#((and i think that fits considering how many different cultures u see. like i know people generally like to go ek=chinese but there's quite

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Things I watch out for when considering if a Roman history blog/community/media might have fascist leanings:

"Ironic" jokes that demean groups of people. These are often a cover for normalizing real prejudice against those groups.

Various dogwhistles and hate symbols. Also, check out the early warning signs of fascism.

Glorification of the military or the empire's size. It's one thing to be interested in a subject, but fascists tend to ignore the many problems of Rome's military and government, like corruption, mistreatment of veterans, abuse toward non-Roman people, and the occasional genocide.

Justifying historical oppression or abuse. This is different from merely explaining or trying to understand something. In case someone simply worded something poorly, I look at their additional posts or ask for clarification. If there's a pattern of downplaying/excusing oppression, that's a bad sign.

Power fantasies. Does a person (or community) seem to identify with the conquerors and overlords, because of their power? A person making jokes about Cicero's shitty poetry, or Augustus wearing platform shoes, is probably here for a different reason than someone talking about "putting the barbarians in their place."

Ignoring women's experiences, queer history, slaves and working-class experiences, and cultural diversity. At best this could just be a newbie who hasn't gotten around to those topics yet, which is fine. Learning takes time. But if a community, historian, or professionally published work makes Rome look like it's composed solely of rich white cishet guys...there is a problem.

Flattening history into Romans vs. outsiders. "Us vs. them" themes, also seen as "civilization vs. barbarians," or "virtue vs. moral decline/degeneracy," is endemic to bigoted worldviews. Not only is it demeaning toward other cultures, it also erases how multicultural and changeable Roman identity was over time.

Also, any modern person who seriously attributes Rome's fall to "moral decline" or "degeneracy" is either deeply ignorant or using a dogwhistle for homophobia, antisemitism and racism. Also, using "barbarian" or "savage" unironically.

Be extra alert for antisemitism. Shit like justifying Hadrian's actions, bringing up Jews when discussing Roman debt problems, or idolizing Vespasian or Titus. The Romans did a lot of bad shit in Judaea, and sometimes those stories attract antisemites today.

Use of the past to justify present-day harm or anger. Fascists and racists tend to get attached to "tradition" or "the good old ways" - or what they think is tradition - believing that this makes their bigotry more "normal" instead of "bizarre, hateful and reactionary." But just because something was common in the ancient world doesn't mean it's a good idea today.

There's a lot of anger and bitterness in fascist communities in general, in fact. Many people fall into the "alt-right pipeline" because their personal lives are deeply troubled, and those places give them someone to blame and feel superior to. If hanging out in a community seems to be making you angrier, more suspicious, or looking down on certain kinds of people, think carefully about whether this is a good community to be in.

And finally...fascists aren't all that interested in history. They care about their myth of good guys vs. evil outsiders, and they warp history to fit into that narrative. They might like the aesthetics, or symbols, or idolize a few famous dudes or battles. But rarely do they know, or care, about how Roman society worked, or how it changed over time, or anything less "glorious." Rarely do they actually want to learn or put in effort. My favorite example of "fascist laziness" is Mussolini's terrible film about Scipio Africanus, in which you can see telephone wires and the extras wearing wristwatches.

Feel free to add to this list. I am not an expert at spotting this stuff, and I probably missed some things. But I figured this might be a good starting point for others, too. Don't use this list to make "callouts" or harass people - it's usually more effective to block, avoid, and report extremists than to give them more visibility.

Conversely, a great way to protect yourself from falling into the alt-right pipeline is to learn more about how diverse the Roman world was! Check out studies of ancient women, disabilities, queer people, and decolonizing the classics! Not only will they broaden your horizons, they're also fascinating in their own right.

#jlrrt speaks #ancient rome #roman history #racism #the alt-right pipeline #fascism #bigotry #things to whack racists with #jlrrt essays

[dogtoling]

what would inklings think of humans? would it kinda be like the same way we think of dinosaurs, or something...?

also since people in the real world have dinosaur ocs, would inklings would have humanoid ocs.......

(i have no idea how to word this question right srry)

I assume Inklings think of humans much like dinosaurs, but what I feel largely fits the "dinosaur" role in the Splatoon world would be extinct animals and especially mammals because of how bizarre they are. Marine mammals are probably the most known, seeing how we see whale imagery and mentions a lot, and very likely Inklings would find familiarity and insane cool factor in stuff like whales, dolphins, sea lions and the like given that they used to share a habitat directly and in many cases, those animals were top predators. But that's besides the point.

I'd like to think humans are relatively well-studied in the Splatoon world, I mean, there were A LOT of humans. And while a lot of human remains were probably washed away and lost forever into the depths of the ocean, we know from the game that a lot of it remains to this day, to the point where human bones can just kinda be found if you go digging pretty much anywhere. Aside from just human bones, human items and especially ruins of buildings remain, and I believe a lot of Inkling architecture and technology was studied and replicated out of a lot of the things that the humans left behind.

For example, if you take the human fossil and the Wii U in that one sunken scroll at face value and say "yeah that's real", that's the scope of niche stuff that would've survived. And obviously the comment of that scroll implies that Inklings dont actually understand shit about humans or anything at all, considering playing the Wii U is described as "some kind of ritual" and they're theorizing that humans must've had very low intellect due to the small size of the head. Come on now, we KNOW they have nearly IDENTICAL gaming consoles in the Mollusc Era..... but then again if the scrolls have the potential for some of them to be really old, then if someone like a hundred years ago were to examine that fossil, they wouldn't have had any idea what the hell is going on because they wouldn't have had gaming consoles lol.

Either way I feel that generally Inklings have a pretty good BASIC picture of what humans were like. With extremely vague details, but I think they'd at least know what humans look like and how they dressed, based on a lot of global evidence - and well, the NILS statue being a pretty recent development in case you still DIDN'T know what a human looks like. There's definitely attempts to decode human scripts and languages, which further sheds insight on how human societies functioned and what kind of lives they led. Obviously there is a really big difference in what the average Inkling knows about humans (probably just what they looked like and some really basic stuff and not much else), while researchers, historians and human scientists might know all kinds of niche things, like basic knowledge of some languages, deep dives into local cultures, what kind of candy humans enjoyed, time stamping when smartphones were invented (which is so recent that Inklings might think technology wasn't as important as it is, given it's REALLY not been around that long if you consider like, 100 years back from now), maybe even human-made fiction in some cases. (No, we're not getting into the topic of Splatoon the game existing in Splatoon the universe, because it would)

Basically inklings definitely know a lot about humans, the scope of what they know just really varies. And yes people probably have human OCs. The human fanatics are out there. I mean, if I was an Inkling, i'd find it really wild that just 12,000 years ago or so there was a completely different sapient species ruling the planet that just DISAPPEARED and inklings as a species are SO very different (a MOLLUSC), but still eerily similar in so many ways, down to appearance, cultures, clothing, even having like identical technology in many ways. Like is that not cool as hell.

#mailbox

[beechaotic]

So, I don’t talk about my stories on here much. Maybe about different characters in passing, but nothing too in-depth. However, I wanted to share a story I wrote outlining how one of the main characters for my Sci-Fi story met her best friend (an alien) for a contest. I wanted to share it here to see if you guys like it, because I’m kind of proud of it.

Title: The Monster Who Saved Her

Word Count: 1,684 words

She was young, when she was taken.

She hardly remembers anything about Earth. Sure, she remembers bits and pieces of her language, her culture, things she learned; but she only remembers little things.

She doesn’t remember what different flowers were called, but she remembered that her favorite ones were multicolored (and likely genetically modified) with layering petals that curved around the center. She can’t remember any concrete or important words, but she does know how to say “Are you here to help me?” (because she said it too much on those ships; too many times she’d beg for help from anyone who would listen. They never helped). She also remembers the word “A-May”. She doesn’t remember her mother’s face, but she knows that her mother always sang to her when she had a nightmare. She had a beautiful voice. She doesn’t remember any common names from her homeworld, but she does remember that there was a girl she considered her best friend who was named “Estée”, which she said meant “Star”. She also remembered thinking it was fitting for the girl, as she had shown brightly and was always happy to shine light her on someone’s dark day. But she didn’t remember anything important about her life, her culture, her language.

She still remembers the night she was taken to the first ship.

She had been in her room, listening to her parents argue (she remembers that they did that often; that her father usually came home smelling gross and being clumsy, and that her mother would be mad every time). She couldn’t sleep because of the shouts and the banging of fists hitting counters. She curled up closer to her beloved toy, a little stuffed cat that her father had given her once when he wasn’t stumbling and his mood was light. She had named it Sarr-u, a suggestion from her mother. She remembered her parents joking that this was her first child, and that they would give all their money to the toy when they were gone.

She remembered hearing something break, and how footsteps echoed in the apartment. She remembered hearing her father shout in surprise, before hearing what she now knows as the shot of a High-Powered Plasma Shooter. Then, she heard her mother scream. She hid her head under the thin blanket. She stayed huddled there while she heard voices speak in an unfamiliar tongue. A tongue that she now speaks, that she knows better than her Homeworld’s.

She remembers hearing them slam her bedroom door open with such ferocity that she shuddered and tried to meld with Sarr-u. They ripped off her blanket, and she saw the horrors that had killed her parents.

She doesn’t remember what Humans look like, just vague features and skin tones; but she remembers knowing that these were not Humans. She remembers thinking that they were monsters, come to eat her soul and feed her bones to whatever monstrosities they called pets. She remembers screaming and clinging to Sarr-u as they picked her up roughly, how she squirmed and writhed in a vain attempt to get free. The monsters didn’t even react to her struggles beyond grumbling in their language. She remembers them taking her outside, where they were rounding up other children she knew from the apartment building. She remembers playing with them, their parents taking turns on who would watch the children each day. She remembers how they would all laugh and just be free.

Some of the children were crying, some were also fighting, but most were frozen in terror. She could tell now which ones had been with their parents when the “monsters” had barged in, which ones had watched the fatal blow. Those were the children that looked empty, like they weren’t even alive anymore. Like they were floating out of their body, far away from what was happening, where everything was safe.

The “monster” shoved them into cells with clear doors. She remembers trying to touch the barrier, only to get a jolt of pain through her hand. She remembers how she had pulled it away only to find charred flesh where limb had met with barrier. She remembers sitting in the corner of her cell and crying in fear. She remembers screaming for her “A-May” over and over again.

They were in those cells for what felt like decades, though it probably was no more than a year. The older kids would try to reassure the others by saying that they would make sure nothing bad would happen, that they would all get back home soon. She remembers believing them. That this would all end with a heroic soldier coming in and opening their cell doors, killing all of the “monsters” in their wake. The monsters always came back, usually bringing strange food with them. The food tasted like nothing and was always dry. It was also never enough to fully satiate them. And the water that they got was always warm, and they could only drink small mouthfuls at a time to save it. They never knew when they would next be fed.

Then, the monsters came back, not with food, but with cages. They began opening cells and loading children into the cages, even as the older ones screamed at them and the little ones cried in fear. Some of the older children even tried ramming themselves into the invisible barrier, and she watched as their skin and clothes got charred like her palm had been.

When they got to her, she didn’t fight back. She tried to hide away, to make herself too small to be seen. But it didn’t work, because they grabbed her anyway and shoved her into a tight cage without remorse.

When everyone was loaded into their cages, the monsters began to walk them out of the ship. They were put into a dark area where they couldn’t see. Some of the children cried, while others whispered reassurances. One even began to sing, soon joined by the other children held captive there. She remembers the song they sung vividly, how the childlike voices made it more haunting with the fear etched in every word.

“What do we do when we’re half-starved and mad?

We fight till we’re dead,

Fight ‘till we’re dead

What do we do when our enemies hound us?

We fight ‘till we’re dead,

Fight ‘till we’re dead

What do we do when the mob surrounds us?

We fight ‘till we’re dead,

Fight ‘till we’re dead!”

Now, whenever she hears someone singing a tune vaguely similar, she gets a jolt of peace. It was the only moment of true safety she would feel for a long time. Yes, she was in a cage and shrouded by darkness, but she also had people with her that she considered to be her friends. Estée was there, too. She kept trying to make everyone laugh, just like she used to.

She wondered sometimes where Estée was, and if she was safe. Was she still on one of the ships? Was Estée being tortured, like she had been? She could only hope that she was on one of the ships that actually care about Humans.

One by one, the cages were grabbed and taken into another room. As they were taken, the younger children would scream and wail, and the older children would try and shout platitudes. Eventually, she was taken into the room.

The room was a stage, with thousands of monsters staring at it from the stands. Her cage was roughly placed on the ground, and the monster at the podium she had glimpsed began talking. Monsters began shouting and raising their appendages. And with a chill, she realized that this was an auction. She was being sold.

She had heard of Humans doing this to other Humans in the past, but she never expected it to happen to her. She curled in on herself, desperate to disappear.

She was dragged onto a new ship, to a new cell. She was tortured and experimented on day in and day out. Eventually, they got bored of her, and sold her to another ship. This happened over and over again, until she became numb to the process.

Then, one day, after a long session of pain, she heard blaring alarms go off on the ship. Pounding resounded through the halls, along with the inhuman language she had grown accustomed to. Shots rang out from their weird guns, and she heard bodies hit the floor as shrieks filled the air. Soon, a new monster appeared at her cell door.

He was tall and very heavy-set. Not with hulking muscles, but with a broad body that years of hard labor would give you. But that wasn’t what caught her attention; no, it was that he looked like a pig.

Even then, her memories of Earth had begun to fade. But she remembers distinctly thinking “Wow, it’s like a pig on two feet”. He looked at her for a moment, before clicking some buttons on the keypad. The door opened, and he stepped inside. Weakly, she growled (a sound she had heard the monsters make to scare her), but he didn’t move away. Instead, he just held up his-hands? Hooves?-in a placating way. In a way that was so achingly Human, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment. He stepped closer, and she began to growl weakly again, curling around Sarr-u for comfort.

He kept his hands slightly raised as he approached, always in her view. He kept his movements slow and predictable, so as to not startle her. Slowly, he knelt down in front of her. Her growls petered out as she took in the kindness his eyes held. He made a strange cough-like noise, probably to try and calm her. Surprisingly, it worked.

He took her to his ship and showed her a room she could stay in. He taught her Galactic Common. And when the time came, he asked for her name.

She looked at him, her protector, her savior.

“My name is Burma, thank you for saving me.”

There you go, the story of a future Spaceship Captain, Burma! She actually has a stutter, but I imagine that that happens due to a head injury after she meets this guy.

Also, I have no idea what to name her alien friend. You guys have any suggestions? I would rather have non-European names, because in the Lore of this world, the aliens used to occasionally come to Earth and teach/talk to Humans. His species settled in like, the Caribbean. Don’t ask me what island, I haven’t thought that far ahead. However, I think it would be somewhere like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, or Haiti. So they picked up pieces of each other’s cultures.

Also, yes, Burma’s family is from Burma. However, she isn’t. She was born in America, since her family immigrated there before she was born. That’s why she said some things in Burmese, rather than in English. Like Sarr-u. It’s the Latin Alphabet version of the Burmese word for “First Born”. (Y’know how I put in the jokes her parents made? That was why).

Side note, I wanted to imply that her father was an alcoholic without directly saying it. I hope that came across in the text.

Anyway, yeah, that’s the origin story for my Ship Captain Burma! She learns Galactic Common AND her friend’s native language, which is comprised of grunts and chuffs.

Tell me what you think!!

Ps: I made up the song they sing, and I imagine it to a similar tune as “What should we do with a drunken sailor?” Because the contest wouldn’t let me use preexisting songs and I still wanted to show them singing.

PPS: None of the characters are white!! I didn’t decide the races/ethnicities for most of them, except for Burma and her best friend from Earth, Esteé. Esteé is Haitian and is very much not white. I imagine her having a VERY dark complexion. Not like those influencers social media pushes on you, darker than that. Like, Oh-Fuck-I-Can’t-Find-Makeup-In-The-Right-Shade-That’s-In-My-Budget kind of dark. Why did I come up with all this information about her AND MORE? Because I have no life. 🙃

#writeblr #humans are weird #humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #writing #original character #original post #original writing #original story #i had way too much fun with this #like I should NOT be enjoying writing out someone’s childhood trauma #but it’s hurt/comfort so it’s fine! #please show my babies some love #and tell me your thoughts on what I should do with this

[sarahreadsfic]

I saw your tags and figured I'd send an ask haha

All those names are really nice! I do think in future quests they'd end up using the name you gave him, so that's definitely something to consider. You do get one extra chance to rename him, so maybe try out Zihong for awhile and see what you think?

omg hello!! welcome, please don't mind the mess haha-- *hastily shoving posts and tags aside, attempting to look casual*

so the funny thing is i'm actually nowhere near that part of the quest yet lmao, like i haven’t even met him in-game yet. i'm just trying to get myself used to calling him a different name before i actually have to use it (and for writing purposes).

zihong is definitely in my top 5 names for sure, but the problem i’m having now is that there are just SO many names i’ve researched that would be good for him and i dunno which one he would like best lol.

i’m WAY overthinking this decision and taking it far too seriously, i know - from what i’ve seen, he seems pretty indifferent to whatever we call him either way, aside from his old names or other characters’ names. but still! i want him to feel satisfied with it. if he doesn’t feel so loved and warm inside whenever i call him by his new name i will have failed him >:(

apologies and you definitely did not sign up for this but i’m now using this ask to make a comprehensive list of all my other favorite names and their (supposed) meanings. wish i could just run them all past him for input hgjnfjhdj sORRY FOR THIS IT’S RLLY FOR ME ONLY U DO NOT HAVE TO READ ME WAXING ON ABOUT NAMES FOR WHO KNOWS HOW MANY PARAGRAPHS

First, all the Japanese names:

Matsuri - “Festival”, “enshrined”, “showing gratitude towards the rituals of nature”; has connections with Shinto and Buddhism. I don’t think this is commonly used as a name, necessarily, but the whole “gratitude towards nature” part struck me as a sort of nod to how Nahida helped him. And I like the idea of giving him a name that invokes joy, celebration, and life, because I want him to have those things and find happiness in his new self!

Soma - “A sudden sound of wind”, “true/real/genuine”. It’s simple and nice and what sells this one for me is the “sudden” part. Brings about a sense of movement and change and I really, really like it for that. Don’t know if the meaning is exact, though. It seems like Hayate has a similar meaning, which I also like!

Nataku - The Japanese name for Nezha, a Taoist deity. But also, this is just on the list because I was watching Saiyuki (ridiculous and very loose adaptation of Journey to the West, janky animation and terrible writing, fun to laugh at, highly recommend) with a friend last night and there was a character called Prince Nataku who is described as a “puppet assassin”. Immediate sirens started blaring in my head as my brain honed in on that as a possible name. Apparently Nezha is also known as the Third Lotus Prince, and I love the idea of associating lotus imagery with Wanderer.

Hansei - The cultural concept of “self-reflection”, acknowledging one’s mistakes and pledging improvement. I saw someone name him this and I like how it fits him. My concern is that it seems more like an admonishment and might hold him back from thinking of himself as more than his past wrongs.

Kazuki - "Hope of peace”, “serenity”, “peaceful tree”. I really liked that your name had a connection with Irminsul in the -ki suffix! Apparently -ki also means air, which suits him well, too. In this name, it comes from “hope” and kazu- is for peace. I do like the idea of giving him a name that could embody hope and I do want him to find peace within himself, but I worry he would find this condescending, particularly the idea of “peace” since that word just has so many connotations - he might take it as me wanting him to mellow himself out as if I wouldn’t accept him or am disappointed by him as he is.

Satoru - "Enlightenment” in the Zen Buddhism sense, “to know/understand”. Mostly I think that the way it sounds suits him. The only thing is that it’s a little bit unassuming and normal, I think? Which he might like, actually.

Anything with the prefix Shin-, because I like that it can be read as both “new” and “heart”. But I also feel like 1) it would always end up reminding me of another character because there are SO many that have this name and 2) he might take it as an insult or a mockery, like, “haha, how ironic is it that you don’t have a heart and I’m giving you a name with the word heart in it”. Probably unlikely at this point, but I don’t want his name to cause even the faintest sense of melancholy or sadness in the back of his mind, so I don’t want to chance it.

Other names that I like the sound of are Seijun (pure, innocent, clean/righteous), Kiryoku (inner strength/willpower), and Katsuya (victory). While I do like these, I’m a little apprehensive that naming him any of them would be akin to imposing certain expectations onto him or the type of person I want him to be? Especially Seijun. But I could also see him choosing Kiryoku or Katsuya for himself, so I don’t know! I’m conflicted.

There’s also Ren (lotus or love) and Shou (to soar/fly - add the suffix -yo and it turns into sunlight/sunshine). Simple and sweet, but after all of the long and multisyllabic names he’s taken in the past, I think he might find something like this refreshing. I really like these two aesthetically. I also cannot decide between them for my life.

And then there are names inspired by mythology or religion:

Fujin - Japanese; god of the wind in Japanese mythology who is often depicted alongside the thunder god, which, in Genshin’s case, would be Raiden. I know a lot of people pick this one, but I think it has too strong of a connection with the past he’s trying to leave behind, although I like the way it sounds.

Shu - Egyptian; god of wind/dry air. I like the similarity with Shou, and also that it potentially would be more connected to Sumeru than Inazuma.

Akasa - Sanskrit; the Bodhisattva of void/space in Buddhism. In Japanese, it’d be Kokuzo. I know these were mentioned in my tags, but after some more consideration I don’t think they’re a great fit for him thematically.

Vayu - Sanskrit; in Hinduism, the god of the wind. Literal name meaning is apparently “that which flows”, which I think is pretty. I also think I just like names that start with V. Vaira was another option (Indian; “flowing air”) - I like that it sounds like it could be short for Vairocana, who is the cosmic Buddha that embodies the concept of sunyata, but I couldn’t find a good source for it actually meaning “flowing air” and instead it seems to be more commonly interpreted as “diamond”.

And finally, the Greek mythology names: Icarus, Aeolus, Zephyrus. I’ve seen Icarus suggested by a few people and while I like the way it looks and sounds aesthetically, the literal meaning is also “follower” which I don’t think he would appreciate. Also, I don’t know if I want to name him a tragic reference to his past hubris that caused his downfall. Aeolus (nimble, quick-moving) was the “keeper of the winds”, and though I like how grandiose and regal it sounds, I’m not really into the way it looks? Same with Zephyrus (west wind), it feels a little too soft for him (and if I recall correctly, the west wind was the gentlest one of the four).

So. That’s where I am now. I like so many of these, and I think there are ones that he would like more but I can’t possibly know for sure, and the more I research the more I find other names I like...

ok i’m so sorry for this long writeup JHDGKJGH ZIHONG IS STILL REALLY HIGH UP THERE JUST BECAUSE I CAME UP WITH IT ON MY OWN SO IT FEELS CLOSEST TO ME?? AND I CAN PICTURE MYSELF EXPLAINING THE NAME TO HIM VERY VIVIDLY. AND THEN SITTING THERE TENSELY AWAITING HIS APPROVAL AND THEN HIM GIVING ME A NOD. BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’D ACTUALLY THINK OF IT.

wanderer why can’t you just pick a name for yourself. do u see what ur doing to me. i feel like that one image of the dude from always sunny connecting all the red lines on the board. WHY AM I LIKE THIS.

#this is so embarrassing #i'm just out here rambling at one of my favorite writers on this site about wanderer names help wtf is wrong with me #i'm literally at work right now too doing this instead of my actual job #but like. this is why every OC i create is just a self-insert. you think i wanna do this every time i need to come up with a name #nah just slap my own on there and be done with it #it's also why when i was a kid playing with dolls every single doll had like 3 middle names i just couldn't decide on one #HE'S NOT EVEN MY FAVORITE CHARACTER he's my 2nd favorite rn BUT I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO PROVE MY DEVOTION TO HIM SOMEHOW. I CAN'T AFFORD TO C6 #sarah answers message #kaeyazuha #ky u are so sweet thank u for going out of ur way to respond to my inane tags!! #sorry i am a little starstruck rn ngl i've never interacted with u off anon before #haha (dying) #ILL STOP TALKING OK THANK U AGAIN <3<3 #genshin impact #genshin #wanderer #genshin wanderer #wanderer names #scaramouche #genshin scaramouche

[foxiams]

gives u a character for the meme !! speak about your muse - miss tingyun !!

𝐢. 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

when i first saw miss tingyun, i immediately fell in love (mind you those were the times when it was somehow speculated she's an upcoming genshin character). i love her design and as someone who loves the mythos concerning kitsune, i was very much intrigued! little did i know there will be much more to her. i love how she's portrayed as a meek damsel in distress, because it plays so well into my portrayal. she's anything but! yet she paints herself so in front of the stranger, to garner their sympathy perhaps? you can tell she doesn't really trust us for a long while, because she plays along with the facade, often telling us to take care of her. and then she suddenly hints at the other side of her character when she talks about the fruit. at this point many people in the fandom were like "SUS" and. yes. correct, but she's been that from the very start, you just fell for her game.

anyway, this is probably copium, but i strongly believe she's a genius strategist/schemer. considers transactions her battlefield and information her weapon - but when cornered, she will strike back, fangs and all.

as for her design, i absolutely love her color palette. red is considered lucky color in many cultures and her green eyes? quite rare as well. the color combination of red and green speaks to me on several levels but most prominently i see the vivid green snake offering red apple. the forbidden fruit seems to be integral part of her character's imagery and i live for it. also! her cheeks? chubby and cute? not to mention the fact instead of going for the "foxy eye" that would very much fit, the design team went for downturned "cute" look that is further enhanced by the placement of her makeup. just makes me think i am absolutely right with the "presenting cute but being vicious" agenda.

𝐢𝐢. 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

so being the kind of person that absolutely loves exploring romantic sides of character, especially through various different lenses that each partner brings. let me just preface this with saying i see so many potential ships that make me go wild.

general jing yuan however, has to be one of my favorites, especially ever since i've been talking with @riftzenith. i love how they are very different and could complete each other well. also the fact that one is immortal and the other longs for immortality? both hiding their true faces/feelings? but both also terribly good at politics? please.

there is also blade and while i feel like that's another rare ship, my interpretation of tingyun especially could prove to be an interesting counterpart in that relationship.

trailblazers too! but that would certainly need more time, because tingyun started that relationship off with her mask that is difficult to take off. there's so many other ideas i have and especially when other muns come to play! kafka, luocha, sampo, bronya just to name a few!

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐭𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

i can't wait for her and yukong's time on screen! i feel like those two share a very strong mother-daughter relationship that i absolutely dig. yukong is a mentor figure as well and to tingyun she embodies something the foxian has been trying to immitate herself until realizing she needs to pave her own way forward.

aside yukong however, i live for the friendly rivalry i see between her and fu xuan! tingyun has probably been trying for years to wrap the diviner around her finger, but failing so far, because unlike others, she's not as easy to fool!

𝐢𝐯. 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

none. i have nothing. tingyun has done nothing wrong ever in her entire life. but in all seriousness, something that irks me is the constant comparison between yae miko and her just because they have ears? they are similar in ways, but so very different in others. they would also probably hate each other for seeing so much of their flaws in the other lmao. also for those that see her as frail? think again!!!!

𝐯. 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 / 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

i so so so want to see more of the tingyun we got a glimpse of after the deer fight. i want to see her flaws, but i also want to see her bare her claws! i want to see her cornered and fight as a last resort, because that's her trump card! but i also feel like those things are something very few get to see and for it to be on screen means to sort of break that??

i want but also don't want her to be the final boss of the luofu storyline haha - it would mean betrayal, possibly dire consequences, but then again, seeing her true face... oomf

#flambace #( i can't even express how thankful i am for you sending this in ) #( i have so many thoughts - so much copium too but avjbavlah ) #( we don't talk about that lmao ) #🔔 [ ooc ] 𝘉𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘔𝘐𝘕𝘎 . 𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙎𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂 . #🔔 [ headcanon ] 𝘉𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘔𝘐𝘕𝘎 . 𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙎𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂 .

[iricathel]

Thank u so much to everyone that tagged me on this template original by @mukami-kuron-mrsadisticcat (っ˘ω˘ς )

#Muse answer to  Basic Q&A ★

Lets go~★

Whats your name? Is there a meaning behind it ? :

"I'm Avenel Irina~ My last name means oat grass and it is due to the properties with oat plantations that my ancestors had and what an abundance, it matches my golden hair! As for my name, it's just a Russian version of the Greek name 'Irene' which means peace, perfect for wishing a girl to be calm, right?"

Any prefered Alias or nickname that you'll like to be called as? :

"Some members of my family call me 'Ira' or 'Irisha' which are Russian abbreviations of my name, aside from those and possible petnames my lover might give me, I don't like other people refering to me with aliases. However, I tolerate a '-chan', '-sama' or '-senpai' out of respect for Japanese culture, 'Miss' and 'Your Highness' is a must for my servants and commoners. At the most I tolerate also if there is a strong friendship, apart from these exceptions I do not feel very comfortable with nicknames."

What kind of person do you think you are? :

"I can be many types of people as I see fit or not, which perhaps makes me a... mutable or transformative person. Although if I were to consider it seriously, I would say that I am a corrupt person.

After all, the more you grow, the more innocence you lose."

When is your birthday? How do you celebrate it? :

"My birthday is October 17 and honestly, I prefer something small and private to celebrate it.

I've been on Earth for many years and celebrating it every year in an extravagant and different way everytime is very exhausting... I'll get gray hair from all that stress! For this reason, people I most care about remember this day and congratulate me with a small cake so that we can eat a delicious dinner together in the garden of my mansion seems more than enough to me."

What's your age? ：

".... You insolent bastard, don't you know that it's rude to ask a woman's age?"

She's 196 years old

"I'm 18 years old... ALWAYS."

What's your gender?：

"Hmm... according to what I have seen today, society has created several different terms according to the new mentality such as... hmm... Fluid gender? Ah yeah, there's also non-binary gender. Hm, although it is modern enough, I cannot fully understand it, perhaps to my old ways but answering the question: I was born and I feel like a woman all the time.

Not that I dared to feel like a filthy man one day."

How tall are you? Are you satisfied with your height?:

"170 cm or 5' 6.9", depending on how you understand the measurements. Compared to Japan I am considered a very tall woman, just like in other places but I can also be average height in others, so I would say it is 50/50. Honestly, I would love to grow a little more just for aesthetic and power purposes, but unfortunately this is the maximum I can reach."

Where did you come from?：

"I was born in the Ural Mountains, in Russia. It is a long, low mountain range located in the Northwest almost center of the continent and currently considered to be the border between Europe and Asia, having a characteristic landscape of both, really beautiful full of woods, snow and... some bears too, but we have red squirrels here."

What charm do you suppose that you possess？：

"At first glance it could be my eyes and/or my hair since they stand out a lot, especially in Japan, as it is something exotic in this country; then there is my outgping personality since I have a strong charisma, that attracts people a lot since I manage to break the ice easily and give them confidence and comfort. However, I would say that my voice is capable of enchanting many people, it soothes the soul as it slips through the ears like a lullaby or a warm whisper if I'm in a calm state."

Do a voice impression, will you?~ :

Name one of your favorite activities, can you?~ ：

"I could say Volleyball or Gambling since they are activities that fill me with adrenaline and satisfy my competitive and ambitious instinct, but I also like something calm like baking since, not only is the procedure fun, but then you have a sweet dessert as a reward.

How do you greet someone in the morning?：

"It's usually a simple 'Good Morning' or a 'Heyyo' if there is confidence, even 'Nice to see you' or a vague 'Greetings'; but this is only if I'm in a good mood, which I'm not always in the morning since I hate getting up early and I have very low energy. I prefer not to talk or see anyone, to be alone in silence drinking my cappuccino while I zone out looking at the ground like a deadpan."

What's the last thing you say to someone before going to bed?：

"Sleep well and don't let the bogeyman pull your feet tonight."

Favorite possession (item)? ：

"I have two: My ring with a ruby stone that my mother gave me for my 18th birthday, previously the possession of my maternal grandmother... it's nice to feel connected to that human side sometimes. And second... a gold pendant in the shape of a heart that can be opened; it contains a very old images of me and Lewis in one side and a small piece of silk on the other side, obviously this gift is hidden in the darkest depths of my desk and I have never wear it since that misfortune... But seeing it sometimes not only causes me great pain, but also makes me reflect, doubt and make good decisions. Just so as not to repeat bad experiences that I will regret day and night all my long eternity."

Why not talk about your hairstyle a little?~：

"Ah, it's easier than it seems.

The haircut that I have is actually multi-layered and with the ends ending in a V peak, plus it's naturally curly in soft lazy ringlets, but if I don't fix my hair, it has a very messy look and my ringlets become either more bouncy if there's humidity, or wavy if there's more dryness.

As for my hairstyle... I just love my loose hair, with right sided bangs and long locks. Although according to some situations I like to pick it up but without doing something too crazy. A high ponytail, a lazy bun, a fake braid or a low ponytail in the comfort of my home. I avoid wearing accessories that take away too much prominence from my clothes or makeup and although I prefer to leave my side locks loose when I tie my hair up, sometimes I hide them behind my ears too."

Any unique characteristics on you?：

"I would say my Venus' dimples, right on my lower back and the freckles that invade both my shoulders and part of my upper back."

Do you have a special nickname to call someone as?

"I always use many nicknames for everyone, and it depends a lot on the situation or my intention, but I usually use nicknames inspired by a funny nickname of the name or something that I find characteristic of the person."

What's your favorite color and why?:

"Royal and Baby blue. As its name suggests, Royal blue is a characteristic color of royalty due to its elegant and sophisticated dark tone, with vibes of power and strength; however, the Baby blue is something softer, more delicate, simple and tender... like a baby. They are great colors that go with most everything, plus they remind me of the sea and clear skies."

What do you enjoy doing?：

"With all honesty, doing nothing. Maybe taking a nap, perhaps sitting on the couch reading books of poetry or philosophy or even watching a movie, maybe just swinging in the hammock in the garden hidden in the shadows created by the dense treetops... The goal is to rest and let my mind go blank with no one pissing me off."

What's your special skill？：

"I mastered the ancestor art of pissing off anyone easily... But I also have very flexible fingers! Ah yeah... and cooking, I'm good at that."

Demonstrate a short love confession! I dare you~ :

"Only you can make my Sun stop spinning around the Earth and my Moon stop spinning around it in order to stop time, and enjoy every millisecond as a year of life by your side."

Your favorite food, and why?：

"Smoked salmon ~

It is a somewhat extravagant delicacy since this fish is somewhat expensive, but the flavor it has of smoke and the softness of its meat if it was well processed, fresh and well laminated is fascinating. It's like it melted in my mouth and I just can't stop eating it. Also, I can add it to many meals! I can eat it alone, on toast, salads, accompanying other salty foods, sushi, poké..."

Your favorite drink, and why？：

"Chocolate cappuccino and miltea... Just why not? Do you have to ask the reason for everything? Nosy bitch."

Any favorite book?：

"I love every book I write by the russian poet Alexander Pushkin, although he has also written some pieces of music and novels, as well as traditional Russian tales such as the tale of the Golden Fish and the Old Man. Opening one of these books is like traveling back many years to the innocent childhood I had before.

And Gabriel García's 'One hundred years of loneliness' that is a fictional novel, with magical realism and is a family saga. It is something quite out of my preferences, such as poetry and psychology, but it is a masterpiece that could catch my attention.

Any other book would be 'L'Arte della Guerra' by Machiavelli to develop this military philosophy better. Even 'Leviathan' by Hobbes, it is more than a mere theory of state but it's a comprehensive philosophical work that explains human from their perceptions, but also from their dreams and goals, while trying to establish to what extent there is a being capable of living in society."

Any favorite genre of movie? Hmm, why?：

"Horror and documentaries, they're interesting. Both can become cultural and informative since some horror movies are based on real events.

I honestly don't watch much television."

Favorite game? (If none can skip)：

"Billiards and any card game. Obviously it would have to be a gambling thing.

Both need maximum concentration and cunning to be able to achieve victory, but the fun part is that it also depends on your luck since your opponent is also thinking and using strategies, so it is a constant balance and a competition of who is the winner, but not because you won the game, but because you were smarter and luckier."

Favorite music? Why?：

"I don't have favorites~ But it's true that I prefer something quiet that doesn't hurt my ears."

What's your weakness？：

"Stupid questions.

But all seriousness... My weak point is naturally my nape, this part of my body has a very weak regeneration, basically like the human one, plus my nerve endings are tighter against the dermal layer, making my skin here very sensitive and susceptible to any minimal damage it could receive.

And chocolate, I fall for it every fuckin' time."

Anyone that you respect？~：

"Only myself because I deserve it."

Do you have a wish?：

"I wish this shit to finish."

Anything to say to those that are watching your interview?~：

"I don't know, good luck surviving Covid you mere mortals, I guess. But not you, you can perish."

#*COUGHS DUST* #*Stretches and you can hear her back creaking* #Lord baby Jesus it feels like millennia have passed since I wrote so much text #Also sorry for this passive-agressive Irina #I woke up today and chose having beef for breakfast #diabolik lovers oc #irina avenel

[bisluthq]

I know joy don’t believe in astrology (and tbf I can’t say I do either). But I have always felt (as a Sagittarius) that I am exactly like Taylor during a fight, and then Saoirse said recently that she has a very childish temper (but apparently it’s been a while since she’s been really mad? Good for her I guess, can’t relate) and I feel like Taylor and I do too, and we’re all fire signs!

Though I think Taylor and I are the kind to scream A LOT and I think Saoirse would be just as stubborn but more quietly than us 😭

see my whole problem with Atsrology - as practiced by us white ladies in the west, not as a meaningful cultural practice, is that if you throw enough stuff at a wall, some of it will stick. Let’s take a random one about me: “Aries is hotheaded, passionate, and outgoing, while Cancer is quieter, calmer, and more introspective” is exactly the opposite of my relationship. I’m much louder, I’m rarely calm, and while I am introspective I am no where near as introspective as they are where they dwell on shit I said 8 months ago and have since forgotten about. I make new friends far more easily and don’t attach much stock in all of those relationship tbh. I’m also slutty af. “Aries can help encourage Cancer to step outside of their comfort zone, and Cancer’s stability can provide a sense of groundedness that Aries didn’t even realize how much they needed.” - possibly true but also more because I’m hotheaded, passionate and outgoing so if you tell me “let’s go to a sex party” I’m gonna be like “well yes that’s totally what we should do” which isn’t really my definition of being grounded. “Aries is adventurous while Cancer is a homebody; Aries is impulsive while Cancer is careful; Aries cannot do subtlety while Cancer is incredibly intuitive.” - none of this applies applies to me/us. I do really like my house and cooking but I’m definitely and never have been careful at all - see sex parties and stuff - and the Aries overthinks about stuff I long forgot about idk.

Like some of this stuff is obvi true but I feel like if I read a Virgo/Gemini compatablity analysis I’d probably find stuff that also related to my relationship. Let me actually test that. “This pair’s differences can be explained by their elements. Gemini is an outgoing, sociable, spontaneous air sign, while Virgo is a more introverted, considered, practical earth sign. But although on the surface they might seem very different, they have many shared personality traits as well. They’re both mutable signs, meaning they’re naturally adaptable, open-minded, and curious. And as I mentioned, Gemini and Virgo are both ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication and travel. This makes them both super-intelligent, gives them a gift with language, and means they both might be just a little bit neurotic.” well yes that sounds like us. “their shared ruling planet Mercury gives them a lot in common, like a love of wordplay, an intelligent mind, and a tendency to gossip.” also sounds like us idk. Aaand u lost me again Cosmo “likely picky Virgo decides early on that Gemini is too noncommittal, or just too annoying, for them—or maybe Gemini sees Virgo as too clingy or too boring.”

all of these things have bits to relate to and none of it seems to stem from the actual birth signs.

personally I fight very rarely but when I do fight I am full on banshee levels of screaming and get nasty af so idk how that fits into all my above thoughts.

[elhawiyeh]

Another linguistics rabbit hole

I stumbled across a piece of old Georgian music that started me down a rabbit hole in the intersection of linguistics and world music.

You may have noticed is the apostrophes in the name- they're used to denote what are known as ejective consonants. These sounds aren't really featured in Indo-European languages, but we do routinely make them. Think back to when you were learning to read and a teacher pointed to the letter T and asked, "What sound does this make?" The responding chorus of T sounds is often made not with a stream of air from the lungs but with the movement of the glottis in the back of our throats. Languages in the Caucasus frequently distinguish between a T made with air from the lungs and a T made with air from the glottis. Because the latter disrupts that flow of air there is often an audible switch for speakers of languages with these consonants between two sources of airflow. The same is true for other non-pulmonic consonants like clicks, and it is often a feat for learners to make these sounds flow together in the course of pronouncing a word.

So how is this handled in singing? I was kind of shocked to see how the ejectives employed in this Georgian hymn are hardly noticeable. My experience with ejectives in music before this was with Native American music where sometimes the singer leans a little more into the percussive quality of these sounds. And if you really want to get into showy non-pulmonics then Miriam Makeba's rendition of the traditional Xhosa song Qongqothwane celebrates them with flair.

So why aren't those sounds more pronounced in this Georgian music? I can only grasp at straws but one thing that occurred to me is that Georgian has some of the most difficult consonant clusters of any language I'm aware of, so maybe it's common practice to elide those sounds to facilitate fluent enunciation. Perhaps modern use of Georgian differs from older versions- the Mkhedruli script in use today is over a thousand years old and the song was composed in the 12th century, but in my experience these kind of traditions are very resistant to change. Maybe music like this was born in the context of a culture that was not native to Georgia- the New Testament had to be translated into Georgian from Greek, and the introduction of Christianity to Georgia is credited to a saint of Greek extraction. If folk melodies found their way into a liturgical context, perhaps it makes sense that composers who drew upon that were not as eager to accentuate these features of the language.

Adjusting features of spoken language to fit a style of singing is very common. When I was trained in Classical European vocal styles I was instructed to avoid smiling while singing, so unrounded vowels became rounded. In particular, the strong 'ee' sound (IPA /i:/) was scrupulously avoided and recast as almost a Japanese 'u' sound (IPA /ʉ:/). Also the English language's retroflex 'r' was often avoided, especially at the end of a syllable and rhotacized vowels were considered ugly. These changes have a lot to do with the fact that this style of music was inextricably linked to Latin mass, but I was always shocked in this context to hear singing in contemporary music that actually celebrated these sounds.

I had one experience learning and performing a piece by a Korean composer. I sought out pronunciation help from a Korean-American woman and she pointed out to me that the diphthong 'ui' (IPA /ɰi/) is typically pronounced in song as an 'eh' sound (IPA ~/e/). I don't know if this holds true for more traditional forms of Korean music but this was in the context of Korean Christian devotional music, so I would hypothesize that it underwent many of the same changes English did in that context.

In J-Pop I've noticed that singers often like to take the traditional flipped R (IPA /ɾ/) and pronounce it in a way that sounds suspiciously like an L. They also like to pronounce mid to backish open vowel so it sounds more forward in the mouth and with a bit of a smile, so /a/ as in father comes out sounding a bit more like /æ/ as in the word hat. It's a really neat stylistic change that to me evokes a lot of the same rebellion that American rock does in the context of classical liturgical song. I'm surprised this kind of vowel shift works in the context of a language that is so incredibly vowel heavy.

One source of music that interested me was the Indian subcontinent, where retroflex sounds like the English 'r' are heavily featured, to the point where they are contrasted with alveolar or dental consonants with the same manner of articulation. Imagine saying a T sound, but with your tongue bent back as if you are pronouncing the letter R. There is a natural tendency to rhotacize the vowels that come before these consonants, and classically trained vocalists in languages like Hindi, Urdu, or Punjabi don't try to fight this. And contemporary artists do this too, sometimes to the point where they introduce another syllable just to dwell on that sound where in conversation it might be smoothly blended with the beginning of the next syllable.

That is my daily dose of useless information mixed with anecdotes and inferences from shaky assumptions and half-assed research.

#linguistics #language #music

[13uswntimagines]

Our Song (Alyssa Naeher x Reader)

Request: alyssa naehex reader thats set during quarantine w/ “Shy” by Alexander Stewart. I just kind of think it’s cute since she’s an introvert and that it would be fitting

Author’s Note: Speical Thanks To @literaryhedgehog​

Alyssa knew she should just say it, that admitting it out loud would finally put an end to this madness. She ran a soothing hand through your hair when you sniffled loudly into her chest. 

God, she should just tell you how she felt. But, she also didn’t want to overstep. That would make being roommates really awkward. Especially since neither of you were supposed to leave the apartment right now except for essential purchases. And she didn’t want to lose her best friend. That would really suck. 

But she wasn’t afraid to say what no one else would- you had a terrible taste when it came to partners. You chose people who didn’t value you, and you always ended up hurt. 

This time was no different, well, it was slightly different considering you couldn’t leave your shared apartment to cope like you normally would. Alyssa didn’t know if that was better or worse, considering that you had adapted your breakup routine to just be endless cuddles with her and your favorite stuffed animal.  

She had already spent the last hour making comforting noises. You had stopped shedding tears 15 minutes ago, so Alyssa decided it was time to go for some humor. “Hey, so now you and Taylor Swift have something in common!”

“Hmm” You hummed in acknowledgment, your eyes never leaving where Supergirl was playing on screen. 

“Well, she was broken up with over text. You were broken up with over text. I think this is the perfect opportunity to listen to her re-recording of Fearless, and really channel those emotions!”

“No, Joe broke up with her in a 27-second phone call,” You lifted your head up off of her very comfortable chest to raise your eyebrow at the woman. 

Alyssa was a great keeper, and amazing at crosswords, but she always needed your help when it came to Taylor trivia. 

“Then Joe showed more consideration as an 18-year-old child than your 32 year old wanna be soccer star. It doesn’t change the fact that I think listening to Mr Perfectly Fine would be cathartic.” 

“It’s kinda funny that she wrote Forever and Always, Mr. Perfectly fine, Better than Revenge and Holy Ground all about the same guy, they’re all so different from each other,” You mumbled, settling back down on her chest. At least she didn’t say that you had as many breakups as she did. That was a rude joke. (One Alyssa wouldn’t dare make. She was more cultured than the media asshats that chased your team around). 

“Woman’s efficient,” Alyssa shrugged. “No reason why you can't recycle the same emotion into a different song genre.” 

“At least she could make millions off her pain. All I seem to be able to do is kick the ball harder,” You grumbled. Your landlord complained about you practicing in the street because of how hard you sent the ball careening into his precious brick wall. It wasn’t your fault Alyssa was too slow to stop the PK. 

“Darling, considering you’re one of the strongest kickers on the east coast, I’d say that pain is going to a worthwhile cause. But you do kind of have the worst taste in relationships.” 

“Hey! Savannah wasn’t a bad choice, just bad timing,” You huffed indignantly. 

“So that would be one out of…. How many bad relationships?” 

“At least one for every Taylor Swift album,” 

“Okay, here’s a fun idea, choose an ex for each album,” Alyssa said brightly. Thinking about music would definitely cheer you up. “Wannabe soccer star is obviously your Joe, so represents the Fearless album. Which relationship is your… Drew?”

“You already know the answer to that question,” you said, already picking up your phone to add Teardrops on my Guitar to the music queue. You then quickly added Forever and Always and started scrolling through Speak Now for the next song inspiration. 

Alyssa nodded. It was a well-known fact that you had a massive crush on one Hope Solo growing up, and you had been absolutely enamored with her the second you set foot into camp. But Alyssa also knew that Hope was very faithful to a certain veteran. 

The veteran keeper had tried to let you down easy, and Kelley was still one of your best friends, but it had hurt in the moment.

“Kristie was my Haunted,” you said, smiling slightly. Dating her felt like a whirlwind, one that took your breath until you never thought it would end. She made butterflies flutter in your stomach, and you were so desperate to say the right thing, to be the perfect partner, that you always felt like you were walking a tightrope. Floating on air, but desperate to keep your balance. “At least she had the decency to wait until we were in the same city to end it.” 

“Aren’t the two of you friends now?” Alyssa looked down at you, watching as you scrolled through songs from your comfortable place on her chest. 

You nodded with a small smile. “Hmm, we are much better off that way anyway.” 

“I bet you I can guess who your We are Never Ever Getting Back Together person is,” Alyssa trilled, reaching down to take the phone. 

You playfully snatched it away from her. “Who’s to say I wasn’t going to choose I knew you were trouble?” You raised your eyebrow at the woman, who simply smirked in response. 

“I can tell you who that is too if you like,” Alyssa reached for her own phone and took over control of the speakers, adding both songs to the music queue. 

“Alright, I’ll bite. Who?” 

“You definitely knew Sam Kerr was trouble, and I think it took you 4 breakups with Leah to finally call it quits,” 

“I was going to say Leah for 1989, it took me forever to realize how fucked up our relationship was after we finally broke up,” 

“I’m sure the distance didn’t help.” With her in London and you in Chicago things just kind of fell apart. 

“Maybe,” you hummed, noncommittally. 

“Okay, so for Reputation. I’m thinking Don’t Blame Me,” 

“You did go a bit crazy for Jane…” Alyssa said with a roll of her eyes. You had almost moved to Houston for that girl, thank god you didn’t. You sunburned like nobody's business. 

“Oh come on. You just didn’t like the idea of me moving. And considering how long we had been dating at that point it did make sense!” You argued. 

“It was 3 months Y/n,” She deadpanned. 

“I was in a wlw relationship. That’s like practically three years, it’s not like I brought a u-haul to our first date.” 

Alyssa quirked an eyebrow up at you. “Didn’t you have one of those the first time we met?” 

“Yeah, because I wasn’t moving into my college apartment without any furniture!”

“Whatever you say, babe. Who's your Folklore?” She rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. 

“I think you skipped an album,” you said. This was weird because Lover was one of Alyssa’s favorite albums. “But, since you asked. I think Kelley is The 1.” 

“Ah, our favorite squirrel,” Alyssa’s lips ticked up. You and Kelley had dated in college (something that should have made her jealous), but Kelley was the one pushing her to admit her feelings now. 

“We were just too young and dumb,” you said, smiling. “We had a great time together, and it would have been fun if it worked out. But at some point we just realized, we were friends, but there wasn’t anything romantic there.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” Alyssa said, like a liar. 

“I’m not. Her and Emily are like made for each other,” You snorted with the shake of your head. “And at least she wasn’t afraid of the world knowing we were together,” 

“Well, yeah,” Alyssa smiled. She had loved seeing the way being publicly out with Kelley had brought out the best of you. “ Okay moving on! Next, we need to narrow down your No body, No Crime.” 

“I take offense. Alex is still alive, so that doesn’t count,” You huffed. 

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding. I know you didn’t kill any of your significant others,” Alyssa said, laughing. “Though if you listened to the song you would know that’s my job… ”

“Alex was my Champagne Problems,” You mumbled sadly. That relationship had been the hardest for you, as had the breakup. She was terrified of the world even suspecting she wasn’t straight. 

You had everything, except the freedom to be yourself, and In the end, you couldn’t take the hiding anymore. 

“You did your best, love. But people come out at their own pace. And it was before Obergfell v. Hodges was decided. Being queer was still more likely to be presented as a scandal in the media then.”

“She cheated on me with Serv. She doesn’t get a pass,” You grumbled, crossing your arms. 

“I’m pretty sure you were on a break dear,” Alyssa said, though she was inclined to agree with you. Being on a ‘break’ but not officially breaking up didn’t seem like a reason to start dating other people. Still getting over some of the semantics might theoretically help you move on. “BUT maybe we should move on. Who is your Lover?”

Your eyes squinted thoughtfully, a light pink shading your cheeks. “The only person who hasn’t ever left me is you. You let me leave the Christmas lights up until May and dance around the kitchen when you cook.” 

Alyssa looked away, not able to meet your eyes. ”I mean, the lights can change color, so they can be thematic all year. And you’re the one who chooses the music to listen to while I cook. I can’t help it if they’re all great for dancing.”

“You can dance to anything. I’m pretty sure you turned a Hosier song into a salsa dance last week.” You giggled. 

“The only person I dance with is you, Y/n,” Alyssa said, finally meeting your eyes. She could feel her body start shaking slightly, as the adrenaline kicked in. She was going to do it. She was going to tell you. “I don’t want to dance if I’m not dancing with you.” 

“I’d dance with you in a storm in my best dress,” 

“I have tried so hard to be supportive about your last several relationships. But seeing you dancing to your favorite song with anyone else… I’ve loved you for three years now and I couldn’t bear it.” 

The air was suddenly charged between you, and you realized your faces were just inches apart. It was hard to breathe. You never dreamed your best friend would return your feelings (maybe that’s why you had so many bad relationships). 

“Kiss me,” you breathed, slowly moving around so your heads were at the same level. 

“That’s not a Taylor swift Lyric,” Alyssa said. In her brain, there was a loading sign currently whirring in little circles, as she attempted to process what you just said. Did you mean what she thought you said?

“Baby just say yes,” You said, feeling so happy that tears were coming to your eyes. You leaned forward getting inches from her face, so close you could feel her breath hitch. “Please kiss me.”

“Yes,” was all Alyssa had time to say before she closed the distance and kissed you. 

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #alyssa naeher imagine #alyssa naeher x reader

[friends-call-me-snow-miser]

When you’re a little older you’ll realise “enbies” are just the modern equivalent of goths or hippies. People who want to feel unique, that’s all. They aren’t actually dysphoric and if they didn’t have the internet they wouldn’t feel different from anyone else.

lmao. first off, i don’t know how old u think i am, but i am an adult, and wouldn’t be considered a teen by any standard either.

second, i also know non-binary people well into their 30s and 40s, including my therapist :). i also initially found out about non-binary genders not from the internet, but from other people. back when i thought it was just my sexuality that was different, i attended an lgbt support group, that was actually more of a trans support group.

third, non-binary genders have existed for hundreds if not thousands of years in many cultures. judaism alone recognizes at least six distinct genders. in indigenous culture, there are two-spirit people. there are muxes in mexico, sekrata in madagascar, hijras in south asia, metis in nepal. bugis in indonesia recognize five genders. just cuz western culture is only starting to recognize non-binary people doesn’t mean we haven’t existed for a long time.

fourth, not sure if you’ve seen the tumblr post with the graph of people who are left-handed over time. if u haven’t, it shows very low numbers up until they eventually stopped trying to force lefties into being right-handed. then the number of left-handed people steadily rose over the years until reaching a plateau. did the actual number of born lefties increase? no, but all the people born lefties who society wouldn’t have allowed to stay lefties, now didn’t have to try to be right-handed anymore. similar thing goes for gender, and other things too. we’ve always existed, but have always been ignored, many have not had words like “non-binary” for their experiences, even if that’s what they felt. the internet is able to bring together people with similar experiences into a community.

fifth, look, i am proud of being non-binary, but if i was just doing this to “be edgy” or “cool”, i would have stopped long ago. i’ve had classmates i hadn’t seen since high school contact me just to be transphobic. i’ve had people harass me, some throw slurs. i’ve had my identity ignored by those around me, especially my family. i’ve had it used against me. sometimes, i live in fear that people i don’t know will figure it out and beat me up. i’ve had friends go through it. america is also an a shitty place to be non-binary. have u seen some of the recent laws against trans people? they include non-binary people too. i’ve had many meltdowns and crises over them, especially the fact that my own health insurance supports these bills. i fear if something bad happens to be, and i am taken to a hospital, that i could be denied care based on my gender, if they see something where i have my pronouns on it, they’ll know. that’s the other thing for being non-binary. i can’t pass and be happy. the second anyone knows my pronouns, they’ll know i’m trans. i have to choose between being myself and being safe, and my answer depends on the situation. before i realized i was non-binary, i also saw all the hate people who didn’t fit into the gender binary got from the rest of the lgbt community. i’ve seen some brutal shit. if this was an act, i wouldn’t suffer through all that, i have enough going on to get through.

sixth, some non-binary people are dysphoric, some are not. neither is invalid. the thing about being trans is it’s not the dysphoria that defines the experience. to be trans, u don’t have to be miserable about ur body all the time. being trans is more about the euphoria, when ur identified by ur correct gender or name or pronouns, or if u want to change ur body to match how u feel or wear a binder or packer, and feel euphoric about it. that’s being trans. i get dysphoria about breasts sometimes (wait didn’t u just say enbies don’t get dysphoria? damn), and at those times, the feeling of a binder makes me so elated.

seventh, for argument’s sake, let’s say this was a new thing, a modern thing that wouldn’t happen without the internet. so what? people are living as who they want to live, and it’s not hurting u or anyone else. there’s nothing wrong with that. as long as people are not harming others by what they’re doing, they should be free to do it. and don’t give me “confusing young kids” bullshit. j have never seen anyone pressure anyone else into identifying as non-binary.

eighth, fuck off.

#tw anon hate #tw enbyphobia

[oumaheroes]

hii its bougie <3 if you're still taking hc requests, i was wondering if you'd have thoughts on something that's been on my mind for a while. i was interested in the nuance to english culture due to regional differences. eg.,dinner being called "tea" in the north of england, rugby being more popular in the south, the difference in how scones with jam and cream are enjoyed in Devon and Cornwall?? or how certain english accents are perceived as... "less attractive" i guess (the black country accents are unpopular apparently?) -- you'd probably know more about these particularities than me ;u;

i was wondering how these cultural differences might map onto hws England's character, and how they might influence his attitudes and behaviours. because there's such a clearly defined stereotype of the english that i think shape people's expectations of what the english are like, i usually think that Arthur usually consciously acts according to what counts as positive interpretations of himself. however, i love nuanced and somewhat subversive interpretations of his character, and am very curious if you might have any ideas on how these kind of internal regional differences might shape him.

--------------------

Bougieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3

I’m not gonna lie this sent me down a RABBIT HOLE of thoughts, so hang on tight cos we're gonna get messy.

Accents:

Let’s start with my personal favourite, so excuse me whilst I geek out for a second. I’ve gone into this area already in this headcanon, but I personally see England being a very proud little dragon regarding English accents, those both native and non-native to the British Isles. Focusing just on accents within England for this post, the way Arthur himself sees them, (regarding class and general preference), comes a lot down to how I see him feeling about language and the unification of England in general.

England is a tiny country. It’s really teeny, compared to some, and yet holds an incredible number of regional accents and dialects (from digging about the internet for a good source, I keep finding numbers ranging from 37 to 43). There are a number of reasons for this, but the one that I love the most is that accents are influenced by the previous/ influential other languages spoken in a given area. Accents on the East of England are more influenced by Viking invaders, both phonologically and via the dialectal words used, and accents/ dialects in the West are more influenced by Welsh, for example.

Accents and dialects tell the history of a place, all who ever came there and influenced it to some degree. The map of English accents is a patchwork quilt of old cultures and people now lost to time, but their ways of speaking have been preserved in the modern tongue. The old English kingdoms might now be mere counties- Kent, Essex, Sussex, East Anglia, etc- they may not have their own influence or language these days as they used to, but their old ways have been imprinted on their people of today whether they know it or not and they carry pieces of the past in their words and how they speak them. Older speakers of the Northern English dialects liek the Yorkshire dialect still use ‘thou/thee’ where this has fallen out in other areas, the Midlands and parts of the South-East still keep the ‘-n’ ending for possessive pronouns (‘yourn’ instead of ‘yours’, ‘ourn’ instead of ‘ours’), and there’s even some linguistic research into how Brittonic, the ancestor of Modern Welsh, influenced English structure and phonology (for references, see notes at the end).

Back to England the person (to contain myself slightly), his regional accents are a story of himself, his history being kept alive in all of its variety every day. He doesn’t hold a classist view of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ accent because he knows why they’re all there- what languages and people influenced them and how these events affected him- the older generations now lost and forgotten being kept alive in the smallest of phonemes.

Every dialect, every accent, and every language tells the story of a people, from the smallest phonological marker right up to a language as a whole and England takes comfort and pride in his dialects and accents’ longevity and variety. He is as much of the North as he is the South, as much of the East as the West and a patchwork man born of patchwork cultures it makes no sense for him to favour one particular accent over another.

That being said, he is aware that there is a common cultural stance on accents as well as an opinion regarding ‘ugly’ ones, ‘common’ ones, and ‘classy’ ones, but he himself doesn’t partake in these ideas. I like to think that a nation takes on the speech of the people and the area they’re in, matching the person they speak to or the area they visit to relate to their people. So, for me a Chav Arthur exists as much as a Brummie one does, or a Scouser, or a Geordie, or a Cockney. They’re all English, and thus they’re all a part of him.

Class

I have to include this one, if only to touch on it lightly regarding accents and dialects. Class does influence which words you speak, arguably just as much as which accent (this is known as a sociolect). Although I said that England adopts the accent of whatever area he’s in, or whomever he’s talking to if they’re English, the class people are will also affect which words he choses to use.

Here’s a short example from here:

'It is pudding for the upper class. Dessert is sometimes used by upper middles, but afters and sweets very clearly put you below stairs.'

Have some more!

Upper class: Spectacles, Lavatory or loo, Die, Napkin, Sofa

Middle class: Glasses, Toilet , Pass on, Serviette, Settee or couch

(Working class is a mix but harder to find sources for).

This is where England treads a fine line. It could be that he again adopts more of a class lexicon regarding who he is speaking to, matching his people word for word. However, England is not unaware of the affects of class, regardless of how he himself feels, and also although class snobbery and divide frustrate him, he cannot deny using this understanding to benefit himself, which also conforms to how his own people behave. (I myself have, many times, diluted and filtered my speech to be seen as ‘better’).

Want to be seen as more reliable and powerful? Want to be taken more seriously? RP and Estuary English (a lot more so these days), hold undeniable sway and England is not above adopting a manner of speaking to come across ‘better’ or more polite, or a more ‘common’ accent to fit in with the working classes. I think of England as leaning more towards a working-class mindset- he’s very hands on, very up for and used to manual labour and this particular English class has always made up the bulk of his population. It makes no sense for a nation, who represents all of their people, to have a snide view or a preference for a particular group and England as a person I see is someone who does not enjoy the foppery and false airs of aristocracy.

That being said, England is an intelligent man. He knows how to work a room and use a crowd to his advantage, knows what must be done and what he needs to do to achieve a goal and if this entails courting the upper classes for a time then he will do so. He’s adepts at switching himself like a chameleon, blending his behaviours, accent, and dialect to match who he’s talking to to achieve a goal or to fit in with someone’s perception of him, or to gain influence or prestige. He also doesn’t hate his upper classes- they are of him too, and the middle and working class have their own prejudices and ideas against the others. But he doesn’t adopt a stereotypical distain of lower classes because to him, it really doesn’t make much sense.

Abroad, this need to cultivate a particular perception defiantly comes under greater pressure. RP and Estuary English are more well know, more heard and taught, and more recognisably ‘British’, and so these are what he uses when speaking English to other nations or foreigners, either wanting to uphold an image of himself (more so in the Victorian/ Edwardian period than nowadays) or just for the ease of being understood.

Regional Differences

Okay, this one is a lot more fun. Does England put in his milk first or last when making tea? Does he put jam first, or clotted cream when having a scone? Does he have chips with gravy, or curry sauce? Does he have dinner at 6, or 9? To marmite, or not to marmite.

Ah, that is the question, and England does not know the answer. Does he do what he does because that’s what he likes, or because that’s what his people do? He didn’t grow up with these habits, after all, they’re all relatively recent in his lifetime, and so these habits are defiantly things he cultures for a particular audience.

I’m not really sure if the above preferences are class based, (well, milk first when making tea is argued to be, but I can't find any sources I'd consider entirely credible. I put the ones I did find in the notes below, in case any one's interested), so it’s hard to get a sense of which one to use. Overall, it doesn’t matter which you do and neither is right or wrong, but the English feel strongly about them, one way or another, and often Arthur the man isn’t sure at all which one he himself actually thinks is better.

Food in another sense though is something he can be surer of. A Cornish pastie not from Cornwall is not worth eating, nor is a Bakewell tart outside of Bakewell. England can be very particular about this sort of thing and enjoys maintaining and supporting the ‘original’ flavour or recipe of a thing where he can, considering this to be the ‘best’. Sally Lunn Buns from Bath, Gypsy tarts from Kent, Eccles Cakes from Eccles.

England wants to preserve his food and culture and has what could be considered a snobbish view on the ‘best’ way of creating or eating his national foods. Some things he is more lenient with: he will eat cheddar cheese, whether or not it is from Cheddar, same from Cumberland sausages not from Cumbria. But he certainly has a preference and he is not afraid to voice this when asked for his opinion.

Okay, we're done

Phew! This had me digging out my old linguistic student brain. To anyone who has made it this far down, gosh golly miss molly thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ride, and especially @prickyy who was kind enough to want to hear my opinions about all of this <3

----------------------------------------

Notes:

Brittonic influence on English:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittonicisms_in_English

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://journals.mountaintopuniversity.edu.ng/English%2520Language/Celtic%2520Influences%2520in%2520English%2520A%2520Re-evaluation.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm29zTF0FBCpd1KqDiAbjM-0X7nfoA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://www.oppi.uef.fi/wanda/unicont/abstracts/14ICEHL_MF.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm3UvOXbJEb0b51J73eBnTJvgGaQOA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

Sociolects and class distinction within language in English:

https://languageawarenessbyrosalie.weebly.com/social-dialects.html

https://www.grin.com/document/313937

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

Milk in tea first and the potential class reason:

https://www.theteaclub.com/blog/milk-in-tea/

https://qmhistoryoftea.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/milk-in-first-a-miffy-question/

#aph england #hws england #arthur kirkland #hetalia #hetalia headcanons #aph #hws #fuck me I went too far #I couldn't help myself #I am a rabid creature for languages #gosh gosh gosh #prickyy #bougietalia #heroes headcanons #heroes answers #I'm from an odd dialect in the south which calls 'dinner' tea! #I'm a breakfast. dinner. tea gal #and always 'afters' over dessert #I am also a heathen who puts the milk in first don't COME FOR ME #I also marmite and will not be stopped

[joshslater]

Quarantine & VR

5500-word story, so I used the Keep Reading feature for once. Similar stories and bonus material on my Patreon.

“Are you sure you’re OK with this?”

We were slowly driving through an eerily empty city center from my student flat next to campus on one side of town to Ethan’s flat on the other, with all my belongings stuffed in the back of the U-Haul. Not that I had so much stuff we needed one. I just moved into the state right before the semester started, but it was the cheapest rental we could get. No one is going anywhere with this lockdown in effect. We barely had time to read the syllabus before everything screeched to a halt. You thought we’d know by now how to handle pandemics, but nooo.

“I wouldn’t have helped you clear out your shit if I wasn’t. Bit late to ask now.” “Yeah, but it seemed like the polite thing to do.”

Ethan turned towards me and spoke with a more serious tone. “I’m really happy to have you stay at my place. I think I would go mad staying alone. Go mad or go home, and I don’t think being locked up with the parents would be better.”

He was about as new in the city as I was, but his aunt had moved out of an old apartment last year and his parents had decided to take over the lease. Apparently it was even cheaper than the student apartments and much larger, but further away from campus. Though where it was in the city didn’t really matter as long as this lockdown was going on.

“Someone else is out at least”, I said indicating out the window. Across the street, a police officer with a navy blue face mask followed our truck with his eyes. Or her eyes I guess. Hard to tell in uniform and mask. I don’t know why, but I found it a rather good look. I hate the flimsy paper masks, but these form-fitted ones kind of make you look more badass.

“Do you think he looks sexy like that?” he asked, as if he had the same thought. “It’s a bit dystopian sci-fi, but that’s not to say it doesn’t look good.” “Take next right. The one after is one way.”

The apartment had two bedrooms, a large living room, decent bathroom and kitchen. Ethan’s aunt had left some furniture, but overall there wasn’t that much stuff. Makes sense as he had barely been here a month. That’s how he had a sparsely furnished extra bedroom for me to use. This was only the second time I had been in the apartment. Ethan forced me to have a look in person before he allowed me to agree to stay with him. Now standing there with all my belongings in the truck outside and my student flat lease canceled, I realized we really didn’t know each other. I studied corporate finance and he medical computer science, whatever that meant. When I asked he tried to explain that almost everything in a hospital now has a computer in it, and a ton of work went into things like volumetric renderings of MRI scans and somewhere there I started to tune him out.

There really weren’t any overlapping circles between us, we studied completely different subjects, he was active in computer games and health, I was trying to get into the writing room of the student theatre company and looking to sign up in the cinema club. But both of us had the bright idea to start working in the student pub, and really hit it off during the start of school year party they threw for their workers. We decided to pick the same work schedule and found out we have the same taste in pop culture, music, books, movies.

And now I’m moving in with him.

He had the larger of the bedrooms with a queen-size bed in the middle, a desk with a few computers and screens set up, gaming computer chair, a reading chair. Basically his room was set up so he could live there except for visits to the kitchen and bathroom. My room didn’t have a desk, but a normal bed, an armchair that looked comfortable, and more wardrobe space than I would ever need. He told me that I could basically consider the living room as mine as well. It had two couches in front of a big flat screen. By the balcony door stood a workout bench and weights. Barbell, plates, dumbbells, and that kind of stuff. Apparently it wasn’t Ethan’s but his uncle’s, but that didn’t really make a difference here and now.

Moving my stuff only took a few runs up the stairs, so we were soon back in the truck, returning it to the rental place. Ethan really didn’t have to come with me, but he said that this would probably be the last adventure for a while, and decided to come along.

“You’re supposed to buy pizza and beer for everyone who helps you move, right? What do you fancy?” “I’d like… You know what? We’re not going to get out much, and you don’t look like someone on a strict diet. Oh, no offense!” “None taken.” “How about we both keep healthy macros and workout regimen while locked up. Instead of paying rent you can help me make sure I at least isn’t in worse shape when all this shit ends.” “Macros?” “Diet.” “Sure I can do that, if you show me what to do.” “It’s a deal then. I’d like one with Gorgonzola and ham.” “Come again?” “The pizza topping. I’m allowed one cheat day per pandemic.”

The pizza place was only a block away from the apartment. Just this one time it was great, as we walked back with one quattro formaggi and one bresaola. But it would be so much harder to eat whatever Ethan had in his plans knowing a real wood fire oven pizza was just four minutes walk away.

Unprompted Ethan started to tell his story over pizza. How his father was a successful businessman in Arkansas, but his hometown always felt too small for him. He talked about how he was making synth music in school. How that made him interested in computers. How, since it was such a small town, he had ended up on the football team without any desire or skill to actually play the game. How he had almost by accident found this education program and had looked forward to both leave Arkansas and to study. I too did a year be year recap of my life so far, up to how my girlfriend dumped me just before the summer. In a way that was lucky, because it made me feel free from obligations and actually do what I wanted.

It was 9:21 when I woke up from a knock on the door. I was a bit disoriented for a second until I remembered where I was. I was sleeping in the guest bed left by Ethan’s aunt. After the pizza we did continue to talk over beer all evening, but I didn’t feel any hangover. Just thirsty. It wasn’t that early in the morning anymore on the other hand. “Yep” I called out. “I’m making breakfast,” Ethan called out from the other side of the door. “Coming”.

It literally only took me seconds to get ready. Stand up. Sweatpants. T-shirt. Done. In the kitchen I saw Ethan had a similar fashion sense, but had gone for shorts instead. “Porridge is fine with you? It would be good if it is. Lots of fibers.” I couldn’t really recall if I liked porridge and told him as much. The porridge itself didn’t taste much, but with toppings I could get used to it. “With our schedule in our own hands I think it would be a good idea to start out with breakfast and work out. That way we can get it out of the way.” Sounded sensible enough.

I changed into shorts as well and made myself ready to do my part of becoming Ethan’s gym buddy. At a quick glance we didn’t look that different, Ethan and I. On one hand I never had that big of an appetite, but on the other I had never really done any sports, and had no gym experience, so I let Ethan guide me. He tested different motions and how many times I could do them with weights he selected and noted down the results in a notebook that would log my progress. It wasn’t at all as tiring as I thought it would be. “Oh, you’ll feel it tomorrow for sure.” We each took a shower, and I went back to my room to catch up on my reading.

A few hours later I was starting to think about lunch. More because I was getting tired of reading than actually being hungry, but I thought I should ask Ethan if he had a plan. The door to his room was open, but as I got closer it became apparent it was an oversight on his part. Splayed on the bed was Ethan, naked save for a pair of boxer shorts and a big VR goggles. His right hand was massaging his obviously erect dick through the fabric of his underwear. He must have followed his normal routine and forgotten I had moved in. I’m not a prude and do the occasional tug myself, like any student, so I was more embarrassed than shocked. As on autopilot, my mind decided to ignore Ethan and continue walking to the kitchen to assess the lunch situation, but another part of my brain decided to keep him in sight.

Walking without watching in an apartment I’ve been in for all of 18 hours predictably made me jam my toe into the door frame. In the corner of my eye I could see Ethan’s body spasm and ripping off his VR goggles as I yell out in pain and surprise. He stared right at me, eyes wide open and mouth ajar in an expression that was hard to read. Surprise for sure, but also something else in between horror and delight. Perhaps it was like the smiles and laughter after you have completely made a fool of yourself. My eyes were drawn to his, and I could feel my face twisted in pain. It was like time stood still, waiting for either of us to make the next move. Out of sheer momentum my mind continued ahead as if nothing had changed and blurted out “What’s your plan for lunch?” over whatever Ethan said at the same time.

“What?” and an awkward pause again. “I said would you like to try?” “I… What is it?”

Ethan put down the VR kit on the bed, quickly got up and stepped into his pair of shorts. His erection was still very much apparent. He pressed escape on one of the keyboards and the screen switched from one incomprehensible menu to another.

“It’s a virtual reality system. I’m using an open source environment system to render inputs from an interactive story engine controlled by a GAN AI system. I’ve been experimenting with regenerative NLP feedback loop plugins for it.” “I followed you all the way up to and including virtual reality system.” “It’s like a VR movie that is generated specifically for you. Here.”

He picked up the bulky goggles and held it out to me. It wasn’t just goggles, but a pair of headphones were built in, and there were a few additional sensors glued on. Hesitantly, and with a throbbing toe, I stepped forward and took the headset. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked. I put it on my head and as it settled into place a digital version of Ethan’s room wobbled into place as well. It was remarkably similar. The colors and patterns were all slightly wrong, but the layout of the room and placement of furniture was almost spot on. I assume he had measured everything at one point and put in the data somehow.

“Go lie on the bed.” Ethan told me. I very tentatively stepped towards the bed, and feeling my way there. It was somehow surprised to find a bed where the digital bed was, and although the visuals of the sheets didn’t quite line up with what I felt, if you just moved quick enough the illusion of actually being in the digital room felt very real.

“This is so weird.” “I’ll start a blank session for you.” “A what?”

Almost immediately a guy entered the room through the door frame. This must be some VR video recording or something because he looked completely real. About the same age as Ethan and I but more fit and, I’ll admit, better looking. He looked flush and sweaty, with his french crop unkempt as if he had just ruffled it. He wore a navy blue sweatshirt and sweatpant shorts. I couldn’t see further down from my position. “Fuck, that was so dope! I love getting pump like that, you know what I’m saying” He was stretching his arms in different ways. Then he zoned in on me, like he was actually looking me over. “Fuck, I love how you look, babe. Mind if I join?” I shake my head slowly. He breaks out in a big smile. I notice he has a bit of a sweatpants boner. Carefully he climbs into bed, next to me. There’s no vibrations of course, or heat or smell, but everything I see looks utterly convincing.

“Hey, are you OK?” “What the…”

I’m looking into Ethan’s face as he stands over me. Bewildered I pat my head.

“I removed it once the program stopped. Didn’t shake you from your sleep one bit. I guess it wasn’t that interesting for you.” “It was very convincing. I fell asleep?” “Perhaps moving stressed you more than you knew? Or it could just be, you know, how shit the world is right now.” “Fuck… I only wanted to ask about lunch.” “A bit late for that. It’s like four and something. Let’s wait an hour or two more and have dinner. Ok with you?” “Sounds dope.”

It was like neither of us wanted to talk about what had happened. I certainly had questions. Had I just fallen asleep like that? Perhaps he was right and I had been anxious about the move and how things would work out. And what was up with that program? It wasn’t gay, exactly, and it didn’t mean Ethan was gay, and if he was there wasn’t anything wrong with that. All of it was just so confusing. Perhaps Ethan was right to just pretend it didn’t happen. Poor guy. I walked in on him watching porn, and then I fell asleep when he tried to show his system. Watching the news on how ever more countries were shutting down was probably time better spent.

He had not joked about being sore in the morning. I woke earlier than in weeks feeling stiff as hell. I didn’t want to wake Ethan, but I couldn’t just lie there in agony, so I got up and did some bodyweight repetitions. Squats, push-ups, dips, and stuff like that just to get some blood flowing. It honestly felt great. Me doing morning gymnastics! Who would have guessed that a week ago? When I left my room I found out Ethan was already up, but didn’t want to wake me up.

“Dude, we need to sort that shit out. I’m ok with you making noise when you’re up. You live here.” “You live here too. What if whoever gets up first makes breakfast and wakes the other up.” “Yeah, dope. I’m down with that.”

We quickly worked out the kinks in our schedule. I would typically wake up first, do a quick workout routine in my room. Then set the breakfast and wake up Ethan. Then we would do workout together. We had different weights and number of reps, but we had very quickly settled on the same exercises, though Ethan was still adjusting my form ever so often. Ethan would then shower first while I did stretches. We then kept to ourselves until lunch. Ethan cooked for both of us. Depending on what we felt like and needed we would either go back to study or do something like shopping or that kind of stuff in the afternoon.

It was hard to keep track of time, but I think it was on a Sunday four weeks later when Ethan said during breakfast that he wanted to show me something he had worked on. He moved the workout bench and the barbell stuff to just outside his room and told me to lie down. The bar had no plates on it, and that’s how I’ve used it until two days ago when I started to add extra weight to it. Ethan emerged out of his room with the VR set in hand, and a trail of cables running in into one of his computers. “Here, give this a go.”

I was a bit surprised, given the last time, but I was also curious what he had to show. Once snugly fitted on my head I was transported into a real gym. It wasn’t a very large one, but a few people did their thing around me. He almost scared me, the guy with the french crop, when he called out “Hey, bro!” just to my left. He had the same navy blue sweatpant shorts as the last time, but his upper body was bare, glistening muscles. He took a step back and his eyes were scanning me up and down. “Dude, you look so fucking good! You’ve really been hitting the weights.” I smiled and immediately realized that I was smiling at an avatar that wasn’t actually there and couldn’t see me, but it’s amazing how good some positive reinforcement feels, even if it is from a program. Perhaps that was the surprise from Ethan.

“Here, show me what you got!”

He walked around me, through the couch I knew was there in the real room, and stood behind me. I leaned back fully on the bench and looked up. He stood over me, just behind my head, so all I saw was a navy blue bulge, some abs and pecs, and his face looking down on me. “Go on, I’ve got you.” I could somehow feel him standing over me. Was Ethan spotting me in the real world? Not that it matters with an empty bar. I grabbed it. It felt heavy. “Good. Give me 15.” He started counting as I lifted. “Slower on the way down. Keep control all the way. Ten more” As I was getting to fifteen he upped it a bit. “Come one! Five more!” As I sat the bar back I felt utterly exhausted. “Fucking awesome, dude!”

“You really went all out.” “What?”

I was lying on the workout bench but I wasn’t wearing any VR shit. I sat up and hit my head in the barbell.

“Fuck! Dude, what the hell!” “The idea was for it to be motivational, but you really took it to heart.” “It was fucking dope, bro. I’m so pumped. Guy was kind of cute too.” “You think?” “Fuck, yeah. I wish I had those pecs.” “You better start some supplements then, if you can’t even last a virtual session.” “What you mean, dude?” “It’s already lunch.” “Fuck dammit!”

I rubbed my head where I had hit it and looked around the room. It looked mostly like before, but the sun had clearly moved ahead. Fuck, I really felt pumped to get some reps in hard and really make a difference. Perhaps lunch, and then do my daily sets.

“You ok with shopping without me after lunch?” “Sure. You need anything?” “I… You said supplements.”

Fortunately for me I have a roommate that studies medicine, kind of. Well, he hasn’t actually gone to any of the classes yet, but he has the books, so he picked out some things for me to boost me. Some of it looked like medicine, in small plastic jars with scientific-sounding names that could just as well have been a frat house. Alpha-omega-manganese-BS-whatever. Some of it decidedly did not look like medicine. Enormous containers with lids that looked too fucking small, with names like amazing-gainz-ultra. He set up a regimen for me to follow, basically some stuff with every meal. I started right away that evening with something like a vanilla and chalk milkshake after dinner. I don’t know why, but something made me feel really good drinking it.

I slept fucking fantastic, and despite having done way more lifting the day before than ever I barely felt any soreness or anything. I probably woke up Ethan with my harder than normal pre-breakfast cardio. Lots of burpees and jumping jacks, so I almost felt guilty making breakfast while steaming sweaty, but whatever. Ethan had to remind me what supplements to take. I really should have written that shit down.

I had a strong deja vu while doing weights. It wasn’t until Ethan spotted barbell for me I realized that this was almost exactly what I had seen doing the VR shit. I looked up and saw Ethan standing over me similar to the guy, but Ethan was wearing grey sweatpant shorts and a red tank. I kind of wished he was topless as well, like the other guy.

“You ok down there?” “Fucking dope, bro”

I realized I must have zoned out a bit. What’s worse I could feel I rocked a hard erection out of nowhere. Rather than making a deal out of it, and run to the shower, I decided to pretend like everything is normal. Guys get boners all the times. He’s a guy, so he knows that. I even did a few extra exercises to really drive home that point. While Ethan took his shower I dared to lower my shorts and slowly stroke my dick. I haven’t cummed once since moving in with Ethan, which I realized was longer than I’ve gone in years. The days were blurring together. I hadn’t watched porn either since moving in. I’ve been too preoccupied with the move and everything else going on.

“All yours” Ethan said and closed the door to his room. I just froze. I was sitting on the workout bench, shorts by my ankles and dick in hand. He saw that. There is no way he didn’t see that. I could feel my face getting hot by embarrassment, yet I continued to sit there and stroke my dick. What the fuck is wrong with me. My mind flashed to Ethan, to the guy in the VR, to his bulge just above my eyes, to his abs to the barbell, to the free weights.

No. I got up and took a long shower, trying really hard to not think about anything. Just observing the tiles, the shampoo bottles, the soap. But there were the creeping thoughts that perhaps Ethan will find me a weird creep and kick me out. How would he do it? He’s been far too nice to be direct. Would he bring up this incident or would he just wait a week or something and over one lunch say something vague like we are not as good of a match as he hoped? Fuck. I needed to do something.

I couldn’t concentrate at all on the block on taxation I was supposed to read. Apart from the residual thoughts of unease I was beginning to see what a mistake it was to not cum in the shower. I was very close to surfing porn sites, but decided against it and ended up aimlessly browsing social media. I can’t really explain how, a hundred clicks that trended in that direction perhaps, but I got into the circles of fitness instagram people. Big arms, broad chests, and slinky stringers. Somehow I was hard again. Stealthily I walked back to the bathroom, locked the door, and started to jerk off in the shower. I’d been saving for a week and been hot all day, but somehow it took quite a while to shoot the load. My mind was a soup of barbells, Ethan, sweatpant shorts, vague old porn clips, and more recent instagram models. When I finally came it was like I’ve never orgasmed before in my life. Rope after rope shot out of me, the first few even hit the wall, and my hips involuntary thrust forward for each of them. I felt cleansed in a way, like a weight had been lifted from me. I couldn’t really understand why, though. Nothing had really changed.

I didn’t want to go back to my room and study. I rinsed the shower, got a pad and a pen, and went to the kitchen to get on top of the supplements. I decided to write down all the ingredients from the labels. I had just accepted Ethan’s plan uncritically. It’s probably fine, but I wanted to understand it. That’s where Ethan found me.

“Hey, dude. Already hungry?” “Yeah… No… I don’t know, bro.” “You don’t know?” “It’s like… Fuck. You saw, bro.” “Saw what? You jerking off?” He laughed and sat down. “You saw me doing it first.”

He was right, of course. I didn’t know how that could have slipped my mind.

“Was it porn?” I didn’t know why I asked that. I was curious, but it also felt a bit too personal of a question. “Yeah. Wanna see?”

Before I even had time to respond he continued “Let’s fill up your macros first and then I can show you. If past experiences are any indications you’ll take your time.” “Already jacked off today.” Why did I tell him that? “Even better”

Ethan had this ever changing dish where he would chop and fry vegetables like bell pepper, chili, garlic, ginger, onion, peas, and whatever else was around, pour in coconut milk and whatever spices you craved that day green curry or red curry for Thai, madras curry for Indian, Soy and miso for Japanese, anise and szechuan for Chinese, saffron and parmesan for Italian, and so on. Then serve it with pasta or grains or rice. I helped him prepare it, as I always do unless he started making it without telling me. This time however the air was different, filled with tension and awkward anticipation. He made it with chicken, lemon grass, and brown rice this time. We hardly spoke a word while cooking, and then continued to eat in silence. We both knew what was on my mind, and there wasn’t any question on the subject that wouldn’t be awkward. I was weirdly looking forward to trying out whatever it was he wanted me to try. I couldn’t explain why it felt so compelling to me. Just thinking about it made me hard. “You clean up here and I’ll go and set it up for you,” he said as soon as his plate was empty. “Yeah,” was all I could manage, and he left. I finished my plate as well, put the few things we’ve used in the dishwasher and went to his room.

His bed was made and on it was the VR headset and what I first though was a protein drink shaker. “Dude, is that a… fleshlight?” I asked him both with incredulity and genuine curiosity. Curiosity because a cable ran from it to one of the boxes on the floor that connected to his computers, and incredulity because I couldn’t believe he thought I would use one of his sex toys.

“Yes. No. Not exactly. It’s modified to connect into the haptic subsystem.” “Haptic?” “Force feedback” “It’s a vibrator, bro.” “Eh.. No. Well, not only. You’ll see.” “Why do you think I’d touch that, bro?” Though somewhere inside I knew I would. “It’s a brand new inset. You’ll be fine.”

I walked up to the bed and suddenly wasn’t sure what to do. I would need to at least lower my shorts and boxers to get the until-recently-fleshlight on my dick, but Ethan was still in the room. Not only in the room but almost studying me like a lab project.

“I’ll lie down?” “Got to strip first,” he said motioning towards my tenting shorts. He saw me hesitated and continued “Dude, I just saw you jerk off in the living room this morning”. I blushed and pulled down my shorts and boxers, and stepped out of them. “Shirt too,” he said. I removed that as well and stood naked in front of him. “Wow, you are making progress. Ok, on the bed and hook yourself up. Red dot up.” I climbed into the bed, as he told me, and grabbed the cyber-fleshlight and pushed it down on my hard dick with the red dot up towards my head. There was some sort of lubrication in it and it slid on with very little effort. It must have been heated as well, because the lubrication didn’t make it feel cold. I was given a nod from Ethan and put on the helmet over my eyes and ears.

The alternative version of Ethan’s bedroom was already there, waiting for me. I looked around and as far as I could tell everything looked like in the real world, except no Ethan of course. After half a minute, perhaps more, I was almost about to ask if he had started it when the French crop guy jumped in through the doorway, as if he was in a hurry. He was naked except for a pair of white, tight speedos that both highlighted his big package and created a reference point for his deep tan and made it look even deeper. There was a sheen over all his body, like he had been working out hard or oiled himself up, and he was breathing heavy. “Sorry, I’m late. I didn’t expect you so soon,” he panted. I didn’t know what to say. “You want me to help you with that?” he asked and nodded towards my dick. I looked down and saw a massive erection, easily twice my real size. “As an apology…” he continued.

“Yeah, sure bro.”

He made the cutest little jump of joy in response, and caught my smile. He composed himself and locked eyes with me. Then he started some sort of dance where all the movement was in his hips and abs. Then he added more of the upper body, still keeping eye contact. I thought I would hose him down with cum from my monster penis right there, so sexy was it. He smirked and moved closer. Still swaying he leaned forward and licked the head of my dick, which shot pleasure up my spine. He then started to circle the head with his tongue, before taking it into his mouth. The first few times were shallow, but then he stopped teasing and begun to really do down deep on the dick. In addition I could feel him alternate between stroking my hips, the insides of my thighs, and tugging my balls. Just as I was about to nut he stopped working on my dick and started to slowly run his tongue up my faint abs, circling my nipple. I was squirming in horny delight.

He was straddling me now, face to face. I couldn’t resist it any longer and reached to pull him towards me and kiss him on the mouth. There was a loud crack of plastic against plastic as our VR helmets collided. “Dude?” I was looking at the French crop guy who was moving his hands in front of his eyes. “Ethan?” I asked, suddenly realizing what was going on. The French crop guy looked bashful, did a little wave, and answered in not-Ethan’s voice “Yeah.”

“Did you just blow me?” “I wasn’t… No, it’s still the device.” I hesitated, considering briefly what this would mean. “Would you like to?”

[i-did]

Ok ok this may be a dumb question but we'll see, what are your thoughts on bdsm + andreil? The vast vast majority of these types of fics have Andrew as the dom (and I get why) BUT theres 1 dom Neil fic and I'm like 99% sure I think I saw u comment on it so I'm assuming ur reading it and enjoying it too. And tbh, I find it much better than pretty much all the dom Andrew stuff, I hadnt realised the potential dom Neil could have until I read it. But anyway, I wanted ur thoughts? 🤲 (this is so badly phrased I apologise)

Lmfaooo being perceived is so weird. I hope I didn't say anything because I remember commenting on that fic and thinking about commenting something about my personal sex life, but I don't remember if I did lmfaooo. Omg okay, all that aside–time to now respond to this seriously.

Okay regarding that specific fic, yeah I read a lot of AFTG fics of all types, I haven't read something NSFW in a while, but when I saw the ‘Dom!Neil’ tag I decided to give it a shot. It’s interesting seeing how other authors go about their ideas and just enjoying their story. It doesn’t align with my personal ideas of everything obviously, but those are my personal HC and that fic is that authors personal HC. I like that they’re exploring something that this fandom doesn’t see explored a lot and is just a fun read, lol. Honestly I give up on most BDSM fandom fics because the depiction of Neil makes me uncomfortable ...almost always. I agree a lot more with this fics concept of how they would explore power vs control in a BDSM sexual sense, than most Dom!Andrew Sub!Neil fics– which I have long ago stopped trying to read.

Okay here are my personal ideas about Andrew and Neil, and how they would explore sex.

Many NSFW HC below the cut:

I personally don’t think canon Andrew and Neil would go into BDSM culture or ascribe to either roll strictly. I feel they wouldn’t like established dynamics like that and would get turned off by that aspect, especially since Andrew both craves control of situations but fears ‘being like them’ and a lot of Dom play is about power dynamics that he wouldn't be comfortable with. Andrew sees power in sex as different as control during sex. He needs a controlled environment, and be in control of the other by having them listen to his boundaries, but he can’t feel he’s overpowering the other person. I don’t think he could do a lot of strictly Sub things either for similar reasons, he would feel like he's giving up control of the situation in a way that could make him very uncomfortable.

Neil on the other hand is also often portrayed as a very textbook sub, but I don't think he is. I see him written as a brat a lot, but personally I don’t see him doing that since a lot of what playing with a brat is, is giving them what they want and denying them what they want and them ‘defying you’ and stuff. It's like a form of playful miscommunication I don't see Andrew or Neil ever actually doing. Obviously all healthy and proper play is outlined and discussed beforehand, but I see Andrew and Neil as needing the actions themselves to be clear and cut and dry.

Neil also gets off on Andrews pleasure, Andrew is the same about Neil, they're almost like a feedback loop of “the other enjoying themselves is inherently hot.” to me, Neil getting off on other people (Andrew) getting off is a very Dom like quality. In turn, Andrew is very turned on by pleasuring Neil, but from the point of his knees, which is almost sub like, he is turned on by sucking someone else off and seeing how into it they are. Either way, I think they both wouldn’t be into hardcore BDSM or BDSM culture but also aren’t vanilla. I don’t see either of them going to leather clubs instead of Edens and going to Folsom Fair and joining BDSM social groups and stuff.

I also don’t think either would ever use titles for the other, I think they don’t call each other by their names often on a day-to-day basis, since usually the people were talking to already know their name, and we don’t need to use it for clarification. I do think–just like in canon with emotionally charged moments–names will be used with more emphasis, especially Abram which is not used frequently.

Side note about my Jewish Neil HC: Judaism rocks because sex isn’t shamed, but rather considered a blessing and a holy act. In fact, it’s a good thing to have sex on Shabbat, G-d is actively like ‘fuck yeah you little humans, enjoy life’s pleasures and each other's company’ sex was designed to feel good and a way to connect. Shabbat is all about human connection with those important to us, and a day of rest away from work, so sex on Shabbat is actually actively a good thing. I don’t think Neil is ever religiously Jewish, but Andrew making a joke about this once would be peak to me. Which also fits Abram, a very Jewish name I HC to be not just Neil’s middle name but his Jewish name, and is used in said holy context of sex.

I think like a lot of healthy adults who are sexually active, they will explore and will be more adventurous to try new and other things, especially when dealing with issues like waning to get off but having touch aversion and issues like that. I have a lot of sex life HC about them actually, ways they navigate erectile dysfunction, mental health, and what they like in a safe environment. They trust each other, and I like imagining different ways aspects of their relationship would change or evolve in my head in all different types of ways, including sexual. I also enjoy giving them kinks and inclinations I specifically don’t have, because it’s like me exploring the concept of why someone else might like something even though I personally don’t. I’m not imagining things that make me uncomfortable necessarily, just things I'm neutral on or don’t see the appeal of, but know why they appeal to others and try to imagine what these characters might think.

I feel canon Andrew and Neil explore sex and dynamics that make them comfortable, I have HC about Andrew possibly exploring pup play and wearing a collar for Neil partially as a “joke” in the beginning, but discovering they really like it. I also HC Neil is really into athletic stuff sexually, he thinks Andrew half dressed with his padding still on and a jock strap is just peak sex appeal. I also think Neil is very sensory, and makes associations with smells and senses easily, so he develops a sweat kink, which leads into his armpit kink. Neil isn't turned on by ‘the bad smell of sweat’ but rather the fact that when Andrew is sweaty he smells like Andrew a lot, rather than after a shower he smells more like soap, and he can’t smell Andrew as much. Andrew on the other hand prefers cleaner sex. He’s not triggered by dirty sex though– he used to suck guys off at an alt dance club and is used to the smell of sweaty balls, it's just not an active turn on. Neil has ‘nothing is hotter than Andrew wearing running shoes and socks, and only running shoes and socks’ energy to me too. I think Andrew feels good about himself in leather, but isn't going to be a leather daddy and wear the leather assless chaps and the cap, he will wear the leather harness that every gay wears to pride, but he wears it just for Neil. Also, Neil loves Andrews pecs, Neil’s kinda a boob guy, but for Andrew’s pecs specifically.

I personally think Andrew and Neil typically don’t have penetrative sex. They do it sometimes–and when Andrew is ready he will bottom more as a way to prove something to himself than anything–but it’s not their preferred way or their ‘go to’. When they finally do, they don’t see it as ‘finally having sex for the first time’, since all the sex they've been having is real sex, even if its oral, hand jobs, etc. I don’t think Neil is naturally inclined to bottoming, and since even the visual of topping can make Andrew uncomfortable, they enjoy sex in any other ways, thigh fucking, docking, Andrew fucking Neil’s ass cheeks, sucking each other off, mutual masturbation, frottage, etc. and it leads to stronger orgasms when they don’t have to hope ever second will be a cliff edge and turn into a panic attack. Safer waters are simply more comfortable for them to swim in, and they deem all sex as equal in ‘value.’ that being said, Andrew likes his ass being ate, as long as its just Neil’s tongue, while Neil is neutral on his ass being ate, but loves doing it to Andrew.

I also think they would explore toys, but not in the way they're often explored in fics, which is very vibrator and dildo centric. I think they would use jacking off toys, the disposable egg kind or some more long term ones, maybe even something they could use at the same time. I don’t see them ever actually using handcuffs or restraints really either. Andrew would see Neil tied up as an equivalent statement of ‘I don't trust you not to touch me’ when he wants to actively progress past that, and shows he trusts Neil by not holding his arms back or letting him touch him. Andrew had to hold down previous partners, but Neil is different, Neil listens. This isn’t my personal opinion about restraint, but it is what I think Andrew would think.

I have no idea if this is what you meant by ‘my thoughts’ but here they are. *puts something in your open palms,* idk what emoji that would be

#ask #aftg #aftg headcanons #nsft #OSHA violation #mailob

[vod-ika]

Clones; A Sociologic Rant

I’m pretty sure I could base a whole sociologic thesis off of this show I have so many thoughts this is LONG.

So the fascinating thing about clones is that over and over it’s emphasised in show that they are considered property/cannon fodder/disposable, and at the same time it’s shown that they understand that claim, and still go so far out of their way to control some kind of their own independence.

I occasionally have a hard time separating show and fanfiction (fuck canon it’s my world now) but even in show, the allusions to modern militaries, the decorating of armor, the personalisations such as accents, names, and specific groups (Domino Squad) all point to an entirely unmitigated, completely developed culture inside the Republic. So this is basically a list of things I’ve seen, wondered about, or headcanoned in TCW.

- I would just LOVE to sit down with Filoni or Lucas and a sociologist and just Talk about how, if this army was real, what all would the Kaminoan’s have programmed in their heads (mental stability, coping mechanisms, stamina, self-preservation instinct, etc,) and how would it work in real-time, on and off the battlefield. What kind of programming went on in those eight to ten developmental years that ensured that loyalty was innate, the knowledge of property was omnipresent, and that they believed they weren’t allowed to own anything? What did they do to them to make sure that they would never want to form an uprising???

- “We are only as good as our weakest link” is repeated in team events endlessly, something that can extend to both skill and health. How deeply engrained are checkups, both mental and physical? I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that day in and day out clones, regardless of rank, are able to listen to and watch brothers die and Not have that affect them.

- Were they programmed with “protect the Jedi” in mind, or was it just, “bam. here is your CO, they outrank you so you have to respect/protect them?”,  and then one of them jumped off a building with no armor and their captain had a heart attack? With the whole “Jedi were peacekeepers now they’re generals” thing I feel like the Senate just took two pieces of a puzzle that don’t actually go together but fit anyways and shoved them together and now they’re just kinda staring at each other like “the fuk u doin here”

- HEALTH. IS SO. IMPORTANT. When you know that any injury severe enough or illness overlooked long enough could result in you being swiftly and carelessly replaced by someone who looks Exactly like you, how much more of an emphasis is put on health, bodily wellbeing, and injury prevention? Clones are human, and while they’re very highly trained, strong humans, they’re still human and skin is skin. (Applying real logic to a cartoon) Seeing clones in things like explosions that they potentially survive, but lose a limb or two always made me sad because, to The Republic/The GAR/ Kamino, what good is a crippled clone? To Kaminoans, their life’s purpose is over and you might as well treat them as a lame horse. Fuck Kamino.

- I just realised something. When most modern soldiers deploy, they deploy with the intent to eventually be replaced because they have served their time wherever they are, and are being replaced by a new wave of soldiers. Clones deploy with the intent to die and be replaced until the battle is won.

- When Marines or Infantrymen or Sailors ship out, they always have duffel bags or those gigantic green laundry bag stuffed with clothes and personal items. Now, we know that clones collect personal items, and assumedly have multiple pairs of blacks (or no sweat glands) but I have yet to see any kind of carrying devices other than crates and small backpacks like for small Hutt babies or explosives. Do they have to leave everything behind when they’re op-hopping to their next planet? Are there barracks left behind that hold the ghosts of personal blankets and magazine clippings? Or is there a mountain of green laundry bags just off-camera?

- Naming culture, good god. So, you’re fresh out of boot, and you’ve got your number still. You’re like, “dope. I’m CT-1234. I’m a GAR mortarman. Go time.” Then, some dickhead is like, nah you’re called Sparkles now lets go prank Gogo and Jazz. Naming is WILD, and I’m mostly drawing from fanfiction for this. Either you’re named for some major or heroic or kickass reason like Tracer or Wolffe or Fireball, or you’re named for the most mundane thing like your number ends with 22, so you’re Twos or there are checkers on your armor so now you’re Check. either way it is a personal choice that Specifically defies the number they were assigned at decanting. Even Dogma had one for fucks sake.

- Painting armor. You know that time had to be taken to sit quietly and detail on that eel, or those lines, or that decal. Did it do anything to better the Republic? Did it win any battles or save any precious Jedi? No, but it happened anyways. People like to discuss why we play video games; there’s no societal, familial, or interpersonal benefit, only benefit to the one playing. There’s no societal, familial, or interpersonal benefit to painting armor, only benefit to the one painting. Fuck Kamino. 

- Vocal inflections! The places they’re deployed affecting their speech patterns! I personally have a wild mashup of regional American accents because of the time I’ve spent traipsing, so how does being deployed planet after planet affect clone speech patterns??? Who rolls their r’s and who doesn’t? Are there transfers from other battalions whose accents are indiscernible because of where they were last deployed? Or ones who just have a whole additional vocabulary of local language? I’m three states away and the Louisiana accent blows my mind. Imagine that, but a whole fucking star system away???

- LINGO. Military lingo, planetary lingo (see above), sign language etc. give me different forms of communication outside Basic, used in both the formal and informal settings. (name calling in ASL/BSL during a briefing, talking about shinies in front of their faces in a language they don’t yet understand, talking about Jedi in front of their faces in a language they don’t understand.) Clones are told all that they are is property but damn if that property isn’t going to be able to talk shit about you to your face.

- To add on... Mando’a???? Is it innate? Is it learned? Did Jango Fett personally sit every clone ever down and teach them how to say Cat and Dog and Yes and No? Does every clone know it, or only those who sought it out? Literally it’s the most impersonal personal thing. “You, a thing who was made for combat, who looks exactly like millions of others, know one language of BILLIONS in the galaxy, purely because the man whose hair we based your genetic makeup off of knows it.” like WHAT

- HELMETS. BEING. SO. VERY. PERSONAL. Everything you see, speak, hear, smell is filtered through that bucket on your head. Are HUDs customisable? Is wearing or touching someone else’s bucket a no-no? Who’s watching telenovelas on guard duty?

- Speaking OF helmets: When your waking hours are constantly covered by your bucket, how do bodily “tells” betray what your face can’t? People acclimate. How common is it to be able to read your brother’s emotions like a fucking book based purely on how squared his hip is in parade rest, or which shoulder is higher than the other at attention?

- Or even just armor. Dude, that is literally the only thing between their skin and certain death by laser bolt. You ever talked to an athlete? And how picky they are about what cleats they wear or what goggles they use, or what percentage Gatorade their water is? We’re incorrigible. Imagine that, but the choice made results in how mobile you are, or how much laser to the shoulder you can stand.

- Time is so fucking short and they all must know that. I think I’ve used the line, “the average lifespan of a clone is measured in months, not years,” and boy does that fucking hit. How do you handle life when you were made to be snuffed out by it?

To conclude, I have many thoughts about the minute details of a working army that is comprised of identical people created, raised, and sent off to die for a war they didn’t start. Sounds a little ridiculous when you say it out loud, but between the show itself, fanart, and fucking fanfiction, it’s a little hard not to attribute human nuances to the show that exemplified my childhood. I’m an adult and it is my very highly specifically adult choice to psychoanalyse this show, and you can bet I’ll throw hands with Disney at any time.

“When my creator cares not how I face death, only that it is for them, how do I use the time death allows me? Cruel is my maker to have given me eyes to see and ears to hear the world, but denied me the chance to explore it. I can only hope that those who follow see what I could not, and that eventually a painting of all the world will be born through the eyes of the many.”

#clones #clone wars #star wars #star wars the clone wars #sw:cw #sw:tcw #clone troopers #clone headcanons #I am YELLING #There is so much I could dissect #captain rex #commander cody #ikawrites

[faemytho]

lust sans belongs in the bad gays group and here's three reasons why (with evidence) ((NOT CLICKBAIT))

ok i lied about the evidence but listen. i have thoughts and feelings about this and you all get to be dragged along. this is a long post.

DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE HEADCANONS. i do base many of my headcanons off of their canons, but i am not proclaiming anything to be canon or not since none of these characters belong to me; i am just having fun with them.

1.) lust is an outcast among the multiverse sanses - this is due to a cultural underlust thing, NOT a "sexual purity" thing because we do Not stan that here

the story of underlust is one of underpopulation and a continuous aphrodisiac heat curse. due to this, i'd bet MONEY that the underlust culture is wildly different than any of the other AUs. we're talking more solitary lives (less people around; more people alone, leads to loneliness and the NEED to be around someone, not even counting the heat curse), we're talking frequent hookups on the spot being considered normal, we're talking people who probably have very different ways to interpret social cues - aka, interpreting implied consent (which is a real thing and a huge problem in some places).

and i bet u that because of this, lust ACCIDENTALLY comes onto a lot of his alternate selves without realizing because his culture is so so different than theirs.

he's avoided because of this. he's an outcast. he makes them uncomfortable, even though he doesn't try to. he knows they're uncomfortable around him, but he doesn't know how to fix it.

this is where nightmare comes in.

2.) nightmare takes in those who are shunned (like he was), and lust is no exception.

for fucks sake y'all, his freaking NAME is "lust". i bet you he didn't even pick it out - could you imagine being named after something so normal in your culture, something you had no control over, just because it's not like that in other cultures? that'd be like naming horror "cannibalism".

imo, him getting named "lust" was literally just another way to shun and isolate him from the other multiversal sanses.

and nightmare knows what it's like to be shunned by everyone around you for something you can't control. big headcanon is that that's the reason why he takes in so many of the "bad" sanses in the first place.

3.) he would 100% fit right in

"how the fuck would sexy man fit in with the murderers??" well i will tell you one thing they have nothing to do with each other so you can put your poor little sexual purity mindset to rest and also get it out of here bc again we do not vibe with that

let me lay it out for you

horror comes from an AU where resources are dwindling. food is scarce, people are succumbing to cannibalism madness, it's messy and horrible and the culture of horrortale is a lot different than any other AU. horror would definitely understand lust's situation the most - he's shunned for similar reasons.

cross comes from an AU where he's one of many royal guards. im sure u all keep up with xtale and underverse, but lets say that in this, the events of underverse never happened after X. he's not so much culturally different as he is traumatized - he just lost his whole family and his entire AU, he's forcibly joined to a vengeance seeking spirit who he thinks is power-hungry and insane (xchara), and after X and before meeting Ink, he's practically hopeless. a perfect magnet for nightmare to find him. nightmare offers him safety and peace, and cross, tired of it all, agrees. the x-event never comes to pass. ((i'm laying all this out because i often see cross included in the bad squad with no explanation @ underverse, so this is how i figure it goes - underverse just never happens in these timelines))

ANYWAYS cross is traumatized, and though i think he and lust would be rocky at first, they'd eventually get along and understand each other; they'd just need some time to do that.

dust is from a timeline where chara commits genocide run after genocide run, and dust is driven to kill everyone in an attempt to beat chara - this leaves him in an empty world with a guilt formed hallucination of his brother. he is Also traumatized. i feel like he and lust would get along; the lack of feeling like there was any other choice is probably a huge thing that helps them connect.

killer is from a timeline similar to dust's, except instead of fighting against chara, killer joins chara after what are probably years of them resetting and asking him to join them. killer is traumatized, he's a bit not right in the head, but with chara out of the way and him with nightmare, i feel like he's pretty chill, a lot like his old self. i feel like he'd see lust and they'd honestly be best friends - they both have the same sort of laid back attitude. they'd fit like puzzle pieces.

error is a quirky, stupid little man baby with way too much power. nightmare didn't take him in; error just showed up one day and the bad gays simply got used to him showing up - i bet there was at least one point where error showed up, killer proclaimed that cross had gotten error "some of that chocolate shit he likes" and error immediately bolted to cross and held out his hands (and yeah, cross did get extra just for the next time error showed up). i think error and lust would honestly clash the most, what with lust's culture being "overly touchy" and error's blatant fear of touch. once lust realizes he can't do that kinda stuff with error though, they'd definitely be able to get along. lust probably bribes error with gifts and shit.

and finally, nightmare. i feel like they'd get along from the start; lust has a penchant for dramatics and nightmare's open to new ideas. lust and nightmare bonding over being absolute queens is something i will never let go of.

im saying that because they're all outcasts, they all figure they better stick together, and lust would fit right in with them.

then they help lust pick out a different name for himself and they all decide on "hearts" for him and then they all Kiss

#bad gays poly #sanscest #utmv #lust sans #nightmare sans #horror sans #cross sans #dust sans #killer sans #error sans #fae's headcanons #listen im just saying. hearts deserves it.

[urmomsstuntdouble]

Can you do one for america

Since I received this about an hour or two after posting my lithuania analysis, I assume you’re asking for an america character analysis. I was debating whether or not to go through with writing this or not for a while, but i’ve decided that I’ll try. I hope you enjoy it!

Idealism

The first thing that sticks out to me when thinking about america is that he’s super idealistic, and I think this has its roots in his birth. Everything in his life has been about hope and being better than others, even down to the decision to colonise north america. England needs to be the most powerful country in europe. Better set up a colony in america so that it can save us. It’s that sort of logic that i think gives america the idea that he needs to be perfect, or that he can be the ideal person. And though a lot of what we consider to be the “american” identity (intense patriotism, nativism, idealism, etc) took recognizable shape in the 19th century, i think this way of thinking was nothing new to alfred. He’d been raised on it, with the desire to please arthur sort of in his blood? Anyway i feel like the idea that the colonies would be so so prosperous really put the idea into america’s head early on that he was perfect and that he was destined to be such a great person, even if that wasn't true. I often see his daddy issues presented as solely abandonment issues, but my interpretation of america is more of a combination of abandonment issues and the pressure, some of it self inflicted, to be a perfect country. Basically, his idealism is deeply rooted in unhealthy places. 

Also, a religion headcanon i have is that while he was more raised to be a puritan, freddie prefers quakerism. Though he’s not the most compatible with quakerism, as it rejects violence and quakers often refer to themselves as the society of friends, and are very welcoming, i think it gives him some hope. One of freddie’s biggest problems is that he wants people to be better than they are, and quakerism helps a little with that, because it’s a way that he can help himself become better than he currently is. I feel like he’s been a quaker for a very long time, so he’s not a very good quaker, but this is still something that’s very important to him. 

Hero complex and other mental bullshit

America having a hero complex and also being physically 19 is something i think really highly of. First of all, it very much fits with the mythology of america being a sort of world savior. Secondly, a lot of american media focuses on heroism, whether its on the behalf of average people, like the hunger games, or on the behalf of superheroes, like the mcu- especially over the past 20 years. Though i think it’s a good thing to promote heroism, the hero-martyr complex that gen z has is. Oof. And i think alfred fits very well into that toxic sort of “heroism” that most gen z kids have. He thinks he’s somehow able to fix everything wrong with the world, just because he really wants to. Though that desire is genuine, it’s not always something that’s his place to fix or something that even needed fixing. There’s also a selfish component to that- He needs to prove himself, and heroism is the only way he thinks he can do that. It’s why he works out constantly and cares so much, on a personal rather than country-avatar-thing level, about being #1 at everything. He has to be better than everyone else because he has to be the perfect hero. 

I also think it’s interesting how america seems to have more pronounced daddy issues than canada, and i think this is something that harkens back to the 13 colonies (side note i hate the term ‘colonial times’ when referring to the time before the revolutionary war or canadian independence. These are settler states, its always colonial times.) and american independence. Canada sort of only exists because of british loyalists, as they made up the majority of the population around the turn of the 19th century. They saw themselves as being The Better Colonists. Real daddy’s boy types, and I think this is something that contributes to the hero complex. Because matthew refused to rebel so openly, that made arthur favor him as a son, so alfred felt the need to be even better than matthew- even though, of course, alfred was a bit more favored. 

Fighting Style

Freddie is very good at violence, but not in the same way that a lot of other nations are. Where they tend to be more well trained in specific styles of fighting, freddie just sort of has all of them? His mind is very crowded, i think. Also, the way that he would have learned to fight is different from the other super powerful countries by virtue of his youth, and by virtue of the different regional fighting styles in america. One that’s haunted me is a trend in the ability to rip off ears and noses- Particularly by white gangs in the antebellum south, this was seen as being like. A real badass. I think alfred was something of a feral child. If you know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child,” i think it really did with him. He had so many parents, just like a lot of the western hemisphere countries. But anyway because of all his many many parents, there was never any strong parental force in his life, so it’s more like he didn’t have any at all, and because of that, alfred was a very strange child. And because violence is so ingrained in american society, alfred is very good at fighting, both in order to be fun and flashy and for his own self defense. Though he doesn't really like to fight unless he feels like he has to (and other people are very good at convincing him that he does have to)

Sports

Though america is definitely super athletic and could probably naturally be good at most sports, i think there’s a few that he’d more gravitate towards. Those are basketball, track and field, and olympic lifting. I would include american football but it’s a stupid sport that doesn’t make any sense, so it will not be included for spite reasons. In basketball I think he’s sort of an every-man. I think he’s around six feet tall, so he really could play any position on offense, and as for defense, I think he’d play his best defense against the point guard, bc i feel like Alfred is really fast and good at getting up in your face. He’d have a ton of steals whenever defending against the point guard. I think he’d be a good center on offense, because he’s a bit aggressive and that would be useful for getting rebounds and put-backs, though i wouldn’t discount point-guard freddie, because he does like to be very inspiring. He’s pretty energetic as well, and a point guard can really carry the entire team in terms of energy and spirit. As for track and field, he’d also be an every man- I feel like he’d gravitate more towards sprinting events by personality, but his coach would stick him in wherever. Where olympic lifts are concerned, he’s absolutely a snatch specialist. 

Empire and contradictions

America is an empire. No way of getting around that. I think imperialism in hetalia is an interesting subject, especially where america is concerned. @mysticalmusicwhispers did a good job running that down here, but basically my thoughts on the matter are that alfred doesn't really like being an empire. There’s many angles to that. It’s lonely at the top, for one. There’s no one who relates to being a 21st century empire in quite the same way as him. Then you have the fact that a lot of people living in america have suffered under imperialism as well. Because of that, there’s a lot of self hatred and anxiety and a not knowing if he can fully trust himself. Theres also the obsession that many americans have with people from other cultures being able to assimilate to american wasp culture. Because of all the people who live in the states who are very much not wasps and who can never be, it’s really hard on alfred, though he refuses to admit that things are anything but fine. 

Extras/Fun stuff

A book that reminds me of him is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. It’s a collection of short stories about O’Brien’s time serving in the military during the Vietnam War. It’s a very haunting book and I think about it at least once a week, but it is very violent and there’s a lot of fucked up stuff in it.

giveme chubby alfred or give me death

i feel like this shouldn’t have to be said, but sometimes there’s people who depict him as being pro-trump or pro-right wing bullshit, which. absolutely not. just because of all the political turmoil that exists within alfred, and because of all the pain he goes through because of all the hate that exists within his borders- hate that the entire world is forced to pay attention to. even though he might not have all the best sympathies or motivations, he’s just so tired of all the pain he personally goes through because of domestic political unrest, and would like it to end in the way that’s the least painful for him as a person. 

Bi king of my heart 

not a natural blond

I hc him as being mixed, though i’m not sure what exactly he’d look like? But i do enjoy alfred but not white, as poc are the driving force behind a lot of american life, right down to the languages we speak. Like. something like half the states names are the words of their indigenous peoples, and even more toponyms are indigenous across the country. Then of course i feel he’s very protective of aave and will always pronounce words in Not English correctly. (if u want to hear more about my language thoughts they’re linked below. Not gonna rehash it here cause those posts are Long™) 

My playlist for him!

Other analyses (age, linguistics) 

writing requests

#@ mystic how does it feel to be tagged in two of my writing request posts #im sorry i love your writing sm #anyway thanks for the ask anon! im not quite so angsty about america right now so this probably #is not as good as it could've been were i in my feelings about him #anywhomst! hope u enjoy this #hetalia #hws #hws america #tw violence #tw imperialism #? #sort of #i dont go into detail about the imperialism but its metnioned #ask #anon #writing requests #character analysis #ceros posting