." You caressed Rhaegon's short hair. He looked like a young painted image of his father.

"It's okay, mom, really. Alyssa spends a lot of time with father, which means we got a lot time with you. I wouldn't trade this for anything else." Maegon smiled, his violet eyes glowing with love.

"Same. Dad couldn't understand us like you do." Rhaegon took your hand in his, the one that caressed his scalp.

You knew you had no preference between your boys.

But you saw that between them and your little girl, who you're supposed to have a stronger connection with – since you're both women –, you couldn't question that you'd rather be with your sons.

A thousand times, you would rather be with your boys.

#daemon targaryen x reader #daemon targaryen x oc #daemon targaryen imagines #dad!daemon targaryen x mom!reader au #dad!daemon targaryen au #dad!daemon targaryen x mom!reader headcanons #🧋 anon

[altruistic-meme]

Am I the only one who actually likes Marcus in the beginning? Like I thought "oh he seems like a nice dude I want Simon to be with wille but this isn't so bad ig" and then when Simon tried breaking up with him his response????? Was so WEIRD? like it just felt off to me that he refused to hear Simon and just went on saying that they should still be together and brought up his dad. Like that was weird as hell. Maybe I'm wrong but if someone's breaking up with you you should just ... Accept it? And let them? It's one thing to try and convince them to stay bc you're so heartbroken, which is acceptable, but with Marcus it felt like different, like he was lowkey being manipulative. It felt like he wasn't listening to Simon at all. And I mean I'm not blaming him for Simon cheating on him with wille but dude you know this guy doesn't really wanna be with you lmao what did you expect

hello anon i love you. 

Trust me, you are NOT alone! This was literally my exact reaction as well. I actually kind of like Marcus at the start, and then during that argument my opinion completely flipped. Because you are very right: it was pretty manipulative of Marcus, and it wasn’t the only time he exhibited that behavior either. 

For the sake of “I’m not here to start drama”: I’m going to speak from personal experience and about my personal opinion on Marcus. I am always open to hearing other peoples thoughts on this as well, if you agree or disagree, just please be respectful about it. I have been witness to two different, incredibly manipulative relationships. I’ve done quite a bit of research because of this. So that’s where I’m coming from. 

Now, you sent me this right before my first rewatch of s2 which means i was paying lots of attention to Marcus when i watched it and I definitely took notes for this so let’s go!

Episode 1 (around 37:00): my first red flag in Marcus’ behavior was how he was pretty instantly overly-friendly and familiar with Simon despite the fact they’d only had 2 interactions. He greeted him with a hug, kept getting very close to him, and was hanging off of him during karaoke. Which isn’t always a red flag, because sometimes people are just Like That, but I still think it’s worth noting considering his later behavior. It just rubs me the wrong way that he is putting himself into Simon’s space so quickly. 

Episode 3 (around 22:40): the actual argument that you mentioned

Like you, I was perfectly fine with Marcus until this scene. I got bad feelings pretty early on.

Simon tells Marcus that he “isn’t ready for anything serious” and Marcus tells him that it’s okay, but then proceeds to immediately twist the situation in his favor. He pretends to accept what Simon says to begin with so that Simon won’t just shut down, but he does still put up arguments.

“I’m not like [Wille] … I won’t hurt you.” Bad Sign Bad Sign Bad Sign. Saying that he isn’t like Wille to catch Simon’s attention and to build trust. Simon’s trust in Wille is broken, and Marcus seems to understand that, so he’s using Wille as a gateway to establish a trust that he would otherwise have to earn. 

Simon basically telling him “that’s not what it’s about, it’s not about you, I just can’t do this now” was another chance for Marcus to step back, but instead he continues to push the issue. 

Him bringing up Micke was a trick as well. Telling Simon that he doesn’t really understand how relationships should look gives him free wiggle room. Because it makes Simon lose trust in his own judgment, and now he will look to Marcus to see if what they are doing is good and healthy. 

TOUCHING HIS NECK during the conversation made me furious actually. It built a connection between them, something intimate, again to build Simon’s trust. 

Reinforced by hugging him as well. 

“I know you don’t want to destroy something this beautiful” is also a very bad sign. Because now he’s telling Simon that what they have is healthy and good, piggybacking off of the doubt he created earlier in Simon’s judgment. 

“Let’s just take it slow” now he’s repeating this, telling Simon what his own terms are while actively ignoring Simon’s decision to end it. 

And finally for this scene, he gives a “reward” for Simon’s agreement. He offers to go cheer Simon on at the competition. 

Episode 4 (around 7:45): he expresses no interest in going to the ball, which is fine on it’s own, but it’s him shutting down what Simon wants immediately followed by proposing what he wants instead, to go to his house. 

Also Episode 4 (around 36:00): last one, this one also is a huge thing imo. “[Wille] seems nice. He’s not at all stuck-up like when he was shooting with Felice.” this is a direct attempt to paint Wille in a bad light. It’s an attempt to make Simon believe that Wille was only nice to Marcus because Simon was there, and that he is entirely different - even rude - when Simon isn’t there to impress. 

This is all to say that, whether it was intentional or not, I think Marcus was absolutely trying to manipulate Simon. So much of his behavior can kind of be waved away (“oh some people are just overly-friendly” “maybe Simon needed to hear that” “Wille did hurt Simon” etc) but also one of the major aspects of manipulation like this is that it can be easy to wave away. The person who is being manipulative doesn’t want to be clocked manipulating someone, it’s not supposed to be overt and noticeable. But it’s still there. In many little things and sometimes in a few bigger ones. 

This was something I noticed on my first watch, and the rewatch only further cemented it in my mind. Do I think Marcus was all bad? No, absolutely not! But then again, neither are most manipulators. I did enjoy him as a character as well, and the actor did a wonderful job. But yeah. I don’t think he did Simon any good. 

#so many thoughts so little time #i need to actually sleep today :') #this is probably only semi-coherent but it is what it is #i wanted to give you these thoughts while i still had them fresh #also most of the quotes are paraphrasing rip me i can only handwrite so fast #while ALSO trying to pay attention to the scene #anyway this is my opinion and while i am pretty solid in my belief of it i am open to hearing other's thoughts! #young royals #yr s2 spoilers #anon #askers #shh ac

[djljpanda]

Hello May you please write about Wednesday’s shy sweet gf who loves cute things but has a soft spot for her even thought she despises that kind of stuff such as affection and being madly in love ( and added jealousy lol pls 😩🥀💗🖤

No worries.

Wednesday was so protective over you as if someone could just think one thing bad about you Wednesday already planned to dump their body.

Wednesday loved how innocent looking you were and how sweet you are.

It still amazes her on how she grew to love the thing she hated.

But to her displeasure shw isn't the only one who loves you sweet shy charms.

Many students in the school were also in love. Her jealousy grew more during the next dance that was going to happen. Many have tried to ask you out to the dance but you turned them all down with a sorry.

But as the dance was coming closer Wednesday had came up to you during lunch and led you outside where she had started to say that you and her are still going to the dance. "We still are but if you don't it us alright-" "No need to tell me all that nonsense I just had to make sure that you know we are going to the dance". "Well don't worry, we will go together I promise", you had said with a sweet smile in the end.

At the dance you both came in as total opposites you dressed out in pastel pinks and whites while Wednesday was in all black. That whole night you both talked you even got Wednesday to dance with you.

But as the night was close to ending you were getting some punch for you and Wednesday as siren student came up to you asking if you had wanted to head to their dorm after the dance.

"Oh sorry I was gonna go with my girlfriend and her friends after this, sorry" "But are you sure", said the siren student as they started to get pushy. Once you saw they were about to use their ability Wednesday came in taking you away from the scene after sending a death glare towards the siren.

Wednesday had taken you and her into the halls of the school. "Are you alright I saw that filthy siren near you" "No I'm fine dear, really I am" "You have to stop this whole shyness as what if I wasn't there they would have use there siren call on you" "I know and I'm sorry. I promise I'm trying but-".

As you went on tears had started to build up in your eyes. Based on being scared of what the soren could have done, being talked strictly by Wednesday, the felling of being useless and weak, and the fear that one day because of your shyness something bad will happen.

Wednesday notice your tears as she put her hand on your shoulder giving you a signal that you can go in for a hug. You hugged her tightly as tears streamed down your face. "Mi amour you are to cute cry, it is also not your fault this is who you are amd I love you for that but don't feel like your shyness is pushing you back. I'm sorry for making you feel that way" "I forgive you Wednesday but is there anyway you can help me become more confident?" "I will help in anyway you need but don't feel like i'm pushing you to do this" "No but for tonight let's just enjoy this" "Alright" "But we should be going your friends are probably trying to figure out where we are". "They are not my friends" "Really Enid would not like to hear that".

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday 2022 #wednesday addams #wednesday addams x fem reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday #wednesday x fem reader #wednesday addams x fem!reader

[lluzionz]

hey can i request xiao/scara hitting their s/o in a fight? ofc angst to fluff with good ending but remember this is your account so feel free to ignore this i really love your writing btw <3

Hello hello dear anon. You can't imagine how happy it made me the fact that you like my writing. Ahhh, I love you <3

-

Them hitting their s/o in a fight

-

Xiao, Scaramouche x gn!reader

Tw:angst to fluff/comfort, unhealthy relationship on Scara's part

A/n: You didn't specify if they had a fight with each other or accidentally hit them during the battle so I wrote both scenarios. Also, I didn't mean to write so much, I just got carried away as usual and please forgive me for taking so long to write your request. I just didn't had any motivation to do so and that's why Xiao's one is horrible

-

Xiao

"Xiao watch out!" Was the three words that rang through his ears as he watched you body collapsing on the ground. How did it came to this. How could he do this to you? He was suppose to protect you, not hurt you. You of all people. His sweet Y/N. His lover. The sun to his darkness. His everything. "Please Y/N, wake up. Stay with me."

It was never his intention to drag you up into this mess. It really wasn't The only thing he wanted to do was to take a late night walk around Liyue with you, while holding your hand and showing you how much he loved you by giving you small kisses on the cheek and telling you how much you meant for him and how much he cared about you. Yeah that was completely out of character for him but for you, he would say and do anything. Even sacrifising his life to protect you. Not the other way around. He would never let you even think about this. Ever. But now, the situation had changed. Now he was holding you in his tight embrase as he ran away from the scene. He wanted to take you to a doctor or someone who could save you but he was afraid. Afraid that people would judge him for what he did to you. Yes, he was the one who hurted you but it was never his intention to do so. It was an accident.

You too were walking around Liyue side by side, holding hands. You were telling him about the things you did that day when suddenly Xiao pulled your hand, stopping you from taking another step. "What happened?" You tried to ask him but he shushed you by placing his hand to your mouth. "Be quiet, someone is here." He said as he grabbed his polearm while he pushed you behind his back. "They are here." He warned as a bunch of monsters appeared out of nowhere. Xiao readied himself to fight as the monsters started attacking the two of you. They were fast and agressive and Xiao was trying his best to fight them off so you could escape, but you didn't want to. You had a vision too and knew how to fight so why not help him? Without giving it a second thought, you drew your weakon out and started fighting along side the adepti.

"Y/N, leave. It's dangerous for you to stay here. Those monsters aren't like the usual ones." He yelled at you as a monster was coming your way. "No, I won't leave you here. I have a vision too and I also know how to fight." You yelled back at him as you defeated the monster which was attacking you. Xiao sighed heavily as he turned his attention back to the fight. He knew you were strong, even without a vision but he couldn't help but worry about you. You were his lover and he didn't want anything bad happen to you. He was lost on his own thoughts when suddenly your voice brought him back to reality. "Xiao watch out!" Without any hesitation you threw yourself in front of him, trying to protect him with your body, but Xiao's reflexes were faster than you, which caused him to hurt you pretty badly with one of his attacks.

A loud scream escaped your lips as your body slammed on the hard ground. "Y/N." Xiao's voice echoed through the void as he turned to face the monsters. He looked mad and without wasting any time, he deffeated every single one of the monsters which were attacking you. After the momsters dropped down one by one, dead, Xiao ran up to you and tried to wake you up. "Y/N, please wake up. Don't leave me. I love you, please wake up." But you didn't. You just laid there with your eyes closed, barely breathing. Blood was coming out of the wound on your body and Xiao was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He was so scared and furious. Scared that you weren't going to make it and furious with himself for not being careful enough and hurting you so badly. How could he do that?

Now that he took you to a safer place, Xiao placed your still unconsious body on the ground, as he tried to wake you one more time. Again, no reaction came from you, which only made Xiao feel worse than he already did. What if you didn't wake up? What if you were already dead? This way of thinking wasn't helping at all and Xiao knew that but he had already lose so many dear to him and he really prayed and hoped that you weren't one of them. Without loosing any more precious time, he lifted up your clothes, just enough to have access to your wound. It was deep and that shattered him but he coudn't let you go like this. "I'm so sorry Y/N." He whispered under his breath as he started stitching you up.

He was being really careful and his moves were slow and the reason was, he didn't want to hurt you more than he had already done. Yeah you may be unable to feel it but still, he had caused you enough pain. After a while, he was done stitching you up and he was bandaging you up when suddenly, your eyes opened and your head turned to the side so you could face him. "Xiao were are we?" You asked, letting your eyes travel around. Without even replying to you, Xiao threw himself on you, wrapping his arms around you and hugging you as tightly as he could. "I am so sorry Y/N. I wasn't careful enough and I hurted you, I am so sorry." He was squeezing you so tight that you couldn't even breath properly. "Xiao, please let go of me. I can't breath!" "With a little "oh" coming from his lips, Xiao let go of you and moved away so you could have your personal space.

"Xiao, why are you crying?" You asked him as you made an attempt to get up but a sharp pain rushed through your body, stopping you from doing so. "Haven't I told you to stop doing that?" You asked as Xiao stared at you, unable to understand what did you mean. "I've told you many many times to stop taking all the blame on yourself. What happened was clearly my fault. I tried to protect you even tho I knew that you are really strong to protect yourself. All I did was to get in your way." What were you saying? He had to stop you. You were talking no sense so he had to do something to stop you. Leaning over, he connected his lips to yours as the tip of his fingers stroked your cheek. "You never got I my way and you never will. I love you very much and I am sorry for what I did to you today. It was never my intention to hurt you. A smile made it's way to your lips as you pulled him closer and kissed him once again. "I love you too Xiao."

Scaramouche

"I told you many times before that I wasn't flirting with them, I was just being polite!" You explained to him fro the millionth time that night as you entered your house with Scaramouche following behing you, still yelling. "I saw you flirting y/n with my own two eyes so don't try to deny it!" For the past hour, your boyfriend was accusing you of flirting with another person, while you only politely explained to them that you were in a relationship when they started flirting with you. Scaramouche saw the smile you gave to the other person right before they feft and turned green with anger.

"You were clearly flirting with them so stop acting like you're the victum." His words shocked you. He had never ever talked to you like that. He usually was so gentle and loving towards you that you sometimes thought he had a twin brother or something. "I am not acting like the victum. I am the victum. The victum of your wrong accusations!" You continued the arguement, not wanting to let him take away your innosence. "I know what I saw so trying to deny it is useless. You are a cheater." His words were like knives to your heart but your weren't about to back up. "And you are delusional." Before you could say anything more, Scaramouche's hand landed on your cheek, slapping you hard.

The impact caused you to stumble bak as your hand touched your now red cheek. Tears filled your eyes as you raised your gaze and stared at him. Anger had taken over him, causing him to hit you. His s/o. His eyes were burning with anger as he stared back at you. His hurt s/o. Without saying another word, you turned your back towards him and ran towards your shared bedroom, the same one he gave you all the love he had. Once inside, you slammed the door behind you, leaning over it as you let your tears ran down your cheeks. Yes your cheek hurt but your heart hurt even more. "Why did he do that? I was only trying to be nice." You wondered out loud as sobs escaped from your lips.

Suddenly the door behind you opened, pushing your body violantely away. "What the-" You sentence was cut off as soon as the door opened, revealing him. He looked angry and the way he walked towards, scared you that he might hurt you again so you took a few steps back just to be on the safe side. As soon as Scaramouche proccesed your move, he tensed. "Are they afraid of me?" He though as he stared at your trembling, still crying figure. You were actually terrified of him and that was enough to tare his heart to pieces.

Without saying a single word, he walked up to you, grabbed you by the arm and pulled you closer to him. You tried to free yourself from his hold but his grip was too tight around your wrist, leaving you unable to escape. "Let go of me Scaramouche!" You tried to yell at him but your voice was muffled by Scaramouche hugging you on his chest. "Let go!" You struggled against him for a few moments, hitting him on the chest with your fists, demanding of him to let go of you but he didn't listen. Instead he pressed your head on his chest on his head with one arm as the other wrapped itself around your body.

"I am so sorry Y/N for laying my hands on you. It was never my intention to hurt my love, believe me." His voice cracked as the words left his mouth. His embrase loosed, giving you the opportunity to pull away from him, just a little so you can stare at his beautiful dark blue eyes. "It wasn't your intention but you did it anyway. And it hurt me, not only mentally but physically too." A quiet sod escaped hin as he tried to hug you again but you took a step back, making his heart ache. "I am sorry, please forgive me. I don't want to loose you too." He finally broke down, letting hot tears ran down his rosy cheeks as he fell on his knees. Not you too. He couldn't afford to losse you too. He knew what he did was really harsh and trust me, it hurted him as much as it hurted you, but he apologised. You had every right to hit him too, to hurt him as much as you wanted but not to leave him. He loved you. He needed your love.

"You won't loose me Scaramouche. Not now nor never. I love too much to leave you." Kneeling in front of him, you cupped his face with your hands, making him look at you. Your expression was calm, you even had a small smile on your lips as you stare at him, the word "love" was practically bursing out of you. "You you won't?" He asked in a low but happy voice. He sounded like a child. A child that did something wrong, got scolded for it but was promised to be rewarded if they behaved. You shook your head. "How can I leave you when I love too much to even stay mad at you." A little giggle escaped you at the end of your sentence as you pulled him closer and gave him a little kiss on the tip of his nose. He started laughing and giggling like he was a little kid. He was happy. He was so happy that you loved him and he swore to himself to never hurt you, ever again. Only to love you. Forever and ever. No matter what.

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin boys #genshin scenarios #genshin fanfic #xiao x reader #scaramouche x reader #xiao x you #scaramouche x you

[frau-kali]

On Self Awareness and Cognitive Dissonance

So @jaynovz made this really interesting and excellent post about Silver's crazy decision to go to Charlestown at the end of S2. I thought I'd toss out my two cents as to why he might have done it. And also discuss some related stuff. Buckle up, folks!

So first, let's begin with THE SCENE:

Silver: I've had my fill of adapting lately, doing your bidding, keeping the crew in line for you. Flint: I wasn't the only one who benefited from that. Silver: It certainly seemed that way.

Here Flint refers to Silver's position among the crew, which Flint sees as a benefit to both of them. As we see:

Flint: I need your help. They need your help. Silver: Oh please. Don't try to convince me to do it for the sake of their futures. Flint: For the sake of your own. Those men listen to you, they care about what you think, what you want them to think. Where else in the world is that true? Where else would you wake up in the morning and matter?

I could talk endlessly about this whole scene, particularly about Silver's incredibly amazing lie and how he acts during it and his bitterness toward Flint, but that's beyond the scope of this. Instead I wanna focus on self awareness.

With these few words, Flint basically drags Silver kicking and screaming to self awareness land. He is suddenly exposed to the fact that he actually means something here. And by his reaction, I think it's fair to assume this is one the few times, if not perhaps the first time, he's been in a position like this. Based on his past actions and his desire to remain anonymous (see refusing to show his face during the schedule thing, it’s safer to be anonymous), I think his previous modus operandi has been to position himself behind some powerful figure and work in the background to help them achieve their shared goals of getting lots of money. Said people were also probably not as smart as him so he could easily manipulate them as well. We see him do this with Flint a bunch, too, working in the background to help him. And that's what his position on the Walrus crew starts out as.

But then he becomes the centre of attention. They start to like him, which he didn't even necessarily expect when he started his gossip monger plan, he just wanted them to need him, despite his proclaiming that he’s a hard man not to like. But no, they get attached to him. And he, unbeknownst to himself, becomes attached right back.

Now, it's entirely possible that he's been in similar situations in the past just like this one, but because he is very good at repression and lying to himself, he was able to walk away without any real trouble. Maybe he realized afterwards that he actually liked those people but it didn't matter because he'd already left and he tells himself it’s for the best anyway. Silver is likely carrying around some heavy trauma related to emotional attachments to other people, given how he tells Muldoon that “we’ll take care of you” is the most terrifying part of everything that’s happened after losing his leg. And, considering everything else, that sure is saying something.

But here, he has hitched his wagon to James Flint, a man after his own heart. Flint is a lot like Silver, a brilliant liar and excellent manipulator, able to bend people to his will and look damn good while doing it.

Then he does it to Silver, too. And it's all while Silver is in the middle of pulling off his own master class in lying, some of his best work, by being outraged and angry that the gold he actually stole is gone and trying to extricate himself from Flint and the crew. Except Flint won't let him.

Flint's request for Silver's help doesn't, I don't think, extend merely to the lovely speech Silver gives to swing the vote in his favour, either. During the voyage to Charlestown, Silver continues working to convince the men of the dangers that lie ahead, presumably at Flint's behest. Scott does indicate to Billy that Silver is using his storytelling powers to “help the captain” when Silver is addressing the crew.

So Silver stays because he has come to value his position on the crew. However he doesn't yet realize how attached to them he's actually become. Jay is right, he could’ve easily deserted after the vote, run off to hide somewhere until Flint is gone, but he doesn’t. And he's still lying to himself about why. He thinks “yeah ok, Flint, you won this round. I'll stay and go on the voyage so as not to arouse suspicion from you and everyone else, and I’ll take the scouts along because I don’t trust them not to fuck this up, but I am leaving after that.” The real reason he stays is because he values his position, he actually likes that he matters, but he is still convinced he’s going to leave because he also wants the money. I think he probably would’ve left, too, but he’s trying not to think too hard about the newly exposed self awareness and continuously telling himself he doesn’t need this and he sure as fuck doesn’t actually care about these people, even as he stays. It’s like he’s torn between how he wants to be and how he actually is and he cannot bring himself to go no matter how much he wants to.

That’s also not even going into how, during the voyage, he is exposed to how much power he actually has over the men on the crew when he gives the scout a fucking look and said scout kills their co-conspirator because of it. And then that same scout tells Silver that all the men know he cares about their best interests and Silver is just fucking taken aback by the level of regard these people have for him. This is on display again when they all stand up in his defence after Vane’s men come to grab him.

When Vane’s men attack the ship, Silver could swim to shore with the remaining scout and if they kept their heads down, they'd probably be ok. They could likely swim far enough away to not get caught, especially at night. Silver surely knows this, too.

Instead, he cuts the forestay and saves the crew. And then he refuses to give up a list of names, once again saving the crew. He has, against all his own cognitive dissonance, become attached to them enough that he endures torture and risks death for them. Now, I don’t think that he ever thought that he would lose his leg, I don’t think that he made space in his mind for the possibility of being tortured either, he knew that one of the men had grabbed the keys during the scuffle when they took him away and he thought that he could stall long enough until they broke in and saved him because he’s good at talking his way out of trouble. I also have to say that it is such a nice moment when he says this to Vane’s man: “The question you should be asking yourself is, where are his keys and has he seen them since he took me away from my men?” They are his men now, his brothers, whereas before he always set himself apart from them.

And it's all because Flint made him see that he valued his position enough to stay and go on the journey to Charlestown in the first place. Silver even gives Flint credit for this in 305 - “Such a waste, it seems to me, knowing that it doesn't have to be this way. That the man who talked me into giving a shit about this crew, he could talk those people out there into anything. If he wanted to.”

Or that’s how I read it anyway. The way Silver’s attachment to the Walrus crew is developed over the course of season 2 and the final culmination of him refusing to betray them is one of my favourite things about his story and I have a lot of feelings about it. I could be wrong in my interpretation, of course, but thank you all for coming to my Ted Talk :)

#black sails #john silver #silverflint #black sails meta #i've never written meta before #i just have a lot of feelings about this #and about silver in general #so i wanted to share #i could just be coping with this headcanon to paper over something that doesn't make sense (silver refusing to leave) #but it makes sense to me #who knows tho #shrug emoji

[hello-nichya-here]

If you had to characterized Michael Jackson as one of the following adjectives that happened to be important qualities in the entertainment industry, which would you pick? Explain your answer.

Vocalist

Dancer

Songwriter

Performer

Picking "vocalist" would imply that his main focus as an artist would be his singing abilities.

Picking "dancer" would imply that his main focus as an artist would be his dancing abilities.

Picking "songwriter" would imply that his main focus as an artist would be his lyrics and not how he delivers them.

Picking "performer" would imply that his Mai focus as an artist during live shows isn't his singing it dancing, but the production elements (costumes, dancers, lighting, scene set up, ect)

Please give examples to justify your answer.

Picking one of the above adjectives wouldn't imply that his abilities in the rest of them are lacking, I'm simply trying to find which feild is his best.

This message has been typed by someone who knows shit about MJ and wants to learn but not through the mainstream media, as you've already said that they treated him like shit.

ANON, YOU FOOL, YOU OPENED THE FLOOD GATES! Get a snack and some water, then sit down, this is gonna take a ridiculously long time because I know WAY too much about Michael and you just gave me the chance to share all of that knowledge at once.

First off, I unfortunately have to get the depressing part out of the way and tell you that it wasn't just the media that treated him like shit. Nearly everyone in his life failed this man on some degree.

His father used to watch him and his brother's practice for their performances as The Jackson 5/The Jacksons - with a belt in hand to beat them if they got even a single note wrong. He'd also just throw them against all too He also made fun of Michael's appearence as he was growing up, mocking him for his acne, big nose and for being too dark to truly be his son.

Joseph Jackson also cheated on his wife constantly - especially while traveling with his sons during tours, since he was the manager. So add "Had to listen to him cheat on my mom" to the lists of reasons why Michael didn't like his dad all that much. He also didn't care where his sons performed as long as it got them money, leading to Michael, while still very much a young CHILD, singing in strip clubs, and, in his own words, having to watch adults fighting and vomiting on each other.

His brothers weren't saints either. They all had to share a room in the hotels during tours, and Michael not only had to hear his older brothers having sex with fans (again, while he was still a child), but he also had to hear how these girls were being used and thrown away. Michael even tried to talk to one of said girls after it because she was crying so much he thought she might have been there against her will.

And when Michael went solo and became far richer than anyone in the family (who by now were FAR from poor), he was constantly harassed for money by nearly everyone, leading to him full on hiding from them many times, and sometimes only "talking" to them by sending his lawyer in his place. In his own words "I’ve supported my brothers, supported them all. I’ve put their kids through school. But they still come after me, still wanting more. It never ends." After his death, most of his relatives were too busy fighting over his money to properly mourn him, or comfort his children.

As I explained in a previous post, the people that were making money off of him and his performances, were more than willing to just let Michael continue dancing after getting seriously injured and nearly dying:

His final tour, literally named "This Is It" because he wanted to officially retire already, was originally meant to be just 5 shows. Instead Michael was tricked into commiting to 50 shows, and pressured to "keep his word." Thanks to the years of neglect to his health, plus the reharsals for this tour, as well the help of a doctor that was more than happy to put him in a drug induced coma and call it "helping him sleep", Michael was dead before the first show of this tour even took place.

After his death, two posthumos albums were released, "Michael" and "Xscape." The first one had a lot of controversy surrounding it because 3 of the songs were NOT sung by Michael, and Sony, his record label, full on say on court that they had the right to attribute these tracks to Jackson, regardless of authenticity - aka "We should have the right to attach his name to stuff he didn't make, just so we can sell it a higher price." It did not go well.

Finally, we have the pedophilia allegations (that people still take as absolute truth despite Michael being proven innocent in court), which can summed up in this 2 minute video:

Said accusations, despite being obviously false, nearly destroyed his reputation completely, AND made him a victim of police brutality during the court case.

Now we got all that crap all of the way, let's talk about what actually matters:

Why Michael Jackson will always be THE greatest artist of all time!

There's a reason why he was called the King Of Pop, why many artists today (from like The Weekend and Bruno Mars, to nearly every K-Pop group ever) take a ton of notes from how he used to do things, why people still ADORE Thriller 40 years later, why he is still so iconic even though "Year of Michael Jackson" was 1988 - 35 years ago. Michael Jackson was the definition of a "perfectionist." A picture of him should be right next to that word in every dictionary.

If while reading about his depressing life, you found yourself thinking "Why did he wait so long to finally 'quit his job', and even then was still willing to end it on a high note?" the answer is pretty simple: Michael Jackson was an ambitious man, with a real passion for his craft, and he knew damn well he was incredibly talented. ALL of the words you chose as possibilities to define him - performer, dance, singer, writer - apply to him, because he made sure he was the best at everything, that no other artist, no matter how good they were, could compare to him.

Everything he did was like clockwork, a ton of large and small parts moving at once.

Michael knew that he needed to capture people's attention, so he used everything he had at his disposal. Multiple dancers, costumes, lighting, make-up, sound effects, back up vocalists going insane on the microphone, and short films to promote songs/albums.

Ever thought some music video by an artist you like was super creative and awesome? Thank Michael Jackson, because his clips were EVENTS, and he really opened the door for people to get creative and actively add plot to their videos/short films instead of just dancing and singing.

This man was commited into making everything he did look fantastic - and I do mean EVERYTHING. In a concert in Moscow, the stage was wet due to the heavy rain before it, so Michael added sliding around to the choreography to show the crew were the water puddles were. Whenever something liket that happened and his shoes were wet, instead of stopping the concert for even a minute to dry them or put a different pair on, he'd just signal for people in the crew to leave towels on the stage, so he'd stand on them while dancing, drying the shoes without having to stop.

But he also used fake "unplanned" events to create humor, and give the crew more time to prepare things for the next song, or so he could change clothes - the most famous one being inviting Slash, who would pretend get "carried away" during his guitar solos and "not stop when he was supposed to."

Then there are things like him using the iconic white glove in only one hand to hide the first signs of his vitiligo, or the hats (as well as wigs and hair-extensions) to cover up the scars and hair loss that he suffered after the Pepsi accident, in which his hair caught fire while filming a commercial.

There was also the time in which he couldn't dance due to an injury, so he did a less elaborate dance (by his standards anyway) while in a chair, but while reacting the entire vibe of the original short film for that song, so it would still get the public excited. That dude knew how to use his little "tricks" to get around any change of plans.

There was also his habit of using black shoes and black pants, but white socks, so that when he was dancing, people's eyes would naturally focus on the thing that is standing out, and thus be able to notice every little step he was doing (he once mentioned in an interview how he'd get frustrated watching James Brown on TV because the camera didn't focus enough on his feet for him to learn how to copy the moves).

Those last two exemples I just gave you, also highlight a very important thing: dancing absolutely is part of Michael's theatrics (see the awesome choreography of "Dangerous", which is one of my favorites, and can often even overshadow the more "flashy" stuff, because just having him alone on stage was enough to create something unforgettable - like the first time he did the Moonwalk

But we can also not separate the dance from his passion for music. There's a reason Michael's entire body moves whenever there's a change even in a single note, be it through a kick, a snap of his fingers, a tap of his foot, or just him turning his head to the side. He had repeatedly said that when working on his dancing, he focused more on the feeling it gave him.

Michael was heavily involved in the creation of his music, from the melody to the lyrics - back in the Jackson 5 days, he and his brother's actively fought to be allowed to write their own songs, instead of just doing covers and having other people write for them. Even though he had been putting out solo records his whole life, he said his albums only started to truly feel like they were his when he started stepping up as a song writter, starting in "Off The Wall", and gaining more and more confidence in his craft with each new record.

And back to the "performer" side for a minute: there's a reason why Michael always gave it all when making music videos. He wanted them to properly convey the meaning of the lyrics, even to people who did not speak any english. That's how important the messages he wanted to share with people were to him.

There's also the song "They Don't Care About Us", which Michael wrote after the incident I mentioned before, in which some bastard cops decided to make him their punching bag. The whole song is about authorities abusing their power over people, while neglecting to do their jobs. There are two videos for this one, one in a real prison, which was heavily censored by american media, and one in poor regions of Brazil, where our government tried to prevent him from filming his video - in both cases, it was obviously a case of the very people Michael was calling out not wanting him to expose just how right he was. (Little fun fact for you: Michael's help, both through expousure and money, for the people here in Brazil was so significant that there's a statue in his homage).

The music video for "Beat It" also has members of real, rival gangs as Michael's dancers, promoting his message for people not let that kind of grudge and "I'm the best" atitute get them in the dangerous situations because they didn't want to "admit defeat" and walk away - once again, he's everything at once, an amazing performer making a cool video, and a skilled writer getting a point across.

His vocals also tie into how much the lyrics mattered. He was literally crying while recording "She's Out Of My Life", and even though he didn't write "Man In The Mirror" that song was always very dear to him (and by consequence, to fans) because it alligned with his beliefs for a better world.

The emotions behind any lyrics, regardless of if it had been written by him or not (and I remind you, it very often was, and he literally fought for that right), were the very core of what Michael Jackson, both the artist and person, was all about. The feeling, the message.

But he also was so serious and methodical about every other part of the songs he made. So much so that, for Billie Jean, he recorded 91 different takes, but the one that was considered the best and ended up on the album was take TWO! And he once managed to prove he had not ripped off a different song writer by beatboxing in court. I am not kidding.

THAT is how skilled that man was. MJ could sing pretty much anything he wanted to sing, and had an unbelievable level of control over his voice, that allowed him to reach super high notes, despite having a naturally much lower, deeper voice. Just compare his singing in these two tracks:

And if you want to hear solely his voice, without the rest of the song to "distract" you, well...

And to circle back to his performances again, even in situations in which he had to lipsinc - like award shows since the logistics for live performances in those places can be complicated, or during a REALLY elaborate choreography - he still had the habit of recording NEW vocals for the songs, so fans would still get to hear him toy with new ideas for his old tracks, instead of just watching him dance while the album's tracks were playing

So there you have it, anon. This is Michael Jackson - performer, dancer, singer, songwriter - the full package. (If you want to see a concert of his in which he shows off all of that, I recommend you watch the full Live at Wembly concert, which anyone can watch for free on his official youtube channel)

#asks #michael jackson #king of pop

[muddyorbsblr]

thots & theories :: loki season 2 episode 1

This post will contain spoilers for the first episode of Loki Season 2 under the cut so please if you haven't watched yet, then press Keep Reading at your own risk.

What you will find under the cut: Whoring out and the return of a side of me that I never actually thought would ever come out again…"Theorist Ally" 🥴🫡

Thots

Please tell me I wasn't the only one at risk of heading to the ER from choking after seeing that first shot of TVA agents chasing Loki down the hallway like besties & fellow whores I did not have "Marvel mercifully decides to leave the mango untouched" in my 2023 bingo card. But we actually got that shot in HD now and it's blowing my tiny whoring mind 🥵😮‍💨

And all the hair flips we got once he lands from a time slip with the tense jaw and neck muscles like Sir we're trying to feel for you and feel the urge to wrap you in a blanket and give you cuddles, but you're making it really hard not to think about [redacted]

Lemme just give y'all some shots that had me feeling all kinds of ways throughout this episode:

Thoughts

Something I really appreciated in this was that while Loki was concerned about how the time slipping looked to people witnessing it, Mobius was more concerned about how Loki felt experiencing it. Precious beb deserves to have someone that actually cares to that level and that bit just warmed my cold dead heart 🥹

In the same vein as above, Mobius' refusal to give up on Loki coming back until the last possible second and even begging OB to hold off a little longer really struck a chord with me because again, he now has someone that isn't just concerned about his well-being but also will believe in him even if everyone's going to tell them to give up 💖

The scene where OB was remembering new memories from his past in realtime during his conversation with Mobius in the present was something that I found insanely clever like let me tell you I was geeking out about it on my couch at 9am on a Friday morning

The sequences where Loki begins to realize in seconds where he's been yoinked off to in the timeline was a really good showcase of how smart our stabby boi is because he was using elements in his surroundings to form a timeline in his head to estimate where he was and he's doing all this under the pressure of not knowing when he's going to disappear again and under visibly excruciating pain 🥺💖

I'm living for the fact that B-15's part of the main group of characters and she really served that look of "are you fucking kidding me and right in front of my salad" when General Dox and X-5 were having their little moment.

Speaking of Dox and X-5…something's going on with those two and if y'all are thinking "mother/son" then lemme just nudge you in the direction of Oedipus Complex because…something about those two don't sit right with me 😖😖

The whole profound emotional moment with Sylvie finally feeling like she can breathe and not have to worry about running anymore and actually eat something that isn't something she hunted would have had the teeniest bit more impact if it didn't take place in a McDonald's but I gotta admit I too have once considered trying the entire menu 😂

Theories

Let's start off with my theories surrounding the scene where they fix the Temporal Loom because I have a feeling that we're going to be returning to that sequence and that setting quite a few times towards the end of the season. And with that sequence alone I have so many questions.

Like how did Sylvie get stuck in the elevator? Who pruned Loki that allowed him to return to his present timeline and also save Mobius in the process? Who's on the other end of the line on that ringing phone in the future? Why is General Dox sending troops upon troops of Minutemen to Sylvie's location and how is she even certain that where they're all headed off to is the location they're after?

So here's a few of my theories/predictions for what we're about to see as Season 2 plays out:

Loki prunes himself – I think we're going to revisit that scene where Loki gets pruned only from a more future Loki's point of view where we see that he's the one that prunes Episode 1 Loki so that he could be extracted and returned to his present timeline. He's the one holding the time stick.

General Dox is a tertiary antagonist – in the grand scheme of the season I think she and X-5 will probably at most be a nuisance with some firepower, but they're not the biggest threat after Kang, which leads me to…

OB is a secondary antagonist – I know I know we love him right now because he's fun and quite matter of fact, but hear me out. I think that his priority will be fixing the Temporal Loom which goes against what at least B-15 stands for because each branched timeline has countless lives living in them. He knows how the loom works and he knows how to repair it, so he puts that above all else to the extent where he could try and reconcile them all once again into a Sacred Timeline. Point is, he won't want the Loom to break.

Rennslayer and Kang are the primary antagonists…and maybe also Minutes? – that casual hard launch in the beginning scenes where Loki's in the past TVA hasn't left my mind and I think this is where we're headed

And now here's where I go tin foil hat and give my most out there theory that I hope won't happen but something tells me that it will.

So…y'all know how in Doctor Who, Clara Oswald sacrifices herself into the Doctor's timeline and splits herself into thousands (maybe even millions) of iterations of herself with the singular goal of saving the Doctor? She becomes a being that is destined to make that decision again and again because the Clara that jumped into the timeline was a life that's probably already been created as a result of that very sacrifice?

That type of circular infinite path of life is like the snake that's forever doomed to eat its own tail in a circle until the end of time. That concept and that symbol is called an Ouroboros.

And now that I've given that long winded intro here's the part where some of you are about to click off and call me delulu and you know what valid but if you're still here and you wanna see the clown show here we go:

Loki will become an Ouroboros

I don't think this episode was just titled "Ouroboros" because we're being introduced to OB. I think there was a more profound meaning to the episode title, that meaning being that this is the path that Loki's headed down. I think he sacrifices himself in the scene where he faces the Temporal Loom without a protective suit on and this will cause him to split into infinite versions of himself throughout the timelines. And one of these infinite versions will find himself in the Future TVA where he sees the Loki from Episode 1 running in search of a time stick.

Now I can already hear some of you going "But Ally why would he do that?" And I'm going to pull from Loki's words directly to explain what his motive could be to do such a thing:

"I want to save my friends"

Now with all that being said, I'm totally open to other theories and I genuinely hope that my big theory is not correct because I really don't like that that's the route my brain went when trying to connect the pieces.

Gonna go and tag some usual suspect besties in this (and not gonna put this into the series tag because self preservation): @gigglingtiggerv2 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @coldnique @peachyjinx @gruftiela @lokisgoodgirl @loopsisloops @give-me-a-moose @lokischambermaid @tallseaweed @mischief2sarawr @maple-seed @joyful-enchantress @november-rayne @ladyofthestayingpower @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @liminalpebble @simplyholl +++

[juniperss]

Paintings and Daydreams

A/N: ummm look at me coming out of writing retirement to write this little ficlet for my new Lackadaisy OC, Penelope that @libras-interactives wanted me to write....featuring Maeve. This is set in the same universe as Under the Devil's Moon but these two OCs aren't in the fic.

Characters: Penny (OC), Maeve (OC) Content warnings for hints of neglectful childhood, childhood poverty, and trauma surrounding food and money insecurity. Word count: 1,236 Translations: A Chara: Means 'friend', A stór: "my treasure"

Penelope leaned back on her stool, forcing her to gaze at the painting in a different perspective while at the same time straightening the length of her spine. The tension she had been holding in her shoulders dropping away and each vertebrae of her spine releasing with a satisfying crack. It had gotten dark outside again while she'd been working but she couldn't remember how long ago that was. Only that it had happened twice which meant that she'd been in her apartment for at least two days now with the painting in front of her with minimal breaks. Not that she minded much save for the familiar ache in her fingers now causing her to flex them one by one.

The painting was coming together well; a picnic scene filled with greens of trees and grassy knolls, the blues of the spring sky and a glistening pond, and the blushes and purples of new flowers. She hadn't been hired for this one that much was clear by two simple facts. The first being that it was done completely in watercolor, not a style that brought in many customers, and two being that it wasn't a portrait. Most people who sought Penelope Thompson out were interested in pictures of themselves or their loved ones to hang in their homes. 

This painting was for herself, at least as far as she was concerned, and would only be seen by a handful of people unless Mitzi convinced her otherwise. It was born from another storm of anxiety that seized her chest in a grip so strong she felt as though her ribs were going to crack.

Her anxiety got worse when the weather changed drastically; memories of a childhood were survival depended solely on the kindness of nature, of legs pulled tight to her chest trying to keep heat trapped as best she could during a winter snowfall, memories of cool fingertips pressing themselves to her burning forehead under the suffocating weight of the summer sun.

She had lain in bed for hours trying to breathe her way to peace before throwing the covers from herself and blindly making her to way to a blank canvas. Telling herself over and over that the rabbit trapped in her chest was being silly, that wasn't the same little girl living in the drafty shed of a house with no meals guaranteed. No, she was an artist now, doing well enough that she could paint as she pleased and teach when she needed.

Though that didn't stop her from hoarding non-perishable good or from keeping money stashed away for a rainy day.

Rap, rap, rap!              

Knuckles against the door startled Penelope out of her thoughts and sent her jumping, long legs kicking out directly in front of her and her arms swinging in wild circles and in the process connecting with the glass bottles holding her brushes and the cup of grey paint water.

"Penny! I know you're in there, I can see your shadow," a voice called through wood breaking off momentarily before adding, "and you wouldn't be anywhere else." Penelope knew it was Maeve. She'd know it was her even if her friend hadn't spoken. Mae was one of the small number of people who knew where she lived and one of the smaller number of people who would bother coming to get her in the first place.

Penelope's long legs carried her to the front door and opened it to reveal the smiling and ever friendly face of Maeve O'Connor. Penny was taller than most people, all legs and arms, but the size difference between herself and Maeve was comically apparent. 

“There ya are. Comin’ outta the dark like a ghost.” 

Mae’s accent was more noticeable after a long day of working at the bakery and Penny wanted to wrap herself up in her friend’s voice like a warm blanket. Maeve had a way of pulling the darkness away, illuminating everything that might seem so scary and too dour with the simple action of just being. It had taken Penelope months of interactions before she’d gain the courage to ask Maeve what she saw in her that made her stay when Mae was all the warmth, humor, and jovial spirit that anyone would need. And Mae had just laughed before answering: “Because my warmth is a fire I stoke constantly to stay burning without scorching others and yours is naturally bright and never violent, Pen. You don’t realize how comforting your presence is, how solid you are, do you?” The memory sat in her brain as though a spotlight was pointing directly to it. That’s when she had decided she’d always be as strong for Maeve as Maeve was for her. 

“Earth to Penelope. Hey, you alright?” 

Penelope blinked again and realizing that her friend must’ve been waiting for a response nodded absentmindedly. “Just a little tired, I’ve been painting.” Maeve snorted, tossing her head back slightly with a laugh. “You don’ say? I was wonderin’ why your blush was green.” With the grace of a ballerina and the familiar ease of someone who knew the layout of the home, Maeve weaved her way around Penny’s tall and wiry frame and into the apartment. 

“Gree-” Penelope had just begun to form a question when Mae returned to her with a damp rag, handing it over before perching on the stool that had been Pen’s seat just a few moments ago.

“You’ve got paint on your cheek, A Chara. Well, you’ve got paint just about everywhere but that’s not important. Now hurry up and clean up! We’ve got to meet Mitzi at Lackadaisy!” 

Maeve was right: there was paint everywhere and it took a good five minutes for Penelope to scrub her face, hands, and arms clean. 

“The paintin’ is lovely, by the way. Especially this weird lil fella with the red eyes, he’s rather whimsical. Someone you know?” Penelope glanced up from fastening the buckles on her heels to admire the work that Maeve had just complimented. There were a few cats in the painting partaking in a variety of spring time activities, but the figure Mae pointed out was tucked off to the side, leaning up against a large oak tree watching the others. He was a strange individual by most standards and if it hadn’t been for Penelope’s careful work, Maeve doubted that she would have enjoyed looking at him for much time. But Penny had drawn him beautifully, giving his awkward form a whimsical and oddly endearing quality. 

“No….no, he’s no one I’ve ever met…I..I dreamt of him actually.” 

A hum escaped Maeve’s lips and she raised an eyebrow giving her expression a quizzical look. “A dream man, hmm?”

 Penny, ignoring her friend,  moved to stand next to her friend, holding out her arms and spinning, awaiting inspection and appraisal. “Beautiful, A stór. Now, let’s go!” Mae was always saying how beautiful Penelope was, even with the paint speckles, and over time she had begun to believe her friend. In spite of her big ears, triangular face, gangly body and overall awkward demeanor, Penny was content with the odd beauty that she possessed.

After all, an artist could find beauty in all things. She pulled the door closed behind her, casting one more look at the painting, before locking her apartment and linking her arm through Maeve’s. They were off to see Mitzi.

#oc: penny #lackadaisy oc #🏷️ my ocs #lackadaisy #my writing #🏷️ my writings #oc: maeve o'connor #oc: penny thompson #oc: Maeve O’Connor

[piduai]

Q&A corner with Noda Satoru from Shueisha Online

things that didn’t make it into the fanbook. i combined them into one post after all, part 2 is at the bottom. scroll a bit if you've already read part 1. original here and here

posting anywhere is fine, but please credit me.

Q: Please tell us about the characters "secrets" that 99.9999% of the readers would be happy to know.

Noda: Sure. When we were creating the official fanbook, we asked people to send in questions, and we received and incredible amount. I read through about 2200 of them, and the most common one was "please tell us the characters' penis size rankings".

"Oh my, how lewd", I thought.

Q: Considering there was only one question per person allowed, why would they waste such a precious chance on such a thing?

Noda: I have no clue. But I gave serious thought to the question regardless, because this is what the readers want to know the most, after all. So, I will announce the most recent penis size ranking:

Ushiyama > Tanigaki > Boutarou > Kiroranke > Kikuta > Ariko > Ienaga > Vasily > Nihei > Lightning Bandit > Tsukishima > Tsurumi

The rest are roughly the same. Sugimoto, Ogata, Usami, Hijikata, Koito are all average-sized. Shiraishi's is a little smaller than average.

Q: In the official fanbook, you named Tanigaki, Ushiyama, Kiroranke and Kikuta as the "four heavenly kings of having big dicks", but it seems that Boutarou has leapt to the top. Ariko Ipopte also looks like he'd be packing... Hmm, very interesting indeed...

Noda: Yes. Boutarou is tall and has long and slender limbs, so naturally he'd also have a long and slender penis. It wasn't simply about the size though, it was more about how good the dick is.

Q: I see. Were there any other question that piqued your interest?

Noda: Alright, using this chance I'll just answer some questions that couldn't make it into the fanbook due to the page limit.

Q: In volume 20, during Koito's kidnapping, why did Ogata, disguised as a Russian, put his hand on Koito's back and leaned in close when the latter was on the phone with his father? Was it because Ogata, who wasn't loved by his father, saw himself in Koito during that moment?

Noda: Exactly. But he also had a huge smile on his face under his mask during that scene.

Q: Share what are your top 3 favorite scenes with Genjirou.

Noda: Chapter 120, where the emotionally unstable Genjirou-chan kept confusing bokke with bokki (boner). 60 points on the cuteness scale.

Chapter 146, where Genjirou-chan's fully stretched dick is rapidly cooled on the ground after he exited the Russian steam bath, banya. 80 points on the cuteness scale.

Chapter 230, where Genjiro-chan is carrying Inkarmat and encouraging her by telling her that everything is going to be okay. 100 points on the cuteness scale.

Chapter 43, where Genjirou-chan is trying to express his gratitude to Huci for helping him after being attacked by Ogata, and ends up crying. 20.000 points on the cuteness scale.

Q: Please tell us of some mundane things about Superior Private Ogata that only the 7th division members know.

Noda: One time Usami pulled his leg; he called Ogata to the training grounds and stood him up. When he got there nobody met up with him, and Ogata ended up waiting alone for a long time.

During the Russo-Japanese war, he didn't notice that an enemy bullet left a small hole in his mess kit, so the rice he put there ended up being dry and hard.

Q: What was the intention behind making Tsurumi a Second Lieutenant instead of a Lieutenant Colonel or something?

Noda: Because he wouldn't have fought personally in the war if he were a Colonel. There's a difference between a superior officer who fights side to side with his underlings, covered in blood, and a superior officer who commands from the rear. It would have had an effect on the attitude of Tsurumi's subordinates towards him.

By the way, intelligence officers received about two ranks higher the amount of pay than regular Second Lieutenants, or so it seems. So he was esteemed as a Colonel anyway.

Q: Ushiyama's modus operandi seems to be just throwing stuff around. How does he feel about ghosts and such, things that wouldn't yield under physical attack?

Noda: He was bad with stuff about ghosts. Sugimoto's shitty ghost stories seemed to scare him.

Part 2

Q: Has Tsukishima kept the letters he got from Igogusa-chan during the Sino-Japanese war?

Noda: He threw all of them away. I decided against them ever meeting again, even on accident. Tsukishima is the best when he can concentrate on his duty. However, given that what he threw away was just too great, I wanted him to give his all to Tsurumi; I wanted him to sacrifice his everything in order to achieve his goals.

Tsurumi's monologue that Tsukishima eavesdropped on was everything that he ever wanted to hear, this is why there was a sparkle in his eyes. I wanted him to enter the last battle at Hakodate full of determination.

Q: At times, when Koito goes on his rants, the text is absolutely illegible, but you can hear what he's saying in the anime. Is it anime original, or do they follow the instructions that you have given them? Will that happen in the future too?

Noda: Of course, the anime staff always asks me what lines they should use there.

Q: In chapter 243, Kikuta commented that Ogata and Hanazawa seemed to have gotten along well. What would the two of them talk about in their time together?

Noda: Yuusaku would talk about exciting daily life occurrences, about things he liked, about delicious things he ate while out in the city, about the weather. All Ogata did was ask questions about their father.

Q: If the cast were students, what school clubs would they be part of?

Noda: Sugimoto would be forward in ice hockey. Shiraishi would be in gymnastics. Asirpa-san would be in middle-distance track and field. Ogata would be center in volleyball. Ushiyama would be in hammer throw, as you could have guessed. Kiroranke would be in basketball. Tsukishima would be defender in soccer, and Koito forward. Kadokura and Kirawus would be in table tennis.

Tanigaki and Boutarou would be on the water polo team, and Tanigaki would get stuck in the pool this one time after Boutarou ripped his pants. Inkarmat, on the concert band, while cheering on him would witness that and be like, "Oh my, look, there's an oboe there!".

Tanigaki would get beet red and hide behind his teammate Ariko while trying to get out of the pool. However Usami from the opposite team would push him back into the water, and before you know it both their dicks are out, and then they’d be like, “Oh, this is so embarrassing”. Morons.

#golden kamuy #noda satoru #translation

[ladyluscinia]

Organizing my thoughts on OFMD 2x01 - 2x03

Strong start to a season. I really enjoy the black comedy aspect of the show, and the "all these people are kinda terrible" aspect, so win for me! The opening scene gave me a lot of thoughts. Actually, lots of stuff gave me thoughts that I'm gonna dump here (as I rewatch the episodes since I spent the first go around whooping and cheering more than paying attention to details lol) so I can start picking through them more coherently.

---

Ok, first. OHMYGOD EDWARD AND IZZ- *I am yanked off the stage* Ahem. BlackHands thoughts will go into a different post, so as not to overwhelm the many other things going on worth discussing. (Link to post)

So. Real first point:

Kraken Era

Big thing I was absolutely wrong about was how dark Edward's Kraken arc would go. I was counting on a very handwavy resolution that would still let him do some fucked up shit, but I expected it to be mostly externally directed violence that toed up to a potential line but didn't quite cross it. Reminiscent of Flint's vengeance rampage after Miranda is killed. Self-destructive harm but only tangential harm of others in your social sphere.

That is... we did not get that. But what we did get I am very here for.

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure they were bold enough in a romcom to blast right over the line into horrifying and then be so audacious it looped back to funny, but they did. And I think the tone is working for them so far. Big saving grace is they went way further with Edward's cruelty but they counterbalanced it by going way further with the suicidal themes, which made the whole situation more extreme and sympathetic. He should still probably apologize tho.

The Breakup Boat

Frenchie my beloved! Also Fang & Jim & Archie & Izzy! Literally the breakup boat is a resounding success all around and I adore every second of their fucked up trauma bonding. Win after win after win.

Frenchie is repression king and it's hilarious. I love how he gets named first mate for presumably being the only one who sounds plausibly honest when getting interrogated, tries to turn the job down, and then doesn't follow a single order while vibing. Also the bonding with Izzy?!? He's steps in during the intervention. He hides him after Edward shoots him, and then later he's checking in on him and leaning against his leg in the cell. Please Frenchie get all up in that Edward and Izzy mess!

And I'm trying not to turn this into a breakup boat recap but also Fang sobbing through basically every scene. The wooden boy story. Jim's terrible voices. Izzy hiding in the walls. "He's our dick" to "He was your friend" holy fuckkkkkk. And the whole mutiny scene was amazing. Jim saying fuck this toxic bullshit and Izzy saving them all!!! (Sidenote: love how all the nameless extras got washed overboard in the storm. More bodycount!)

The tearing into a seagull like zombies scene - perfect. Archie recognizing Stede (did they tell her about Stede in hushed whispers or was it literally just Izzy's singular statement?). All backing each other up on the "retirement" story. Izzy taking the blame to motivate Stede in trying to defend the crew again.

Trauma bonding WIN!

Also sympathetic Izzy has been real forever despite misreads of S1 and the mistaken predictions they spawned, but once again... Izzy!!!

BlackBonnet "On A Break"

They are idealizing each other so fucking hard. Also Stede what on earth are you talking about in the first episode??? "He's just blowing off some steam." "I'm afraid that your life is better without me?" MY GUY are you reading that list of what Edward has been up to??? Denial so strong.

So we have Stede still full of self-loathing and simultaneously convinced Ed couldn't want him but also avoiding the realization that he hurt him really bad because Ed wanted him. And we have Edward actively suicidal over feeling unlovable and determined to murder-suicide his situationship and the kids, except he can't kill himself so he's trying to make everyone else do it.

(And, you know, Edward is very pointedly refusing to see how the people around him would care for and support him if he would let them - even when they straight up offer it to his face - because he is more concerned with the misery of his own twisted narrative about being fundamentally unlovable than whether or not that is a true statement. Stede doesn't want him and everyone else is just a prop for his depression's final act. Very "I don't have any friends" of him - shoutout to that flashback in his purgatory sequence too.)

Edward's self-loathing throwing him into the water, but Edward starting to save himself well before merman!Stede shows up. Because he does, deep down, want to live with or without Stede. Very strong. Like that. Also the idealization on Edward's end of envisioning Stede as a legit magical being of golden scales??? Fuck, you two need to get some perspective.

Stede's Crew

Trauma Lucius I was not counting on, but Lucius going from BlackBonnet supporter to FUCK YOU STEDE was fun. Also Stede offering to be supportive and then immediately trying to nope right out.

Sea Witch Buttons!!!!!! We're going to get naked Buttons charging into a scene screaming about how he's a seagull or something, aren't we?

Confirmation that Oluwande can't read in the funniest way. Well I guess on reflection the scrolls are probably in Chinese so reading wouldn't help, so maybe this point is null.

I did like the note of Stede knowing "The Soul Reaper's" real name. Piracy hyperfixation bonus.

JimOlu vs JimArchie... If we get another poly ship then I'm calling SteddyHands real. I'm just saying.

Oluwande taking initiative to step up and flex his boytoy powers to advocate diplomatically for the crew - very Captain material of him. Also conveniently doubled as a distraction so he was essential to the plan. Go Olu!

Antagonists New and Old!

Spanish Jackie was a treat. I enjoy that she still hates Stede. The Swede literally became a new man by marrying her. AND WE SAW THE HUSBANDS!

Prince Ricky is so far just kind of a shady classist scumbag - presumably that's going somewhere.

Zheng Yi Sao on the other hand... interested what's happening with this whole armada plan she's apparently enacting. The whole Olu boytoy arc was fun. I'm not as into the whole "girlboss" approach to every single female character in this show so far, so, uh, concerned about that. Hoping for more exploration of how she's doing Stede's version of piracy but what exactly is off about it? Because so far there's no real reason to resist her, other than maybe the whole "I didn't conquer China by listening to pirates ramble about their feelings" bit.

Hornigold. Yeah, I know he was a subconscious manifestation of Edward's self-loathing but I still have hope. "Last time I saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me." Does that not sound like a great foreshadowing for S3???

#our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd s2 #breakup boat #frenchie ofmd #zheng yi sao ofmd #ofmd 2x01 #ofmd 2x02 #ofmd 2x03 #ladyluscinia

[bluberimufim]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Hello. I got tagged for this by @squarebracket-trick on this post and I thought it sounded super fun. So, here we are!

1. What motivates you to write?

I started out as an artist, but I began writing once I realized that visual art as a medium wasn't enough to tell the stories I wanted to tell - it had no way of codifying lore, defining character traits, or even just easily telling a long story. I think it's still largely that, in a way. I come up with all these stories and I "get them out" through writing because I sure as hell can't keep them inside my brain for eternity.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

This one is pretty recent, from a few chapters ago in DoS, but I'm really proud of it. I just feel like it emphasizes how much Seth's experience with souls connects with the body, which is the Goddess of Time's domain. A lot of metaphors in this story centre around bodies and physicality because of this. Here's the snippet:

And yet, there was Theo, with her soul so unwound there was no fixing it anymore. The most she could do was keep healing and healing, covering the cracks of the bowl with her own hands in the hope that they'd go back to normal. Keep filling the ocean so that, no matter how many holes lined its bed, it would never be empty. [...] She held her so tight she thought her hands would fuse to her skin. As if she could cover the cracks of her soul with her own body.

Idk, I just vibe with it.

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

(what happened to 3 and 4? where did they go?)

I'd say back-and-forth banter, probably because of my time in theatre, but also horror description. It creeps up on me. I keep writing horror on accident. And I always really like it. Just something about describing something weird and spooky.

6. What do you enjoy most about the Writeblr community?

Mostly the fact that there's all these other writers who have cool stuff and also wanna see my cool stuff. I already loved writing on my own, but knowing that there are people Out There who also care about my stories just feels amazing.

And also, the casual friendship between people. You interact with someone's blog, they interact with yours, and you suddenly feel like you're friends, kinda. I can only compare it to making quick friends with someone on the playground as a kid. I like it <3

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech-to-text, a writing program etc)

I am a very ✨analogue✨ person, so my best writing advice in this scenario is always: put that shit on paper.

Feel unsure about a scene? Put that shit on paper. It's like a 0.5th (hehe "halfth") draft that you will copy onto your document and you will always improve it with that second look.

Worried about perfectionism? Put that shit on paper. Even pencil, at least to me, feels hard to erase. It's mostly about living with the stuff you've written and not looking back - erasing is such a pain in the ass that you might as well just keep going forward.

Wanna write secretly during class/lectures/whatever where you're not allowed to have a device? Wadda ya know, the answer is also paper.

Wanna edit? Printing stuff out helps you get some distance from your own writing and it also makes you see it more as a book than as just something you've made.

It also generally makes you feel less bad about changing stuff later in the document, because you have a solid, physical record of what you've written before.

Put that shit on paper. It works well.

(sorry for the rant sbdhagjk)

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I once made a post about the art movements in the world of the dystopia WIP (yes, seriously) but I can't find it anymore. I'm not gonna explain it again, it was stupidly long the first time around.

I guess, outside the dystopia WIP, I'm pretty proud of the whole Three Sister Goddesses thing from DoS. I have drawn designs, but I'll make another post sometime. I'm also proud of the relationship between the Goddesses tho.

They're at war with each other, but they're just doing it for entertainment. They kiiiinda hate each other but not as much as their desire to have fun. Like, they will send their daughters to decimate each other's armies, but they'll also hang out together in the Plane of the Gods. The war is kind of like a decades-long game of Monopoly they're having at the family function. And I just think it's cool. Goes into that whole thing about mortals being like ants to uncaring gods that I like.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Kinda cliché, but I'd say this: it happens to everyone, dude (gender neutral). Everyone has periods of time when they feel bad and can't write. Or where they feel like their writing is terrible. Doesn't make you less of a writer.

Even if you're not as productive as other people: who cares, honestly? As long as you're having a good time and doing something you love, it doesn't matter how much time you need or don't need to finish something. Even if you never finish anything. And if you feel like you're not as good as other people: who cares either, you know? Everybody starts somewhere. And everybody has different strengths. You'll get better. You always do.

At the end of the day, we're all just doing this because we love it. Don't force yourself. The time will pass anyway.

Ooooookay that last one was a bit more serious than the rest. Anyway, I wanna tag, no pressure, @fleurtygurl @stesierra @cheeto-flavoured-pasta and @sarandipitywrites

#writeblr #writing #tag game #ramblies

[calculatesguilt]

Please rant about simp//atico (and by that I mean tell me your beef with it). I enjoy seeing your thoughts.

i lost my first draft 😭

Anyways collaborative effort with @commander-airachnid

Like the dra.tchet post I'll be breaking this down into several parts:

Fanon perception of how close they are (and how it's wrong.)

Brainstorm's unhealthy projection of self worth onto Perceptor

Fan service

How Close Are They, Really?

Maybe I just read MTMTE/LL after its highest poin of popularity so I wasn't there for it, or maybe people extrapolated from something I simply didn't see, but I've never understood the fandom portrayal of Perceptor and Brainstorm being Close Besties when that was never the case.

They have about 8-9 (at most) direct interactions through all of MTMTE/LL. (I'm counting their interactions during Dark Cybertron as one whole interaction seeing as even though it's broken up by scenes it all flows as one.) Most of those interactions were either A) Perceptor talking about something and Brainstorm rudely interrupting (or just missing the point) or B) Fan service (which I'll get into later.)

Here's a few examples and the first one starts at Issue #1 of MTMTE where Brainstorm is, right off the bat, a dick about Perceptor and his scientific process. (Followed by other instances of them not getting along.)

And before you say "oh Perceptor is just long suffering to his hijinks" no, that's just what Perceptor is like. He's like that with Rodimus and Getaway, and others.

He is blunt with people.

I feel it's important to note also that the tpical s.impatico often ignores all of Brainstorm's other relationships. Primarily with Nautica. Brainstorm is wayyyy closer to Nautica than he ever was with Perceptor, hell even with Chromedome. (I know the reason why people ignore Nautica and Brainstorm, it's because of the misogyny.)

Brainstorm & Self Worth

Brainstorm, textually, has a shitty sense of self worth. However, it's played off a joke and never expanded upon, but I think it's worth touching on as it's the basis for most of his relationship with Perceptor (that's very one sided.) Perceptor is hardly even a factor in this as it all boils down to Brainstorm projecting his value on Perceptor as a basis of who he needs to be better than to receive validation.

Which isn't fair to Perceptor and places them on unequal ground. This issue is never fully concluded. Instead Brainstorm gets validated by Perceptor at the very end through means of even more fan service. Perceptor hardly even recognized Brainstorm as an equal, not until at least the Time Machine arc and even then they don't speak directly.

Another good instance is above — Perceptor doesn't even call him a genius until the Time Machine Arc, Brainstorm exaggerates and hinges his self worth and validity on Perceptor and things he doesn't even say. There isn't even growth between them it's just... Perceptor suddenly only thinks about Brainstorm and his bighuge brain after the time machine arc where they don't even talk to each other. They don't speak to one another one on one until Lost Light Issue #25. There is no substance there. It's just a nothing thing.

@commander-airachnid knows a lot more about Brainstorm's self worth issues than I do, I'd suggest sending it a message about it because I know it has a lot more to say about this particular subject than I do :)

Fan Service

If there is anything that comes to mind quicker than the "simpatico" panels themselves it would be this one:

I don't describe things as cringey but this panel actively makes me cringe hard every time I see it. I cannot stress to you enough how disrespectful this scene is to Perceptor as a character. I need to make it super clear why.

Perceptor is implied to have been close to the ethics committee on Kimia when he worked there, if not on the ethics committee depending on how you interpret it.

Why, in any world, would Perceptor of all people stand up and clap DURING A COURT HEARING FOR BRAINSTORM WHO JUST ABOUT ENDED THEIR ENTIRE TIMELINE IN ONE COMPLICATED SUICIDE ATTEMPT ? You are out of your damn mind. This is not a cute scene. It does not add to anything. All it does is further shove Perceptor into being essentially a prop for Brainstorm. And that's the turning point for Perceptor's character in MTMTE and LL.

He becomes and stays nothing more than a prop for fan service and Brainstorm. And that fucking sucks.

#paramagnetism. #asks #fission.