#( but the colours playing the most important role ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

conflictofthemind · 18 days

Text

Lucas knows about Mike and Will

First off, of course the context is needed that Lucas has known the two of them the longest out of any of the kids. He is Mike’s neighbour and joined their party even before Dustin. He also played wingman for Mike previously in S3, trying to help get Mike and Eleven back together. It’s not a stretch of the imagination that Lucas would end up in a role like that again.

So, the hospital scene at the end of Season 4.

There’s a few things within this scene that are a little suspicious, and then one big thing that basically has no explanation other than Lucas suspecting something is going on with Mike. I brightened the scene here- first let’s just acknowledge they held hands on Lucas’ back. This is the only kind of direct hand touch we get this season.

Lucas can’t see that.. but it’s on his back. Of course he would be able to feel it. It’s also another moment that separates Mike and Will as a pair, versus Eleven on her own. Here’s the full clip below. And then just LOOK at the expression Lucas gives Mike after he sees El lingering behind. Your friend just visited as soon as he possibly could to give you support. Why would you look at them like this after he hugs you? Because he knows there’s something weird going on in the relationship between Mike and El. No other explanation.

Lucas is clearly giving Mike a “what the fuck is going on” kind of expression, eye squinted, eyebrows furrowed. There’s also a blink and you’ll miss it moment where Mike’s breath catches after the contact with Will’s hand, and he makes a split second glance to look at their hands (which I captured in the first image).

Then after Lucas hugs El, he clearly parts and steps back to give room for Mike to join beside his girlfriend. But Mike crosses the room to put himself in between El and Will instead. Another thing Lucas would have found weird. Lucas isn’t dumb.

Then we have the shotlisting post from Ross’ instagram. Shot listing is where they plan out what happens within an episode and what kinds of shots they want. This image is obviously an Easter Egg for fans about who’s interacting with who in the first 2 episodes (ie Stonathan shenanigans of which we already know about). I didn’t see it at first but Lucas is clearly placed in the centre of a triangle between El, Mike, and Will. He’s the centre of the triangle.

This makes sense with what we know about S5 thus far as well. There’s a confirmed plot line that has Dustin trying to isolate himself from the rest of the group (if he hasn’t already been isolated enough from the party in recent seasons). It shows up in the shot list image too of course, with Dustin on the opposite side. For the kids, due to Max being out of commission, the only interactions we are going to get in the first two episodes before the time jump seem to be between El, Will, Mike, and Lucas. We also have confirmation from Millie that El and Lucas will be spending a lot more time together than they had in previous seasons.

Moving onto a bit of cornplating for the last points which just serve as some cherries on top of this theory - we already have imagery of Lucas acting as a bridge between Mike and Will in the party image Ross gave us. This is post time jump most likely because of the new outfits, so it’s interesting that this role could continue throughout the season.

We also have the imagery of Lucas holding a suspiciously coloured blue and yellow shield in Will’s painting of the party. A bit of a stretch, sure. But complied with everything else it is definitely interesting to consider.

Now for the character reasoning, which is always important to consider: why would Lucas end up in this position?

Lucas is going through his girlfriend being in a coma after they had a major distance in their relationship. A coma that Lucas in universe has no clue if she’ll ever wake up from, and realistically (in-universe) hopes are slim that she will recover. And if she does, she may not have all the memories of times spent together still with her. There’s probably so many regrets swirling around his mind of things he could have done or said in the time that they had together. Lucas doesn’t have this luxury - but his friends still do.

Lucas is Mike’s oldest friend outside of Will, and Will/Mike are Lucas’ first friends. They existed as a party even before Dustin.

Out of his pain of ‘losing’ Max and the wisdom he learned from it, I really do think Lucas is going to encourage Mike to seize the day and take control of his life once again. Will and Mike still have the luxury of time and still have chance. If anyone could convince Mike his feelings are reciprocal, it would also be Lucas.

Furthermore, Lucas understands that as a black man in fairly rural 80s Indiana, his relationship with Max is also one that is singled out due to prejudice against interracial couples. Interracial marriage would only have been legalized less than twenty years ago. It’s not quite the same, but again if anyone understood the position Mike would be in (other than say Robin) - it would be Lucas.

#anyway uhhh wheelclair is real and coming home #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #will byers #byler #stranger things

598 notes · View notes

fozmeadows · 3 months

Note

As someone who hasn't read the works of radical feminists like Simone de Beauvoir, could you explain what's wrong and what bothers you about biological essentialism? I'm curious about your opinion after reading your post on radfems (and I'd like a perspective that isn't so based on biological gender essentialism, which I honestly have a hard time moving away from because I don't understand other perspectives well). 👀

The problem with biological essentialism is that purports to answer the eternally unanswered question of nature vs nurture in a wholly one-dimensional way - ie, with biological sex as The Single Most Important Aspect Of Personhood, regardless of any other considerations - while simultaneously ignoring the fact that biological sex is not, in fact, a binary proposition. We've learned in recent decades, for instance, that intersex conditions are much more common and wide-ranging than previously thought, not because scientists have arbitrarily changed the definitions of what counts as an intersex condition, but because our understanding of hormones, chromosomes, karyotpying and other physical permutations has expanded sufficiently to merit the shift. So right away, the idea that humanity is composed of Biological Men and Biological Women with absolutely no ambiguities, overlap or middle ground simply isn't true. Inevitably, though, if you mention this, people with a vested interest in biological essentialism become immediately defensive. They'll start saying things like, oh, but that's only a tiny minority of the population, they're outliers, they don't count, as though their argument doesn't derive its claim to authority from a presumed universality. To use a well-worn example, redheads are also a tiny minority of the population, but that doesn't mean we exclude them when talking about the range of natural human hair colours. But the fact is, even if humans lacked chromosomal diversity beyond XX/XY; even if there were no cases of cis men with internal ovaries or cis women with internal testes or people with ambiguous genitalia - and let's be clear: all of these things exist - the fact is, our individual hormones are in flux throughout our lives.

There are standard ranges for estrogen and testosterone in men and women (which, again, vary according to age and some other factors), but two cis men of the same age and background could still have completely different T-counts, for instance - meaning, even the supposed universal gender factor isn't universal at all. More, while our hormones certainly play a major role in our moods and cognition, so do a ton of other genetic and bodily factors that have nothing to do with the sex we're assigned at birth - and on top of that, there's nurture: the cultural contexts in which we're raised, plus our more individual experiences of living in the world. One of the most common, everyday (and yet completely bullshit) permutations of biological essentialism comes when parents or would-be parents talk about their reasons for wanting a son or a daughter. Very often, there's a strong play to stereotypical assumptions about shared interests and personalities: I want a son to play football with me, for instance, or: I want a daughter to be my shopping buddy. But even within the most mainstream channels of cishet culture, it's understood that these hopes are not, in fact, grounded in any sort of biological certainty. The dad who wants a sporty son might be just as likely to end up with a bookworm, while the mother who wants a little princess might find herself with a tomboy. We know this, and our stories know this! For the entirety of human history - for as long as we've been writing about ourselves - we have records of parental disappointment in the failure of this child or that to embody what's expected of them, gender-wise. More than that: if biological essentialism was real - if men were only and ever One Type Of Man, and women were only and ever One Type Of Woman, with recent progressive moments the sole anonymous blip in an otherwise uniform historical standard - then why is there so much disparity and disagreement throughout human history as to what those roles are? The general conception of women espoused in medieval France is thoroughly different to that espoused in pre-colonial Malawi, for instance, and yet we're meant to believe that there's some innate Gender Template guiding all human beings to behave in accordance with a set, immutable biological binary? And that's before you factor in the broad and fascinating history of trans and nonbinary people throughout history - because despite what TERFs and conservative alarmists have to say on the matter, our records of trans people, and of societies in which various trans and nonbinary identities were widely understood (if not always accepted), are ancient. We know about trans priestesses from thousands of years before Christ; the Talmud has terms describing eight different genders, and those are just two examples. All over the world, all throughout history, different cultures have developed radically different concepts of femininity and masculinity, to say nothing of designations outside of, overlapping with or in between those categories - socially, legally, behaviourally, sexually - and yet we're meant to believe that biology is at all times nudging us towards a set, ideal gender template? There's a lot more I could say, but ultimately, the point is this: people are different. While some aspects of our personhood are inevitably influenced by genetics, hormones, chromosomes and other biological factors, we're also creatures of culture and change and interpersonal experience. The idea that men and women are fundamentally different, even diametrically opposed, at a biological level - that the major separator in terms of our personalities and interests isn't culture, upbringing and personal taste, but what's between our legs - is just... so reductive, and so inaccurate.

We can absolutely have common experiences on the basis of a shared gender, but gender is not the only possible axis of commonality between two people, let alone the most salient one at all times, and the idea that we're all born on one side of an immutable biological equation that cannot possibly be transcended makes me feel insane. According to modern biological essentialism, intersex, trans and nonbinary people are either monstrous, mistakes or imaginary; all men are fundamentally predisposed to violence, all women are designed for motherhood, and we're meant to just hew to our designated places - which, conveniently, tend to echo a very specific form of Christian ideology, but which in any case manifestly fail to account for how variedly gender has been presented throughout history. It's nuts.

#foz answers things #gender #feminism #biological essentialism #history #sociology

287 notes · View notes

bulbagarden · 6 months

Text

Opinion: Scarlet and Violet are Pokémon's Queerest Games Yet (Bulbanews)

Hi it's Lisia here!! The following is an opinion piece from one of our staff members, Torchic W. Pip!! Blanc and I both loved this and like... we had to share it here LOL.

Pokémon was my queer awakening. I had silly little crushes on male and female characters alike, and I resonated with many of the designs of the series’s more gender nonconforming designs. Pokémon has always had a wink and a nod to queerness: Jessie and James’s genderbending antics, Beauty Nova in X and Y, Blanche from Pokémon GO… the list goes on. But with Scarlet and Violet, queerness shines bright as celestial stars.

“But wait!” you might say. “Scarlet and Violet has no canonical gay or trans characters! How can this thesis make sense?” Well, queer representation need not be explicit to be impactful. Sometimes, the stories queer people resonate with most are told through metaphor, from the misfits in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to X-Men to Luca and Gwen Stacy. The roots of this trace back to a history of censorship. LGBTQ+ stories have been historically censored, such as with the Hays Code. Queer people have long been unable to see stories with explicitly queer characters, so they instead turned to metaphors and symbolism. Gender nonconformity is also nothing new to the scene of video games. Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Guilty Gear are just some of the games that play with our expectations of gender. It’s also nothing new to Pokémon. East Asian media tends to depict transness and gender nonconformity differently from the West, but for more on that, I'll direct you to this video.

Even before the release of Scarlet and Violet, gender nonconformity shined through. Take a character like Grusha, for example, who many mistook for a girl when he was first introduced. It goes a little deeper than that, though. “Grusha” is Russian for “pear”, but it’s also a diminutive for the name “Agrafena”... a female Russian name. Whether or not it was intentional, it does add an extra layer of nonconformity to Grusha. Another character with some queercoded elements is Iono: Her color palette evokes the colours of the trans flag, and her Magnemite headpieces evoke an explicitly genderless Pokémon. Baggy clothes are common among many transgender people. Her friend Bellibolt is a frog, and many frogs in real life can change their sex. In Japanese, she speaks with a Bokukko speech pattern (a girl using the masculine “boku”), which is often used for plucky characters, but also nonconforming characters. All of Iono’s names across translations evoke themes of questions. On top of all that… well, the Vtubing scene is, from personal experience, very queer. All of my friends who watch VTubers are queer in some way. More seriously, creating a persona where you can let your true self shine in a way that regular society won't allow you to... that's pretty queer.

With the release of the games, we’ve seen a wide array of characters—Rika, Saguaro, Penny, and all of the leaders of Team Star, among others—showcase a wide range of gender expressions, either in their appearances, their personalities, or their hobbies. And all of these characters are seen as heroes, as role models.

As with games before, there are two characters with queer subtext in their relationship. Hassel and Brassius have been seen by many as being in a gay relationship, bonding over a love of art, supporting each other in dark times, and giving each other pet names. Even if it's not outright stated that they're in a romantic relationship, their care for each other is a beautiful thing. Many gay coded relationships are often of younger men or women, and while these relationships are important, it's also important for older gay couples to receive some of the spotlight. After all, queer people have always existed, and it's important to remember our past and honor those who came before us, who helped paved the path to acceptance.

For the first time in a mainline game, the player character can choose any clothes, hair style, and so on regardless of gender. While the player can still only choose between being referred to by masculine or feminine terms, this is a step in the right direction, and it opens the door for many opportunities never seen before. Boys can be feminine, girls can be masculine, and both can be anywhere in between. The world of gender expression is as big as the open world of Paldea.

But back to Team Star. The whole Team Star path is one big, queer metaphor. Think about it: kids are bullied for how they dress or act, these misfits band together and retaliate against their bullies, finding a sort of family in each other, villains who turn out to be just the opposite… It’s a story that, in some way or form, can resonate with many kids who have, sadly, dealt with homophobia or transphobia in school. The path is a story about righting what’s wrong, about making the world a more accepting place.

Scarlet and Violet is a game about shining bright in the sky with other stars, about being your true self. Its themes are deeply resonant with the queer experience. At the end of the Team Star path, you battle Penny, whose ace Pokémon is trans flag-coloured Sylveon, and as she Terastilizes her partner, she says, “Shine bright like the starry sky and become who you really want to be!” So shine bright, trainers, and be your true self.

Oh, and of course, Quaquaval is the queer icon of all time.

[Torchic W. Pip is a Bulbanews writer with a focus on music, merchandise, and spin-off games. They're also a fanfiction author and moderator of the Writer's Workshop subforum. Outside of writing, Torchic is studying music theory and linguistics, and his favorite games are X/Y and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire.]

#pokemon #bulbagarden #bulbanews #queer #lgbt #pride

245 notes · View notes

csuitebitches · 3 months

Note

I apologize for the long ask and if this question is a bit juvenile but objectively, how can one “gain” pretty privilege/gauge how they are viewed? I’ve done well in career pursuits for how early on I am ( I graduated in 2020) but started noticing that the invites to events/opportunities where one can really establish themselves not only professionally but socially, I was getting passed over by some higher up colleagues. In speaking to a female mentor who is related to my field and the same background as me (Black), she alluded that while my race may play a small factor in it, it’s more so my appearance that may be holding me back as the personality and poise is there. Some coworkers of mine who are brilliant and POC have similar credentials and positions as I and while we are all wonderful and hard working, they (who I feel are more beautiful and put together looks-wise) have discussed privately to me they have noticed a difference in treatment between us. While it’s not right, I am adult enough to know not to let things that can be fixed hinder the life I want. Your page is a wealth of information and I appreciate how encouraging you are!!

well. I’m going to be very blunt.

it’s all fun and games to say “oh fuck the beauty standards they’re terrible and they shouldn’t exist” yes, true, unfortunately they do exist and they play a bigger role than we imagine it to be.

the first thing you have to get right is your mindset.

you need to be strong enough to admit that you need changes in X, Y, Z area but not in A, B, C area. You also need to be a little loyal towards your racial identity (for the better or worse) because that’s what is going to make you stand out.

if you have a sensitive, overly emotional mindset and you get hurt very easily / become obsessive by nature, I highly recommend you to STOP reading now.

Understand what is considered pretty in your country and area. Even in one country, beauty standards can different from the north and south. Don’t exactly try to become attractive for the opposite sex but understand what they find attractive because these guys are your primary responders to your pretty privilege. Women will be kind on the surface and so it can be difficult to get constructive criticism from them.

Understand what YOU consider pretty. Who are the women who you think are crazy beautiful? What do they look like, dress like, how’s their hair and their make up, can you replicate any of it? Rule of thumb when it comes to hair and beauty - look at influencers / celebs who are of your racial background for the best fit.

there are always a few things that are universally considered “respectfully attractive” not “you wanna fuck me attractive”- semi modesty/ modesty outfits (my father always told me that when in doubt, go for a more conservative look), hygiene, well kept hair, clean nails and toe nails, soft skin, natural make up, natural hair colour, perfume, clothes that fit, skin care, a workout routine.

pretty privilege is not just the art of looking pretty. It’s also bringing in something of value on the table. Value = money / connections / knowledge/ humour / being the fun social person / whatever value the target group considers to be the most important for you to be relevant to them. Work on your soft skills. It’s better to look half baked but have solid soft skills than to look amazing and not know how to converse.

things that one normally notices when meeting someone new:

Skin - is it clear, is the make up overdone?

hair - is it messy or does it suit your face structure?

how you smell

teeth, when you talk - and dental hygiene

shoes - are they filthy?

shirt/ top - does it fit you well (always check that the seams on your shoulder and your actual shoulder line up), the colour of your clothes

body type, posture, how you carry yourself

start with incremental changes. Make a list of things you think you could improve on (this is not a list of “ugly” things, it’s an “improvement/ potential” list). Sort them according to ease of improvement (is this going to be expensive and difficult or affordable and easy?) and time (can this be done overnight or will it take some time).

Use point 1 and 2 only as launching pads. You do not have to look like Beyoncé, you’re simply understanding what her MUA and hair stylist does for her that could work for you. After a point, you have to ensure that YOUR identify sticks out and is still there, you’re not born to imitate someone else and also, it’s very obvious when someone is trying to be someone they’re not.

again. I repeat. If you’re going to get obsessive and make yourself sick over this it’s NOT WORTH IT. If you’re not mentally capable of making these changes, do not go through it.

#Q/a #pretty privilege

131 notes · View notes

cherepizza · 1 month

Text

Sorry for being inactive I barely have spare time. It's been nearly two months, woah!! It still feels like march started yesterday

There's a variety of different religious beliefs in beacons' world. One of the world's largest and most widespread religion has 8 major deities who are shown with quite similar appearances. The easiest way to identify a god in their standard form is to to look at their body color. A deity may be accompanied by symbolic plants/animals and objects, especially if the image is colorless. Text also might be present. Some gods have alternative forms which can be more popular in iconography than their standard ones.

It's disrespectful to show gods from the back side of the body, except for one.

1. Goddess of knowledge, medicine (especially the part dealing with childbirth) and law. All 8 sides of her body are "front" sides with two hands and two antennae. Always depicted with light-blue skin.

2. God of creativity and passion, whose all sides are backs. Has bright red skin. In the past this god used to have darker spots all over his body, but gave them away to a mortal who ended up having too many offspring, passing the spots to all of his male descendants. Antennae are not shown (you don't draw dicks on sacred images).

3. Goddess of plants and harvest. Besides her plant-growing abilities she's also known for creating and spreading diseases. Has light-coloured skin with a yellow or ochre tint.

4. Goddess of beasts. Created all living organisms and is able to control them. Beacons are resistant to the full mind control but susceptible to her power of inflicting dread and anxiety. Associated with willpower. Her standard form is a brown-coloured beacon but more often she's shown as a spiky snake-like creature. In this form she can change size and grow so large she'd shadow the sun or become smaller than any bug to crawl under the clothes of those who she deemes unworthy of her presence and sting them. Stings are excruciatingly painful.

5. Goddess of rain, rivers and the sea. Shares ruling over the last domain with her brothers. Though her powers are inextricably tied with sustaining life, she has no direct control over living beings. Typically shown with dark blue skin.

6. God of wind. Controls wind (..who would have thought) and serves as a protector of travellers. Talkative and upbeat, he cheers them up, gives advice and tells entertaining stories, helping them continue their journeys. Has orange-coloured skin.

7. God of deep water. Hides below the surface and rarely shows himself, though in his early years used to live among mortals and taught them sailing along with his sister and brother. His long antennae can easily wrap around victim's legs and drag the unlucky one to the bottom to either kill or imprison and force to work on him. Can control underwater beasts but only to a small extent. Associated with quiet death.

8. God of change. The all-present spirit is inert and cannot change on its own. This god makes sure night would change into day, hunger would come after nourishment, and every living thing would eventually meet their death. He's quite a lonesome god and under normal circumstances rarely interacts with mortals or other entities. Has exceptional persuasion skills. Several myths support the idea of him creating the moon and stars which partly explains why he's described having white skin. The other part comes from that no mortal has ever seen his true form, so no other colour can represent his ever-changing appearance except pure white.

–––––

Important to note that for beacons relationships between siblings play a much greater role than those between parents. So instead of being paired up with a husband/wife higher gods belong to their own sibling groups which go as follows:

Goddess of knowledge – god of passion

Goddess of plants – goddess of beasts

Goddess of rain – god of wind – god of deep water

God of change (only child oh)

In older times gods were treated as separate entities connected only by blood but in recent decades there's been a shift to a more monotheistic view of world. Since gods come from the same source (force/spirit/power) it was believed that they sort of popped up in the world that already existed before them and were left to fool around and figure out what to do by themselves. They weren't a part of the spirit anymore and the only connection remaining was the ninth eye in the middle of the head that could actually see (for mortals it's basically blind, so they were believed not to be bound with the source at all). Some followers suggest that deities and, in fact, the whole world were never separated from it. When the force splitted itself into "sides", giving gods physical bodies, it manifested into other living beings as well, allowing itself to have as many perspectives of the existing world as possible. When a living thing dies, their side turns away to a new life. Gods' powers are not separate, but a spectrum, manifestations of the same thing. The number of turns is considered to be unimaginably big, but finite. It's up for debate what will happen when the force will be out of turns.

#speculative biology #spec bio

69 notes · View notes

frownyalfred · 2 months

Note

Hey howdy! I'm working on a project about superhero omegaverse statistics and wondering how you designate someone an alpha vs omega, etc. In your fics you have a wide range of characters' dynamics and interactions with their secondary genders. It is very cool!

Some prompts: How influenced are you by who you're planning to pair them with, vs their individual attributes? Would you say a character's visual appearance/suit affects how you perceive them? What is the defining trait you look to when figuring out whether someone will be an alpha? How does masculinity vs femininity play a role in your choices? What do you like best about the omegaverse?

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts, but no pressure to reply if you don't want to! Ive attached two graphs here for some context: one looking at Bruce's categorization, and the other looking at the link between suit colours & masculinity & secondary genders.

What a fascinating project!! Thank you for asking me.

How influenced are you by who you're planning to pair them with, vs their individual attributes? Generally I choose the dynamic from attributes and write the pairings from there. The obvious exception is superbat, which is an interesting one for me. I love writing almost exclusive Omega!Bruce/Alpha!Clark but I actually read a ton of Alpha/Alpha superbat, as well as Omega!Clark.

For example, Lex in ASOH was always an omega in my mind, regardless of any plans to pair him off at a later date. I've found that both Clark and Bruce share attributes that make them both interesting and complicated alphas or omegas. A lot of them are tied up in their perceptions of themselves, as well as the public's perception of their identities/secret identities. I will say that Bruce's public Brucie persona and his Batman persona lend themselves very well to the duality of what the public assumes omegas are, versus what omegas want to be -- or can be. I also think his bonds with family/pack lose a bit of complexity when they're reduced to him being a possessive or strict alpha over a pack.

Would you say a character's visual appearance/suit affects how you perceive them? Sometimes! I think the tendency to slap an alpha label on all big, bulky guys is funny, because in ASOH I've been doing almost entirely the opposite -- all of the big bulky guys (except Clark) are omegas! I like flipping those long-standing fic tropes on their heads.

But yes, I am no exception to this trend either. I think the more interesting question is, is this trend exclusive to alpha/omega dynamics? Or do we also classify betas this way too? Dick is a beta in several batfam fics I've read -- is this just because he's a little smaller/slimmer than Jason, etc? Or is it because of characteristics he holds that we attribute to betas (calm, reassuring, playing peacekeeper, etc)?

What is the defining trait you look to when figuring out whether someone will be an alpha? I'm not sure there's just one. I think most characters can be written convincingly as different kinds of alphas. But generally, presence is one trait that comes to mind -- when they want to. if they want to -- are they able to take up a room with sheer aura alone? Do people look to them for advice and direction? Are they self-confident and strongly-motivated? Do you want to bop them on the head every now and then because they're being a little ridiculous?

How does masculinity vs femininity play a role in your choices? There's been a lot of dialogue in fandom and fanon about the feminization of certain characters in pairings because of/related to omegaverse. I try my best to challenge those longstanding trends or biases when I see them pop up in my work. One example of this is use of gender neutral words for omegas who are having pups -- I started using "carrier" instead of "mom/mama" because I think allowing male omegas to retain their masculinity in pregnancy is important (if desired). Otherwise we reduce child carrying to something inherently feminine, which, especially in the omegaverse, is simply untrue.

What do you like best about the omegaverse? It's a great way to challenge ideas about gender in new and interesting scenarios. With the inclusion of instincts and heats/ruts, there's also a lot of forced proximity and decisions made under shades of duress. There's a lot of space there to explore sexuality and the socialization of genders IRL and in universe. How much of what we do truly is instinctual or biological? How much of it is simply how we were raised/raise our own children? Is reproduction truly the end all be all of a person? What happens when we buck society's expectations and forge our own path forward? How can we better foster non-sexual relationships and bonds between family and friends?

#asks #anon #a/b/o mention #a/b/o tw #mpreg mention #mpreg tw #myfic #theresurrectionist #a sky of honey #pack dynamics #amazing ask #hope this was at least a little helpful!

87 notes · View notes

astrhoeluvr · 1 year

Text

Astrhoe Observations Pt.3🫂🥰🫶🏻

(Damn we’re already at part 3??😭🫶🏻 anyway thank you so much for the all love and support🥺🥳🥰)

Back to 👉🏻 my materialist 👁️🫦👁️.

a lil disclaimer : these are just my personal observations, so don’t take any of them to heart🥳.Some could be applicable to you and some would differ, so take all of them with a grain of salt OKIE! enough of me blabbing let’s get on with it🫶🏻🥰

🐠😗📸: No one:

Pisces Placements in every single picture: 😗✌🏻

(Always pouting their asses away like a lil fish 🐠 bwhahaha😭👀 makes sense because their astrological symbol is literally a fish 🎣)

🌗👩‍👦: The house where your moon sits in could show where your mom guided you the most.👩‍👦‍👦

Eg. Moon in the 1st house could mean your momma played an important role in moulding your personality. With this placement you learn a lot from your mom and you could also look very similar to your momma!👀😗. Moon in the 11th house could mean your momma taught you how to work with technology 💻 or how to make friends 👯‍♀️🫂.

If moon is negatively aspected the results might vary and instead of encouraging you, your momma might criticise you in relation to the house your moon is placed in and the themes revolving around that house.👩‍👦🥲

☀️👨‍👧: Same goes for the sun and your dad. The sun in a certain house could highlight where your dad played the most importance in your life.

Eg. Sun in the 2nd house could mean your dad helped you out with financial matters💸, buying you a lot of gifts 🎁🥺 or even teaching you how to draw/paint/colour🎨✍️👩🏻‍🎨. Sun in the 10th house could indicate your dad having a huge role in choosing your career path. Or on the advice of your dad you pick your career.💪🏻💼 But ofc if the sun is negatively aspected, it could take a whole 180.🤸🏻‍♀️🫠😬

🫂🤞🏻: You will definitely share 2 or more placements with your family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. For egs. My mom and I are Aries moons and my dad and brother are Aquarius moons.

🔮🧿: Planets in the 12th house could show what you subconsciously hide from the world🫣🕵🏻.

Eg. Moon in the 12th house could hide their emotions from the world because they could feel people might look down on them or judge them.

Mercury in the 12th house could indicate being shy with your words. Having a lot to say but saying nothing kinda beat yk?🤫🎙️🗣️

🖐🏻😗👀: Gemini Lilith/ Chiron could have felt insecure about their fingers or hands in general.🥲🫤🖐🏻!! DO NOT FEEL BAD, y’all have gorgeous HANDS AND FINGERS AND DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE 🤺.

🤩📸🏜️🌅: The house where venus is placed could indicate what you like taking pictures of 🤳🏻📸🎞️.

Eg. Venus in the first house LOVE taking selfies🥵 do I blame y’all tho?? SUCH BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ISTG. Venus in the sixth house could indicate taking A LOT of pictures of your pets📸🐈🦮. Their gallery would definitely be filled with pictures of their pets!! LIKE WHY DO YOU HAVE 500+ pictures of your cat sleeping??👀🤨

🥵🤤: Okay but like what is it about Capricorn placements and being so damn fine??? The way the carry themselves, the way they speak, their determination and dedication UGH. They get me weak in my knees frfr🛐🛐😩

🫶🏻🤑💳🌺: Earth Venus individuals could literally give their lovers the “princess treatment”🛍️🏬💵🎁💐. Showering them with gifts, acts of services, words of affirmations. Literally the most thoughtful and considerate lovers🥰🤩. This could also very much be applicable to Water Venus peeps🫶🏻.

😈😳: Scorpio placements lowkey like it when their partner acts possessive or protective over them and even more if it’s outwardly expressed (not in a toxic way ofc). Their partner could say “YOU ARE MINE AND ONLY MINE YK THAT RIGHT?”😤😩 and on the outside they’d be like : yeah cool ik that haha 😃😐🧍🏻‍♀️but on the inside they’re like : hell yeah😳🥵😏🤩🤯😍😩. Don’t deny it y’all, I SEE YOU 👀🫵🏻

Okay that’s all for today luvs🥰🫶🏻

(Please do not copy or plagiarise any of my work <33)

- san✨🍵🪴📖🧘🏻‍♀️

#astrology #astrology observations #astronomy #aesthetic #birth chart #astro #my notes #mars #jupiter #astro observations #beauty #venus signs #energy #universe #zodiac #birth #slay

976 notes · View notes

theresattrpgforthat · 5 months

Note

hello! i was wondering if theres any ttrpgs set in/inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld? thanks :)

THEME: Discworld

I love the Discworld books and I'm very glad you asked this question. I have three resources for you!

A One In A Million Chance At Adventure, by Jocher Symbolic Systems.

This is a game where you play the roles of, often unwilling, sometimes zealous, pawns in the cosmic octarine coloured narrative. Your character is not necessarily a "hero" per se, instead one could possibly see it as being important to the story. Characters like yourself do have a knack for not dying as often as a common mortal (or undead if that has been your unfortune).

With this follows that you'll naturally have a higher chance of actually, possibly, doing some heroic deeds, just by sheer mathematical logic. Unless, of course, you are the type of adventurer who'd prefer a cup of hot tea and soft slippers and a reliable day job.

That does severely reduce the odds of let's say beheading a mythical beast of ill repute or befriending the immodest wood nymphs of Howondaland*.

*if your day job happens to be for example a tax collector this is not true, this and similar careers have shown to increase the risk of leaving the disc rather early. ** only rumoured, no one who has gone looking for them has ever returned.

This is a free, fan-made d10-based game written in the style of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, footnotes and all. The characters you build are expected to be flawed in some way - they have vices that can cause problems for them and plenty of skills (or spells) to help them get out of trouble.

A One in A Million Chance At Adventure has plenty of supplements to support the game, including an introductory adventure: The Murder of Dominick Kolchak, and a character supplement: The A-M Professions Character Build Guides.

Discworld Roleplaying Game, by Steve Jackson Games.

There's a lot of unusual stuff on the Disc, but don't worry about getting lost – game author Phil Masters has crafted a roadmap to Pratchett-inspired storytelling.

Visit settings like the most dubious city in the multiverse, Ankh-Morpork. Intervene in the cultural interactions of trolls and dwarves (but watch out for flying axes). Campaign for goblin rights. Flee from an angry Swamp Dragon (two feet of mindless fury and high-explosive digestion). Even find out why the second-greatest lover on the Disc needs a stepladder.

And remember, the world is round. And also flat.

This is the official roleplaying game published by Steve Jackson Games, the creators of Munchkin and GURPS - which means that this game also uses the GURPS system. Characters are pretty in-depth and require some time to put together - and that means the the core rulebook is a pretty hefty read. If you like big games with heavy modularity and a lot to chew on, maybe this game is for you!

If you want to try the game out and need a little help, there’s a GURPS Character sheet app available to help you put characters together, and Chris Normand is an avid enthusiast with many videos providing advice on how to get a grip on the system.

The Kleptomancer’s Crypt, by Max Kāmmerer.

The Kleptomancer’s Crypt is an adventure for Troika!, but is easily adapted to other systems. It mostly consists of tables to help you generate a variable adventure. Improvisation and interpretation by the GM required.

A client hired you to break into the Kleptomancer’s Crypt and so you did. Now you need to get out of the place. The Kleptomancer is a government official tasked with redistributing the wealth by stealing from the rich and keeping what they stole for themselves. Okay, that last part isn’t in the official job description. The Crypt is filled with all kinds of strange things and rooms and people, really. You might for example encounter pipe smoking sloths, boardgame playing plants, ever expanding spheres or the Kleptomancer’s apprentice. The place is dangerous, so you prepared by cutting a deal with death, preventing you from dying while you are in the Crypt.

To be clear, this is not a full game. It is simply an adventure for one.

The eclectic tone of Troika fits Discworld so well that I’m not at all surprised that there is an adventure made for it. If you have experience with Troika, or even with other OSR games, you might want to check this one out.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #dnd #asks #game recommendations #discworld #gnu terry pratchett

85 notes · View notes

planet-dusk · 1 year

Note

Any thoughts about Dom jisung😵‍💫

i'm team sub/switch jisung most of the time but here are some thoughts on dom!jisung...

🏷️ dom!jisung, bdsm (gagging, restraints, impact play etc), toy use, porn mention, filming, messy sex, spit kink, free use, mention of sharing mc, double penetration, (anal) gaping, piss kink, anal, too much to add rlly but these are the main warnings i think

i feel like jisung would be between a hard and a soft dom even though he doesn't lean too extreme. why? i think he craves control (whether he's domming or subbing). he would surprise you with how strict he is.

a little sadistic but nothing outrageous in terms of impact and pain play (mostly spanking and nipple play)

i think he'd have less patience for edging and would be more into overstimulation. also forced orgasms

which works both ways: orders you to keep riding him or sucking him off even after he's already cummed multiple times

brat tamer: it takes a brat to tame one. he will out-brat you.

DIRTY TALK. so much of it. he'd run his mouth constantly. praise, degradation, all of it.

very cocky at times but also likes to joke around

yes, doms need praise too! like, literally. tell him how good he makes you feel. thank him for what he does to you.

filthy messy sex: lots of drool, cum and lube

has a spit kink

loves to gag you and watch you drool

loves face/throatfucking for the same reason

(more under the cut cuz this was getting too long)

prefers fucking you raw so he can creampie you (multiple times)

lots of toys! vibrators, dildos, couple stuff, and so on... probably has a thing for weirdly shaped and brightly coloured dildos. he loves the sight of a bright purple glass tentacle in your pussy <33

even more so if said toys make you squirt

is open to letting you use toys on him such as anal plugs and fleshlights

fan of anal sex in general, including double penetration. enjoys fucking you while you're wearing a plug or vibrator in your ass

possibly into (anal) gaping/stretching + double vaginal penetration with toys or his cock and a toy

loves titfucking esp cumming on your tits

so much oral. both giving and receiving

likes to watch porn together with you

also likes to create porn together; videos, pictures, anything

wants you to send him regular updates during the day in the form of texts, voice messages, pictures and videos

sends a lot of audio messages + videos of himself masturbating

doesn't mind sharing the footage and enjoys watching a few of his close friends fuck you. again raw of course because he loooves seeing you all filled up with cum

knows you love his voice and uses it to his advantage. will order you to cum or do a countdown

would likely be into free use but more in a passive role (you giving him a handjob or blowjob rather than him fucking you)

i can see him enjoying sexual card and board games

potentially into roleplay esp teacher/student dynamics

enjoys some bondage and sensory deprivation but again nothing too extreme. mostly cuffs, ropes, blindfolds and the aforementioned (ball) gags. gets more of a kick out of controlling you and disciplining you without restraints

may have a piss kink esp when it comes to bladder control. lowkey entertains the thought of him fucking you until you can't hold back anymore and leak all over him

likes it when you choke him and often orders you to do so right before he cums

prefers short, light sessions over longer ones

having fun (both of you) is the most important thing to him!

#answered #anonymous #stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids headcanons #skz headcanons #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids hard hours #skz hard hours #han jisung smut #han jisung x reader #dom!idol #sub!reader #;skz headcanons

518 notes · View notes

yamameta-inc · 3 months

Text

Source.

[ID: A two-page infographic titled "T Cells & Covid-19: A basic introduction."

A box labeled "What are T cells?" Text reads: "T cells are one of the most valuable types of white blood cells in your immune system. They play a key role in keeping you healthy and safe from disease. They identify, attack, and destroy infectious agents (like viruses). T cells protect the body from infections that have reached the inside of your cells." To the left of the box is an image of cells.

A box labeled "Why are they called T cells?" Text reads: "T cells are born from stem cells found in your bone marrow. Once the T cells are created, they migrate to your thymus (an organ located behind your breastbone); this is why they're called T cells. They develop and grow inside your thymus. Once they're fully mature, your T cells live in your blood and lymph nodes." To the right of the box is an image of a simplified human figure. The thymus' location is shown in bright pink in the center of the chest, roughly in the middle of the collarbone.

A box labeled "Major Subtypes: Killers & Helpers." Text reads: "Your body creates several different types of T cells to keep you safe. Each of these types has a different role to play in your immune system. Two of the major subtypes are 'killer' (cytotoxic) T cells (shown at left) and 'helper' (CD4+ cells) T cells." To the left of the box is a depiction of a blue cell.

A box labeled "Killer T Cells." Text reads: "Killer T cells are nicknamed killers because they can actually kill virus-infected cells. They can also kill cancer cells--meaning they are super, super valuable. They have small signaling proteins called cytokines that they use to call for help from other cells when your body is mounting an immune response." To the right of the box is an illustration of what appears to be killer T cells fighting infected or malign cells.

A box labeled "Helper T Cells." Text reads: "Unlike the killer T cells, the helper T cells work by activating other cells in your body. By activating your body's memory B cells and your body's killer T cells, they set off an even bigger immune response within your body." To the left of the box is a depiction of a green cell.

A box labeled "What happens if you lose T cells?" Text reads: "Your body really, really needs T cells. When you don't have enough of them, your body's immune system cannot work properly, making you really susceptible to infections. And it's important to know that as we age, we don't produce many (if any) new T cells." To the right of the box is a graphic where the words "why am i always sick?" appear multiple times in different colours.

A screenshot of an article from the Tyee, titled "What If COVID Reinfections Wear Down Our Immunity?" by Andrew Nikiforuk, dating from 7 November 2022. What text is visible reads: "Dr. Anthony Leonardi is a lightning rod for debate. If he’s right, this pandemic poses a greater threat than widely assumed", followed by an image of cells. Under the image, text reads: "T cells are a body’s key line of defence against infection. COVID infections can cause them to prematurely age, harm organs and become exhausted, warns Dr. Anthony Leonardi. Image via Shutterstock."

A box labeled "Covid destroys T cells." Text reads: "Covid damages and destroys T-cells. This happens because Covid hyperstimulates T cells--it stimulates them too much. Why? Covid has the ability to linger in your body and challenge your immune system. When T cells stay activated continuously like this, they become exhausted and wear down. And the result is that your immune system gets badly damaged. Even so-called 'mild' Covid infections can really mess up your immune system. Even people without serious Covid symptoms showed T cell exhaustion in a recent study. 'Exhausted' T cells are those that lose their ability to fight off viruses (and their ability to fight off cancer.) Hyperactivated T cells can also lead to organ damage, leading to serious health issues. In short, Covid is damaging our immune systems."

/end ID]

To read more on this topic:

How the Coronavirus Short-Circuits the Immune System (26 Jun, 2020)

Dendritic cell deficiencies persist seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection (21 Jul, 2021)

SARS-CoV-2 Actively Infects And Kills Lymphoid Cells (14 Apr, 2022)

In Cleveland and beyond researchers begin to unravel the mystery of long COVID-19 (22 Oct, 2022)

What if COVID Reinfections Wear Down Our Immunity? (7 Nov, 2022)

Single-cell multiomics revealed the dynamics of antigen presentation, immune response and T cell activation in the COVID-19 positive and recovered individuals (2 Dec, 2022)

SARS-CoV-2 infection weakens immune-cell response to vaccination: NIH-funded study suggests need to boost CD8+ T cell response after infection. (20 Mar, 2023)

Lymphocytopenia: Merck Manual (Revised Apr 2023)

Long COVID manifests with T cell dysregulation, inflammation and an uncoordinated adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 (11 Jan, 2024)

#covid #immunology

92 notes · View notes

blues824 · 10 months

Note

I absolutely love the female riddle in the remarried empress but can I please get a second part but just the unbirtday pary.

🌹Like the riddle mc thx navier for the roses Garden and ask her if she can trow a unbirtday party for navier because of her failed birthday and navier saying yes curious what a unbirtday party is.

🌹Later on riddle mc ask navier to invite only the people she is close with it doesn't matter male or female if they are her friends or family they can come but only in the colour red of course.

🌹The riddle mc made a dress specialy made for navier that makes her look like the queen of hearts.

🌹How would navier react to riddle mc giving her the dress saying that she made it made for her because she is her second role model and that she is the only person worth waiting clothes like that would fit the queen of hearts .

🌹Imagen the day of the unbirtday pary and every one arrives to a beautiful party perfectly decorated (because riddle mc doesn't want sutch and important pary to be subpar especially when navier is dressed as the queen of hearts )

🌹and everyone being shocked about it they found it at first silly the thought of a unbirtday party but later on asking riddle mc if she could maby do more parties like that one and next day the party becomes the talk of the eastern empire.

🌹How would everyone react to playing crocket with coloured flamingos and hedgehogs (they are okay with it and don't get hurt of course because of riddle mc her magic )

🌹Heinley being uncomfortable with playing sports with the flamingos but him being the flamingo magnet they love heinley for some reason and won't leave him alone navier laughing about it.

🌹Rattrash of course wanting to be in the party but gets denied to enter also sovieshit isn't invited because riddle mc told him it a day for navier and that her birthday was ruined.

🌹Imagen navier her family being invited and kosiar being hart eyes for the riddle mc and complimenting her for throwing a party for navier and navier and her parents loving the idea of them together.

🌹Later on when the sweets come out on the table everyone's is having a good time sipping tea eating strawberry tart seing navier dress so beautifully and the riddle mc keeping a eye open for the party to be perfect.

🌹How would everyone react to navier her dress and navier telling that riddle mc made for her even her ladies in waiting where shocked to see navier get sutch a beautiful dress.

This in a sea of red clothing whoud make navier stand out

This is literally such a cute idea. In the events of the storyline, this would happen after the rest of Heartslabyul are all teleported with you. I just love doing requests out of order, apparently.

Sovieshu

He had seen all of the servants running about, as well as your friends from Twisted Wonderland. They were gathering a bunch of items that seemed to be for a tea party, and when he stopped one of them to ask they responded that you were throwing an unbirthday party in the honor of the Empress. However, the fabrics and such were mismatched, with gold, black-and-white checkered patterns, and red.

Being a bit curious, he summoned you to his office to ask what exactly an unbirthday party was. You explained that it was a tradition from your homeland, and that you had received Navier’s permission to throw one. However, upon asking for an invitation, you responded that Her Imperial Majesty would be in charge of the guest list and not you. The only thing you had done was design the cards and plan the rest of it.

However, on the day of, he saw you escorting his wife to the tea party. You both were dressed very fancily and… you both looked beautiful in the most wonderlandish way. Rashta had her arm wrapped around his as she begged you to make them let her into the party, but he stated that he had no influence over Navier’s decision to not invite either him or his mistress.

After the party, you did give some tarts and sweets that had not been touched to both him and Rashta for them to have a taste of your home, and Sovieshu did enjoy the strawberry tart. Maybe this was an olive branch that you were reaching out to him? But, upon seeing you kiss Kosair upon the cheek before he left the palace, it was merely a peace offering rather than something more.

Rashta

She was also very curious about why all of your friends were rushing about and getting different desserts to a certain place and other servants were rushing about gathering table cloths and fine china sets. She asked her handmaiden what was going on, and she went out to ask said servants about the event they were preparing for. She came back and said that a tea party was being hosted by you in Navier’s honor, and that a few nobles would be attending.

This scared the mistress, as she thought this might be some ploy against her. However, it just seemed as though you were missing having a bit of control and thus desired to plan a tea party. Then came your angry shouts from outside, yelling at a servant for trying to bring a chestnut tart to the table, and it shocked Rashta. You followed exceedingly strict rules.

Eventually, she finally found the time to speak with you, and you couldn’t just brush her off as you typically did. No, it was concerning her getting an invitation, and you had said that no question was a stupid question; the only thing that is stupid is the person who asked. So, you explained that the invitations were already sent out and received and that Navier had the reins when it came to the guest list. However, she and Sovieshu were not invited at all.

After the party, you had presented her with a strawberry tart that was handmade by both you and your friend Trey. It surprised her, but the baby in her womb was very excited to try it out. She worried that it might be poisoned, so she had her handmaiden try a bite of it first. Once she came out alright, she took a bite and reveled in the sweetness of the dessert. Maybe… you weren’t an enemy?

Navier

When you came to her excited about the prospect of having an unbirthday party in her favor, she was definitely wanting to know what an unbirthday was. But, she did approve of it, and asked if you would like any help organizing the party. You refused, telling her that it was in her honor and thus the only thing she needed to do was write down the guests she wanted to attend and you would cover the invitations themselves.

She asked if you had a theme in mind so that she could dress accordingly, but you stated that you had made a dress for her with the assistance of the rest of her ladies-in-waiting. You wheeled it in on a mannequin and it was absolutely beautiful, but a bit excessive. You showed her your outfit, and she came to understand that unbirthdays were typically very formal and dressy events. On the invitations, you made sure to point out that it would do good to wear your most formal black, red, or gold attire.

Well, everyone seemed to be enjoying the delicious tea and treats that were prepared, and a lot of the noble women were admiring Navier’s gown. Then, the croquet game started, and they wheeled in the Wonderland Flamingos as well as the hedgehogs. A few of the birds flocked up to Heinrey out of nowhere, freaking the prince out as they seemed to rub their necks against him. The Empress giggled in amusement before you snapped and commanded the brightly-colored birds back to the game.

If you were to ask Navier, though… her favorite part was seeing her older brother look at you the same way that Heinrey looks at her. Mr and Mrs. Trovi even whispered in her ear during the game that you both would make an excellent couple, and she couldn’t help but agree. She watched you two from behind the teacup that she was sipping from as you kneeled down to one of the hedgehogs, and you were teaching Kosair how to properly pet it.

Heinrey

He was on Navier’s guest list, so he had received an invitation. Of course, he also received the message to wear something very dressy in either black, red, or gold. There was a postscript at the end telling him that Navier was wearing white, and he was more than welcome to match her in his outfit. When I tell you that this man was so excited about seeing her again, I mean it. He pulled a 2000’s dress montage where he holds up different outfits to his chest in the mirror and shakes his head before settling on one of them after consulting McKenna.

The garden was definitely bustling with people, and he tried to find you. Trey explained that you were helping Her Imperial Majesty get ready for the unbirthday party, when you and Navier walked in. Him and Kosair just stared in absolute awe as you and the Empress walked in with your red and white gowns (respectively). The Crowned Prince sat next to the Empress while you sat next to the Trovi son.

Once everyone was full of tea and sweets, the croquet game had commenced. However, instead of typical mallets, you used… flamingos? They started flocking up to Heinrey and he started panicking. It was embarrassing to be the object of the birds’ affection; that was, until you shouted commands and told them to get back in their place. Your face held a stern and unmoving strictness, and it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Sometime during the unbirthday party, Navier had her arm in his as she leaned in to tell him to look at you and Kosair. The man was staring at you with hearts in his eyes, much like he did with Navier. Heinrey leaned in and said that her brother had the same love in his heart for you as he himself harbored for her, and this made her a bit flustered.

Kosair

This is the man we’ve all been waiting for, let’s be honest. He was invited to Navier’s unbirthday party, and he was definitely confused as to what that was. However, he dressed accordingly and was definitely excited to see his sister again. But, most importantly, he was very excited to see you. His parents actually had to calm him down from just running from the Trovi Manor to the Imperial Palace.

Both him and Heinrey were looking for you and Navier once they arrived. No one knew where they were until Trey had told them that you two were getting ready. That was when you had announced to everyone that the Empress was here. You walked arm-in-arm with her, and Kosair’s jaw dropped upon seeing you in the red gown. He only saw his sister’s gown once he was done staring at you. You greeted him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek before leading him to your seats.

After your meal, you guided everyone to the croquet field. You explained the Twisted Wonderland tradition that hails from the Queendom of Roses, and you told them that the mallets that you would be using were some brightly colored flamingos that came from your land, and the ball would be a small hedgehog. But, all of the flamingos suddenly started flocking up to Prince Heinrey. Laughter erupted from everyone but you and Kosair, who was trying to calm your anger. You shouted a command to the ‘feather-brained birds’ in their own freaking language and they stood upright before you told them to go back to their places. You were amazing.

Throughout the entirety of the unbirthday party, the two of you stuck together with your arm in his. A lot of the noble couples had complimented you about how good of a pair you both made and how you would be a good member within the Trovi family. The comment made you both blush, especially when it came from his own parents. Before he left, you gave him a kiss on his cheek and watched him enter the carriage and leave. You went back to Navier’s chamber and let out a lovesick sigh that she heard, and she smiled upon seeing her best friend this way.

233 notes · View notes

sensitivebellybutton · 4 months

Text

A Guide to Navel Pleasure Part 3: Partner Play

Hiya!

It's all well and good making yourself bite your pillow playing with your own belly button, but what about the fateful day you find yourself about to indulge in a totally different person's navel?

FEAR NOT!

I have returned from the shadows to give you some ideas for how to make that special someone reach heaven through their belly button. Remember, this is all about COMMUNICATION and understanding. What's written here is largely subjective to my own belly button, so if something doesn't work don't worry! It's just as fun experimenting with belly buttons.

Firstly, you two need to get in the mood...

PART 1: LETS GET READY-READY

- If you plan on switching roles, make sure both of you are wearing appropriate belly button clothing. Otherwise, ensure your sub is dressed in something that fully exposes their tummy and belly button.

- Have a good, long discussion about your belly buttons and what works best in a solo environment. Do they have an innie or an outie? Do they enjoy a little bit of pain? Can they navelgasm? Are they comfortable with any other supplementary play (like nipples?).

- Have a photoshoot! Like I said in the last post, taking pictures of your belly button sets the mood in a uniquely sexy way. Get all their good angles, take close-ups, point out on the photos where you're going to ravish them...

Hot and bothered? Good. Grab a pen, it's doodling time <3.

PART 2: SPELLING BEE

I got inspired for this technique @buttonpics, and it's feels insanely good. You can do this one solo too, but doing it with a partner adds a whole other dimension, as you'll see.

- Lie your sub down, their belly button exposed and their knot ready.

- Now, softly plant the pen on their chest, letting them feel the cool point, and start to gently glide it down their tummy. When you reach their navel, skirt AROUND it slowly and go all the way to their waistline. Then, go back up, once again avoiding their belly button. You dont want them getting what they want right away, do you?

- Repeat the above step two or three times, or until you feel they're ready. The next time you reach their belly button, start to gently move the penpoint onto their navel rim and softly trace it, making sure to keep it firmly on the outside.

- As they more and more desperate, verbally begin counting down from 10. With each number, inch the pen a little deeper into their navel, still circling. By 1, let your pen dip onto their knot.

- Here's the fun bit: I want you to pick a couple of words in your head. It could be "belly button" or "navel" or "subby button" or whatever. Let your sub know that you have a word in your head, and they are to try and guess what you're spelling out.

- When drawing each letter, make sure you REALLY over-do it. For example, if writing the letter B, draw that first line up agonisingly slowly, then that first and second curve should be hitting as many folds on their knot as possible. Every letter should be exaggerated, making the navel-owner an absolute mess 😈.

- Give your sub little hints as you're writing, because it's quite hard to think straight when your sensitive belly button is being stimulated in such a way. Don't be too hard on them if they don't get it, this is all about making them feel as good as possible.

You can also do this same exercise with shapes, which has the bonus of you being able to colour it in when you're done (thinking about how that feels makes me ��)

PART 3: NAVELINGUS

The holy grail of belly button play, the thing that all owners of erogenous navels hope to experience one day, it's belly button licking. Done right, this can be probably the most incredible feeling. Therefore, it's important we get it right!

You may want to give it a good clean before diving in with your tongue, refer to Part 1 of this series for how to get them shuddering with a Q-tip. Also, make sure that your sub is either wearing a short enough top that it won't get in the way of your head, or no top at all. It's just an annoyance otherwise.

- Their whole stomach is your canvas. With your mouth you can lick, kiss, nibble, bite and suck. That's a lot of different sensations, so we're going to use all of them.

- Firstly, you're going to give their tummy as much gentle love as you can. Nibble adoringly up their sides, lick across their lower stomach, deeply kiss their middle while holding their hand, whatever feels right in the moment. Consider their navel a reward for sitting so still and being so good while you pleasured their belly, and only give it to them when they're ready.

- Once again, the rim is your first port of call. Start with a wide, flat tongue on their lower stomach and lick upwards, transitioning to a pointed, sharp tongue as you begin orbiting their navel. The immediate area around their belly button should be glistening with saliva. Another good move is to gently bite on their navel rim, your top teeth digging just a bit below the rim while your bottom teeth lightly graze their stomach.

- Your tongue isn't as precise as many of the tools you will have been used to using, so don't worry as much about targeting small folds and dimples. It also means you can't really tease their walls the same way you would with a pen or toothpick, so when you feel it's right to dip your tongue inside, feel free to do so.

- The motion that is right will be different for everyone, but for me personally up-down motions work a bit better than a swirling motion simply because it stimulates that central knot so much better. However, others may find that swirling motions are better because they're more sensitive around the edges of the knot, for example. This is your time to experiment with what your partner enjoys. If you hear panting, whimpering or any of the other tell-tales signs of pleasure, keep going.

- Suckling is a great one too. Softly absorbing their knot into your mouth lets you run your tongue around the underside of the knot, an area rarely explored and may get quite an explosive reaction. Slowly suckling for a while is also a great way to rest your tongue for a bit without letting up on the naveljob.

- It's possible that your partner will climax while you lick them. If they start telling you they're going to cum or you suspect they may be close, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!! No speeding up, no changing direction or technique, just keep it as it is. Keep licking through their orgasm too for maximum brownie points.

And that just about does it! I haven't got the most time in the world to write these so it's not as full of content as I may have liked, but I hope you enjoyed reading anyway! I'm considering combining all my current guides into a big google doc (plus loadss more) as one big belly button manual hehe, so stay tuned for that!

#sensitive belly button #bellybutton #navelplay #deep navel #sensitive navel

62 notes · View notes

fatuifucker · 2 years

Text

stupid boy

[scaramouche art cr: bananakeki on twt]

brat catboy! scaramouche x mean dom gn reader

SUMMARY = you made scara wear a maid dress. he was being a little bitch about it so you show him that he will always be your stupid little catboy maid.

WARNINGS = smut, reader's pp can be read as strap, penetration (reader giving), implied mating press, handjob, dacryphilia, nipple play, degradation, voyeurism but both scara and reader are aware of it, scara calls reader "master", use of "kitty" and "stupid boy" as pet names for scara

W/C = 0.5k

A/N = "I don't like writing mean dom readers for scara bc I don't wanna be me–" *fucking does it* I think this could be better but the more I think about that, the more likely I will delay it so here you go

You did it. Somehow you managed to get your most spoiled catboy to wear a maid dress. How did you do it? Doesn’t matter. The most important thing…was how cute he was in that frilly little dress. Scaramouche — having long relinquished the death threats and irate glares — had been reduced to a mewling mess underneath you, subservient to the cock, your cock, splitting him open from the inside. He opened his mouth to curse at you, but all that came out was just another shrill moan. Unable to resist the urge to tease him, you tugged at his nipples through his clothing.

“If you keep making those sounds, the others will get jealous.”

Knowing them, they already were. But it’s their loss. When you asked one of your catboys to wear a maid outfit, they shoved the role over to Scaramouche, much to the ravenette’s evident displeasure. If you could wager a bet, you would guess that the other catboys were regretting their decision, judging by the fact that both you and Scara could hear their faint moans just outside the door.

“Are you fine with them?” you asked, slowing down your thrusts to let him comprehend your question. “Shall I take them out of the house?”

Blinking, Scaramouche shook his head.

“It’s…fine. Let them be.”

You scoffed, smirking as you pulled on his nipples, earning a gasp from the catboy. “Kinky little kitty.”

You resumed to your original pace, hiking Scara’s dress further up to his stomach. Pearls of pre-cum embellished his pretty crimsoned cockhead. Even the colour matches his cute little cheeks. God, a devious face like that could convince a person to commit equally devious atrocities for him. No wonder he is such a spoiled brat. Leaning down, you gently bit his squishy cheek, peppering it with kisses.

“Stupid kitty. My stupid boy.”

“How dare you ca– mm! Fuck, right there! Shit!”

You moved to connect your lips with his, meshing your tongue with his and mixing your salivas together. Your other hand wrapped around his quivering penis, harshly stroking it to make him even dumber than he already was. Your finger wiped the precum off his head, slathering the substance all over his cock as additional lubrication.

"I wish I could take a picture of you to capture this image forever."

Scaramouche could only whimper in response, unable to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks as his hands were preoccupied with holding his legs back to his chest.

"Master! I'm gonna cum, gonna cum, gonna–!"

Cum gushed out his cock, spurts of it soiling the apron of his dress. You pulled out of him with a sigh. "I didn't say you could cum that fast. You even messed up that dress."

Scaramouche quietly mumbled something out.

"What was that?"

"...Sorry."

He furrowed his eyebrows, grumbling as he looked away from you. Ah, how invigorating it was to see the ill-tempered catboy completely submitting to you. Giggling, you plopped beside him, pushing the maid headband to the top of his head and reaching to rub his ears.

“My stupid kitty.”

“Fuck you,” Scaramouche growled despite purring and nuzzling into your hand.

“Alright.”

“Wha–”

Picking him up, you tossed Scaramouche on top of you, positioning him to straddle you.

“You said you wanted to fuck me right? Go on, ride me.”

#genshin impact smut #genshin smut #genshin x reader smut #genshin impact x reader smut #scaramouche x reader smut #scaramouche smut #genshin scaramouche x reader smut #catboy scaramouche #sub scaramouche #gn reader #gender neutral reader #dom reader

2K notes · View notes

steppingonyourshadow · 3 months

Text

Selected excerpts from GQ February 2024

His is a face that's constantly under a microscope. A few months ago, his studio posted a series of photos for his birthday. Sharp-eyed netizens noted immediately that his face had "become rounder". In order to play Guo Jing of Tsui Hark's Legend of Condor Heroes, Xiao Zhan put on weight before filming began. His face was no longer so narrow, and he had obviously bulked up. The photos showed him with a scattering of stubble, a little rough.

Strictly speaking, Legend of Condor Heroes is Xiao Zhan's second movie. There have already been many iconic portrayals of Guo Jing, so the pressure was obviously on.

The day of the GQ cover shoot, Xiao Zhan got up early to go for a run. He couldn't help but worry that he'd lose muscle mass from sweating so much, and hesitated over whether to continue. Finally he decided to do a full 30 minutes. After that, it occurred to him that he wouldn't start burning fat until 30 minutes in, so he did another 10.

It's all for the sake of the job. "Actually, I'd rather not be running - it decreases muscle mass. But I have to, to get rid of bloating." After the shoot, no matter how late it got, he plans to go do more weight training. The discipline of an actor is the constant process of creating their character's look, all the while strictly controlling their diet and maintaining their figure. Xiao Zhan sees both as standard and imposes this standard on himself.

I was curious how he felt having been under constant scrutiny these past few years. I wasn't expecting him to say that it was barely on his mind most of the time, and hadn't brought much disruption to his life either, that the "cruelest" thing was "not being able to eat whatever I want".

"I still sneak out for a bike ride, or a walk. I've been spotted just the once, within five minutes of walking around a Hutong. I've also snuck into cinemas to watch movies, no one cares that you're there, really. Once you're away from the internet, a lot of problems just solve themselves. Sometimes we think what's in front of us is the whole world, that's a mistake, but one that can't be avoided. Nothing to be done about it."

There are lots of things he wants to do, like ride the subway, go shopping. "I really will use the subway, maybe tomorrow, nothing extraordinary about that. I used to do it every day."

For Xiao Zhan, this is real life. He's no longer bothered by social media comments.

"If I still let it get to me after all this time, what kind of life would I live?" He laughs. "Really, it's fine."

Right now, Xiao Zhan is very satisfied with his life. "I have my work, my own life, and an audience that appreciates me. Nothing to be dissatisfied about."

To an extent, Xiao Zhan's relaxed state stems from increasing clarity about his goals. Outside voices no longer bother him, he knows what he wants and what he doesn't want. Right now, more and more he's trying to simplify. In the past two years, he hasn't done much variety, choosing to focus on acting as his most important goal.

Three shows in which Xiao Zhan played the main character aired in 2023. Each character was a challenge in different ways. During the interview, Xiao Zhan said "it was a lot of pressure" many times, in relation to each of these stages, but his tone was always light, nothing of the heaviness of someone bemoaning difficulties, and more like an analytical mindset after the event, with concrete and objective reasoning: this show was the first time he did green screen, that one was his first solo lead role, first contemporary drama...

Where Dreams Begin was a script Xiao Zhan loved. He really likes stories from that era. When he was a kid he watched Bloom of Youth and Happiness As Flowers. In his mind the 70s and 80s shine brightly, in vivid colour.

Many say that the character of Xiao Chunsheng is perfect, but Xiao Zhan saw this as his greatest flaw. He found the character very interesting and wanted to give it a go. Xiao Chunsheng is a Beijing kid. How to convey his demeanor and speak in authentic Beijing dialect was no small challenge to Xiao Zhan who grew up in Chongqing.

The Longest Promise's Shi Ying is cold and aloof. Because he didn't want to disappoint everyone who had high expectations of his guzhuang look, Xiao Zhan pushed himself above and beyond to lose weight before filming began. "The Longest Promise was a script I got in 2020. Among the ones I had to choose from, it was the one with the most well-rounded characters, and the most nuanced relationships. Plus, it had a strong sense of internal logic and coherence. So it was my best choice."

Sunshine By My Side is the one Xiao Zhan had been considering the longest. He was given the script in 2019. Sheng Yang may be in the same line of work Xiao Zhan had been doing before debuting, but he wasn't certain he could recreate the life of a designer for the screen in a natural, believable way.

Recently, Xiao Zhan found an old book at home - Danshari [book about decluttering and optimization of the home by Hideko Yamashita]. It had been recommended to him by his boss when he was a designer. What the book said about organising one's life made him rethink what he wanted, and what he ought to leave behind.

"Contemporary and slice of life dramas were a totally foreign territory for me." At the start he was to eager to finish his lines, having them memorised back to front. But no one in real life speaks like that. Later, he realised that there was a particular logic in where to pause and where to place the emphasis in a line in a contemporary drama.

For example, when he decided to be an actor, and that he didn't want to do anything else other than acting. "If you try and force me, then let's have the debate. There's no such thing as right and wrong, my people are only looking out for me, isn't it positive to have so much work? But for me, I need to simplify my life. Because there are some things I definitely don't want."

Xiao Zhan's acting career began with an "ordinary overage guy pursues his dream into the entertainment industry" story. He went into a survival show at the age of 24, learned to dance as a total novice, debuted in a boy group, acted in internet dramas, played bit parts in movies, until he hit it big in 2019 and became an attention-grabbing star.

If you choose to do something, then give it your best. That's what Xiao Zhan was taught from a young age. When he was in junior high, his parents bought him a cellphone. Initially when he sent text messages he'd use spaces in place of punctuation. But his father said to him very severely, "where's the punctuation, why isn't there a question mark at the end of your sentence?" So now Xiao Zhan always pays attention to punctuation.

Xiao Zhan has had a competitive spirit since he was a child. So long as it's something he can control, he'd rather not miss a single opportunity. He used to take the bus to school and get anxious on behalf of the people who fell asleep and missed their stops. For the things he can't control, he'd remind himself not to get too caught up and learn to accept the outcome. And before that, do everything he can the best he can.

When asked which of his projects had come about following a lot of effort on his part to land it, Xiao Zhan's response is surprising. He says, "all of them". Before he made it big, he auditioned a lot. Once he'd passed the interview stage, gotten into the final round, even did trial shots with full makeup, and was still replaced. Now of course people pass him scripts, but Xiao Zhan always tells himself, that's just an expression of interest which can be given to many people at once. If he encounters a script he really likes, he'll set up a meeting with the director and talk to them about his understanding of the character. He feels it's important to display the right attitude.

Xiao Zhan grew up just like any other 90s kid - his parents worked, his grandma did all the cooking, he went to school every day, came home, and if he did poorly in an exam he'd get a beating. They ate dinner at 6:30 every night, and then his friends would call for him to come down and play Hide and Seek, Red Light, Green Light, or Hopscotch.

His face shines when he speaks of this time. These ordinary little things all seem rare and precious now. Xiao Zhan says he's grateful for those first 23 years before his dream-like brave foray into the entertainment industry. "I really value those times, I think it was great."

He thinks that if he hadn't entered the industry, he'd probably be living like his classmates and friends, taking clients out for dinner only to come home and do more overtime to finish his design work overnight, day after day.

"Being seen" makes him happy. No matter how busy he gets, Xiao Zhan never complains. "If there's work to be done, then do it properly." While filming The Oath of Love he was also recording the variety show Our Song. Whenever he had a moment between scenes, he'd put on headphones and sing along softly. When his costars came over out of curiosity, he'd give a sheepish grin and explain that he was practicing the song he had to sing that night. "There's no time, really none." Back then, work took up pretty much his entire life.

Xiao Zhan will almost never give himself a holiday. "Unrealistic," he says firmly. When he's exhausted enough, he can fall asleep sitting upright on set.

This year, Xiao Zhan felt a sense of urgency stemming from "not enough works". "Compared to some of my seniors, when they were in their thirties they already had many credits." He clearly understands that a huge breakthrough in his acting skills from just a single piece of work is unlikely. "That probably won't happen for me."

He's considered whether he wants to be an actor with a unique individual style or a crowd-pleaser. His answer is the latter. "They might not be fans of yours, or even feel very positive toward you, but when they know you have a show on, they think, maybe I should check it out, his shows are all pretty good. That's what I want, that's my current goal. Whether I can reach the level of the actors I admire, that's a long road, I'm going to take my time."

"Make more shows, work with more good people, that's the current goal. I'm not thinking about the rest right now," Xiao Zhan says.

[I'll translate and post the Q&A segment later.]

#Xiao Zhan #text translations

40 notes · View notes

djsherriff-responses · 1 month

Text

Actually wait something else that supports my "Sarah's story is a parallel to Bullfrog's story" theory and my "Bullfrog's mother was an assassin" theory

Sarah looks nothing like Sam

From what I've gathered regarding Splinter cell lore is that , despite being important to the main character and mother of his child, Regan Burns never had a physical appearance in any games, her physical appearance is left more or less blank

In most media , Sarah is a white woman with dark hair while in CLH Sarah is a brown woman with silver hair

However in both games and CLH, Sam is a white man with dark hair

While Sam in CLH isn’t an exact copy of his video game counterpart, Sam and Sarah in the splinter cell series do have a much stronger family resemblance to each other than that of their counterparts in the remixed universe

That’s….. weird, right? Like , it’s an odd creative choice to have Sarah be so drastically different to her game version that even her race is different while Sam , her father, still resembles the character he’s originally remixed from

While concept art did explore other options regarding her hair eye, and skin colour, including pale skin and dark hair like her game version, Sarah having pale hair specifically seemed like a design element the crew felt strongly towards and wanted to use

Yes the Warden being Sarah Fisher, the daughter of Sam Fisher, is meant as a plot twist. HOWEVER, we don’t learn about Sam’s existence until Sarah explains her backstory , meaning the crew could’ve given Sam some traits to better reflect his blood connection to his daughter in this universe

Sarah’s lack of physical resemblance to her father may have some narrative symbolism to it, the most obvious being how drastically different she and her father’s morals are. However, I also think it ties back to my theory that Regan was a Templar and was the one who gave Sarah her beliefs in life that lead to her behaviour in the show proper

Sarah didn’t just inherited Regan’s Templar status and beliefs , Sarah also physically resembles her mother more than her father

I know this is completely random to bring up, but I’m making a Kingdom Hearts reference

Specifically, Xehanort, a villain whose prominent features is his silver hair and gold eyes combo

Now obviously Ubisoft has no rights to use anything Kingdom hearts related , and so I seriously doubt we’ll see a flashback of Sam making out with a Xehanorted Regan in season two (don’t ask what Xehanorted is if you never played KH, it’s hard to explain)

The reason I’m bringing him up is to point out that while Captain Laserhawk is a show about video games, it’s specifically an anime show about video games

I can’t find anything regarding his opinion on the KH franchise itself, though Adi did talk about how Rodger Rabbit was an inspiration for CLH, another massive crossover story owned by Disney. Considering how he likes to tip his toes into all sorts of geeky stuff, it’s unlikely he hasn’t encountered the Kingdom Hearts franchise

I think the Templars may be inspired by Xehanort to a degree

A majority of the human characters (both who have a narrative role and background role) shown in the CLH universe thus far have natural hair and eye colours

While there’s outliners such as Pagan Min and Mute having pink hair, those two are easily explained by the existence of hair dye

Sarah however, was born with gold eyes and silver hair

While I don’t think every member of the board of directors/templar order have a sun kissed complexion under those masks like Sarah does, I do think it’s likely that gold eyes and silver hair is a common trait they share under those masks

And we know from the manga that Eden is practicing some form of eugenics with how they specifically took Dolph from his own mother for having good genetics, it’s likely that the board keeps heavy tabs on people that have Templar DNA within them

“Okay so how does Bullfrog’s mother fit into this-“ you notice how Bullfrog is one of the more feminine looking male characters in the show?

It may have just been me who originally mistook him for being a girl before the show actually came out, but I don’t think it’s an accident that he has feminine/softer leaning design elements. It’s even pointed out by the crew they specifically designed Bullfrog to be cute , you can even see that reflected throughout Bullfrog’s concept art

So since Sarah parallels Bullfrog, and she both took her mother’s ideals and inherited most of her physical traits from her, than it’s likely Bullfrog not only took after his mother in her beliefs, but also has a very strong resemblance to his mother

Basically, Bullfrog’s mama was a cute assassin milf

#captain laserhawk #Bullfrog korvin junior #clh bullfrog #Splinter cell #sarah fisher #captain laserhawk spoilers #rambles #I don’t know if I’m onto something regarding Sarah and Bullfrog’s mothers #But the gold eyes and silver hair thing I’m probably strong on at least

25 notes · View notes