#UNTOLD TRADES

[rococo-poco]

UNTOLD TRADES and a poem about today's episode

#art #collage #collage art #poem #poetry #magazine collage #icarly #UNTOLD TRADES #what do you think spencer's subplot would be they were always the stupidest thing #scanner #scanner art

[braceletofteeth]

Even so... You should have taken me with you.

I was so lonely back then.

#tale of the nine tale #tale of the nine tailed: an untold story #lee rang #granpa mangtae #1x01 #gifset #* #// #I had to analyze and compare 4 different translations in order to grasp what was actually being said here #**the ''there'' where Yeon left him was the mountain they lived in (after his girlfriend died) #he's saying here that he would rather have been literally kidnapped than staying alone back then :D #I traded a good night of sleep for a lot of sadness thank you Lee Rang I can always count on you

[knightcallie]

Baldur's Bounties: Ah, the Ex-Husband

Holy shit, friend spotted! Weichei couldn't believe someone he recognized was here! They always had a funny bit whenever in relatively unknown company. And this was no exception

The pure excitement that bubbled in his chest threatened to show on his face. He had to redirect it, and it came rather easy funnily enough. When those glassy eyes met his periwinkle ones, that mischievous grin had him turning away with a curse. Somehow he managed to not have his lips look like they were forcing down a smile. 

Shadowheart’s face pinched suspiciously at his reaction, tilting her head curiously. “Is something wrong Weichei?”

He made a show of ‘sneakily’ looking over where Dame was, who was discussing some of the produce with the seller. “Don’t look,” he whispered, making a frog face. “But somehow my ex is here.”

“Your ex? Why, little mouse!” Astarion drew close, a hand on his farthest shoulder. “I didn’t take you for a heartbreaker.”

He pulled a face, sucking in a breath. “Well, I’d really rather not do that.” A rather heaping handful of cherries are stuffed into the basket. No, he does not have a cherry problem, no siree. “But uh.” His eyes glanced away before saying, “Divorce is always messy some way or another.”

Karlach forcefully exhaled. “Mate, how many spouses do you have?” It’s a marvel really, but then again, there was something magnetic about this bounty hunter. “Are there even more we should be worried about?” 

Gale then piped, “Is this an ex you pissed off? Because I would not want to be here if it becomes messy.” He should know, being Mystra’s ex was… an entire thing.

The drow tried to wave it off like it was nothing, blowing a brief raspberry. “No, no—” A pause, pursing his lips as he ducked his head. “Maybe? I hope to gods I didn’t,” he murmured, curving a finger over his lips. “We, tried to part on amicable terms.”

Astarion scoffed. “I didn’t stand over divorce trials back when I was a magistrate, but even I know it’s not entirely possible to part purely on amicable terms darling.”

Wyll had picked out a few apples when he whispered, “Well act like it, because they’re coming over.”

He did his best to empty his mind, let his face fall as he said, “What.” He knew really, the fae had a certain presence to them. He could feel that overly confident, somewhat snide aura drip over; and he’s desperately trying not to break character early. He shoved the basket towards the Blade, hurriedly telling him to go and pay.

“Oh this is going to be fun~,” the pale elf grinned as he slid next to Shadowheart.

Lae’zel chk’s, folding her arms. “Or bloody, do not let your ex-mate dominate you,” she noted.

He lets his ears raise in alarm when that baritonish tenor dripped his name. “Why Cheri~” It reminded him of Temerity, when he was up to no good. (Sometimes he wished he still had his spray bottle.) He turned a tad too quick, eyes slightly wide. 

Dirty blonde hair loosely waved around their face, brows beautifully arching above those glassy eyes. The eyeliner was decidedly graphic and bright indigo to give an illusion of steel blue in those irises. The mustache was still well-trimmed, an illusion of nobility or a guard. Sharply coquettish, he continued, “Didn’t think I would be seeing you around here.”

Gale swore under his breath. “Fae!? He divorced a fae!?” he whisper-yelled, appalled. Who was dumb enough to divorce one of the fair folk!? 

Lae’zel scowled. “I do not like this man one bit.” The vibes were feeling rather rancid. “Perhaps it would be easier to rid of him.” Her hand twitched towards her sword. Surely a fae was no match against a githyanki blade.

Dame reached for him, sidling up close. It read all flirty as he squeezed a shoulder. “It was getting rather drab in Vetle mauschen,” he drawled, scoffing at the end. “Usually you’re there to warm me up, but y'know.” Those glassy eyes scanned him up and down, a personal telepathic connection wriggling in their brains. He hoped the Emperor was somehow blocked, maybe he could brainstorm solutions with his old colleague without being found out. “But how’d you end up here? Needed some space from the big ol’ oak tree?” they teased, grin widening.

Weichei must’ve looked uncomfortable with the way he was trying to not laugh, because something prickled in the air. Karlach pushed Dame off, a displeased look on her face. “Hey man, hands off,” she glowered, taking his right side.

Astarion took the left, brandishing a dagger. “And keep your distance, why don’t you. We wouldn’t want to lose any fingers now do we?”

Somehow Dame was really selling it, looking all offended that they wouldn’t let him torment the drow further. But it was too hard to keep up the performance at this point, so Weichei just broke. Laughter blurted out of him, catching himself on his knees. “Oh GODS, I’m sorry Dame. Couldn’t hold it,” he wheezed in between.

His companions were flabbergastedly confused as the fae’s entire demeanor changed. Friendlier posture, he laughed along with Weichei, drawing him into a hug. He hasn’t been crushed in a hug in a while, his arms scooping around those unseen wings. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Lasted longer than I thought!” they smiled, waving them side to side. “Fuck, it’s good to see you.”

After some explaining, he rightfully earned a punch to the arm for that from an unimpressed Shadowheart. “Really Weichei? We were considering adding him to the pile of corpses.”

He rubbed his sore upper arm, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry, we couldn’t help.” Dame was leaning against his back, snickering. “Kinda a whole thing.”

“We love accidentally marrying your coworker and being stuck for a year until you get a cryptic message from the lawyer that the divorce was done,” the fae grinned, raking a hand through the drow’s locs. 

#bg3 writing #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #writing #bg3 tav #my tav #weichei zauviir #bg3 companions #this is one of my faves its so funny to me #I need to make Weichei more colleagues #bc imagine running into fellow bounty hunters #I’ve thought of running into his students #would’ve seen him in his mentor hat #or even his own children #I’ve imagined his family finally seeing him #weichei protection squads will never not exist #first in the bounty trade #then the untold #and now the bg3 companions #weichei can clearly take care of himself but #weichei unfortunately can not control his ears unlike other elves #everyone seeing how his ears go up (danger!) and lower (too low) in uncomfy: oh fuck no

[prokopetz]

Ways your fortified points-of-light fantasy city with no discernible agricultural base supports itself that aren't "they eat the monsters":

There's no farmland spreading below the city's mountain fastness because all of the crops are above. Most of the mountain's surface area below the permanent snowline is taken up by a series of colossal hydroponic terraces fed by seasonal meltwater from the snow pack above. (Don't ask who built the terraces.)

The city's famed heaven-piercing towers are aviaries for millions upon untold millions of fruit and seed eating birds, which forage the surrounding countryside by day and roost there at night; their meat and eggs form the community's staple diet. In order to fend off ecological depletion, crack teams of combat-trained wilderness maintenance experts venture forth daily, escorting great cartloads of birdshit on targeted fertilising missions (though in truth they hardly need their swords, as the smell keeps the monsters at bay).

Those weird caverns that seem to be present under every random shed and outhouse are all connected. That's why the giant mutant rats in the basement of the local inn are such a big deal – they're not just annoying the guests, they're also obstructing the community's principal trade route!

For Reasons, the city's population is only about ten percent of its carrying capacity. The city's interior green spaces are presently sufficient for food production, and its citizens take turns dressing up as soldiers and manning the walls once a week to create the illusion of a robust military presence. Unfortunately, the ruse can't last forever, as they lack the manpower to maintain their crumbling infrastructure, nor will they be able to defend themselves when – not if, but when – the neighbouring city-states figure it out.

There's actually plenty of conventional farmland; it's just that the entire campaign takes place south of the city, and the farms are all to the north. Why don't the farms expand southward to claim the clearly arable land? Well, there's a funny story about that...

#gaming #tabletop roleplaying #tabletop rpgs #fantasy #worldbuilding #food mention #violence mention #unsanitary #swearing

[frankenjoly]

Got my official first treat with my first Actual Full Paycheck in this job and it's: 55 minutes

#rambling #55 my beloved #like srsly with untold origins is one of the ln i'm the most hyped for #and i already have untold origins #tho i'm still currently trading it

[mostlysignssomeportents]

"Efficiency" left the Big Three vulnerable to smart UAW tactics

Tomorrow (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tomorrow night, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

It's been 143 days since the WGA went on strike against the Hollywood studios. While early tactical leaks from the studios had studio execs chortling and twirling their mustaches about writers caving once they started losing their homes, the strikers aren't wavering – they're still out there, pounding the picket lines, every weekday:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/how-hollywood-writers-make-ends-meet-100-days-into-the-writers-guild-strike.html

The studios obviously need writers. That gleeful, anonymous studio exec who got such an obvious erotic charge at the thought of workers being rendered homeless as punishment for challenging his corporate power completely misread the room, and his comments didn't demoralize the writers. Instead, they inspired the actors to go on strike, too.

But how have the writers stayed out since May Day? How have the actors stayed out for 69 days since their strike started on Bastille Day? We can thank the studios for that! As it turns out, the studios have devoted so much energy to rendering creative workers as precarious as possible, hiring as little as they can getting away with and using punishing overtime as a substitute for adequate staffing that they've eliminated all the workers who can't survive on side-hustles and savings for six or seven months at a time.

But even for those layoff-hardened workers, long strikes are brutal, and of course, all the affiliated trades, from costumers to grips, are feeling the pain. The strike fund only goes so far, and non-striking, affected workers don't even get that. That's why I've been donating regularly to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps all affected workers out with cash transfers (I just gave them another $500):

https://secure2.convio.net/afa/site/Donation2?df_id=8117&8117.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T

As hot labor summer is revealed as a turning point – not just a season – long strikes will become the norm. Bosses still don't believe in worker power, and until they get their minds right, they're going to keep on trying to starve their workforces back inside. To get a sense of how long workers will have to hold out, just consider the Warrior Met strike, where Alabama coal-miners stayed out for 23 months:

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/warrior-met-strike-union/

As Kim Kelly explained to Adam Conover in the latest Factually podcast, the Alabama coal strikers didn't get anywhere near the attention that the Hollywood strikers have enjoyed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvyMHf7Yg0Q

(To learn more about the untold story of worker organizing, from prison unions to the key role that people of color and women played in labor history, check out Kelly's book, "Fight Like Hell," now in paperback:)

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171063

Which brings me to the UAW strike. This is an historic strike, the first time that the UAW has struck all of the Big Three automakers at once. Past autoworkers' strikes have marked turning points for all American workers. The 1945/46 GM strike established employers' duty to cover worker pensions, health care, and cost of living allowances. The GM strike created the American middle-class:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-09-18-uaw-strikes-built-american-middle-class/

The Big Three are fighting for all the marbles here. They are refusing to allow unions to organize EV factories. Given that no more internal combustion cars will be in production in just a few short years, that's tantamount to eliminating auto unions altogether. The automakers are flush with cash, including billions in public subsidies from multiple bailouts, along with billions more from greedflation price-gouging. A long siege is inevitable, as the decimillionaires running these companies earn their pay by starving out their workers:

https://www.businessinsider.com/general-motors-ceo-mary-barra-salary-auto-workers-strike-uaw-2023-9

The UAW knows this, of course, and their new leadership – helmed by the union's radical president Shawn Fain – has a plan. UAW workers are engaged in tactical striking, shutting down key parts of the supply chain on a rolling basis, making the 90-day strike fund stretch much farther:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-09-18-labors-militant-creativity/

In this project, they are greatly aided by Big Car's own relentless pursuit of profit. The automakers – like every monopolized, financialized sector – have stripped all the buffers and slack out of their operations. Inventory on hand is kept to a bare minimum. Inputs are sourced from the cheapest bidder, and they're brought to the factory by the lowest-cost option. Resiliency – spare parts, backup machinery – is forever at war with profits, and profits have won and won and won, leaving auto production in a brittle, and easily shattered state.

This is especially true for staffing. Automakers are violently allergic to hiring workers, because new workers get benefits and workplace protection. Instead, the car companies routinely offer "voluntary" overtime to their existing workforce. By refusing this overtime, workers can kneecap production, without striking.

Enter "Eight and Skate," a campaign among UAW workers to clock out after their eight hour shift. As Keith Brower Brown writes for Labor Notes, the UAW organizers are telling workers that "It’s crossing an unofficial picket line to work overtime. It’s helping out the company":

https://labornotes.org/2023/09/work-extra-during-strike-auto-workers-say-eight-and-skate

Eight and Skate has already started to work; the Buffalo Ford plant can no longer run its normal weekend shifts because workers are refusing to put in voluntary overtime. Of course, bosses will strike back: the next step will be forced overtime, which will lead to the unsafe conditions that unionized workers are contractually obliged to call paid work-stoppages over, shutting down operations without touching the strike fund.

What's more, car bosses can't just halt safety stoppages or change the rules on overtime; per the UAW's last contract, bosses are required to bargain on changes to overtime rules:

https://uaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Working-Without-Contract-FAQ-FINAL-2.pdf

Car bosses have become lazily dependent on overtime. At GM's "highly profitable" SUV factory in Arlington, TX, normal production runs a six-days, 24 hours per day. Workers typically work five eight-hour days and nine hours on Saturdays. That's been the status quo for 11 years, but when bosses circulated the usual overtime signup sheet last week, every worker wrote "a big fat NO" next to their names.

Writing for The American Prospect, David Dayen points out that this overtime addiction puts a new complexion on the much-hyped workerpocalypse that EVs will supposedly bring about. EVs are much simpler to build than conventional cars, the argument goes, so a US transition to EVs will throw many autoworkers out of work:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-09-20-big-threes-labor-shortages-uaw/

But the reality is that most autoworkers are doing one and a half jobs already. Reducing the "workforce" by a third could leave all these workers with their existing jobs, and the 40-hour workweek that their forebears fought for at GM inn 1945/46. Add to that the additional workers needed to make batteries, build and maintain charging infrastructure, and so on, and there's no reason to think that EVs will weaken autoworker power.

And as Dayen points out, this overtime addiction isn't limited to cars. It's also endemic to the entertainment industry, where writers' "mini rooms" and other forms of chronic understaffing are used to keep workforces at a skeleton crew, even when the overtime costs more than hiring new workers.

Bosses call themselves job creators, but they have a relentless drive to destroy jobs. If there's one thing bosses hate, it's paying workers – hence all the hype about AI and automation. The stories about looming AI-driven mass unemployment are fairy tales, but they're tailor made for financiers who get alarming, life-threatening priapism at the though of firing us all and replacing us with shell-scripts:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/09/autocomplete-worshippers/#the-real-ai-was-the-corporations-that-we-fought-along-the-way

This is why Republican "workerism" rings so hollow. Trump's GOP talks a big game about protecting "workers" (by which they mean anglo men) from immigrants and "woke captialism," but they have nothing to say about protecting workers from bosses and bankers who see every dime a worker gets as misappropriated from their dividend.

Unsurprisingly, conservative message-discipline sucks. As Luke Savage writes in Jacobin, for every mealymouthed Josh Hawley mouthing talking points that "support workers" by blaming China and Joe Biden for the Big Three's greed, there's a Tim Scott, saying the quiet part aloud:

https://jacobin.com/2023/09/republicans-uaw-strike-hawley-trump-scott/

Quoth Senator Scott: "I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike. He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely":

https://twitter.com/American_Bridge/status/1704136706574741988

The GOP's workerism is a tissue-thin fake. They can never and will never support real worker power. That creates an opportunity for Biden and Democrats to seize:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/18/co-determination/#now-make-me-do-it

Reversing two generations of anti-worker politics is a marathon, not a sprint. The strikes are going to run for months, even years. Every worker will be called upon to support their striking siblings, every day. We can do it. Solidarity now. Solidarity forever.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/21/eight-and-skate/#strike-to-rule

#pluralistic #strikes #uaw #labor #automakers #big three #big car #eight and skate #work to rule #tactics

[marxy-06]

Favorites Fic Recs 4

was supposed to post this a long time ago but tumblr didn't save...this got a little long, apologies (or you're welcome?)

Kim Seokjin

Replacement (@akinnie75)

The truth untold (@vminity21)

The flower bridge (@yoongsisbae)

Fall for me (@ebonyinktea)

Cinnamon bliss (@yoonia)

Glazed and dazed (@floralseokjin)

Voix (@yoonia)

With you (@yoonpobs)

I'm all yours (@sailoryooons)

Smile (@shuadotcom)

Scar kisses (@girl8890)

No pyjamas (@jinkookspencil)

Min Yoongi

No more (@gyukult)

Chocolate opal (@babesindestroyland)

Changing one's tune (@1uckygold)

Before you go (@sweetcarrotsandroses97)

Perfect for me (@7dipity)

Ps, is it okay if I start calling you dad (@btsficsandsuch)

The third & sixth (@jimlingss)

Insecurities (@taetae-mic)

Performance evaluation (@kookscrescent)

Tricks of the trade (@stutterfly)

I'll protect you (@glassbangtan)

My miss right (@lavenjoon)

Step up (or step out) (@hollyhomburg)

Never, never fall (@joheunsaram)

The seven year itch (@jimlingss)

The sweetest thing (@illneverrecover)

Ink petals (@yminie)

Quiet and qualms (@sugafreeagustd)

Illicit favors (@yoongiofmine)

Jung Hoseok

Outro: love is not over (@kiirokero)

Heaven sent (@aquagustd)

Sunshower (@jimlingss)

Unconditionally (@rmsrkive)

Kim Namjoon

The stand in (@yoonia)

The making of: Love (@inkjam-moon)

Easy, like sunday morning (@angelguk)

Inside my mind (@jimlingss)

Park Jimin

Into the wilderness (@gukyi)

Darling you're beautiful (@choking-on-tae)

Puppy steps (@simp-4-jm)

Strip (@yoonia)

A special gift (@peachy213jiminie)

Lovesick (@jimlingss)

My forever: Park Jimin (@bts-trash-blog)

The only way (@ethertae)

Exposure (@dreamyjoons)

Kim Taehyung

Charade (@ughcore)

Wabi sabi (@flurrys-creativity)

Like real people do (@bangtanloverboys)

Lost in you (@jjkeverlast)

Spice (@aquagustd)

A little while (@noteguk)

Mine to claim (@jimilter)

Colors (@lovelytaes-blog)

Insomnia (@hobiwonder)

Sweeter than peaches (@jiminisnotavirgin)

Jeon Jungkook

Love is gone (@jeonbunnie)

2002 (@tattookoo) -> pt. 2 to 1999

Drown in your body (@sparklingchim)

Last christmas (@whatifyoulivelikethat)

Bleeding for you (@mixtapejimin)

I can handle it (@beautifulfuckup99)

Blackjack (@kpopfanfictrash)

Fifth wish (@jiminrings)

The spins (@here2bbtstrash)

From home (@gyukult)

The habits of a broken heart (@softykooky)

Not tired (@gggukniverse)

Cool with you (@kooktrash)

Late (@elitekook)

ストロベリー (?) (@euaphoric)

Tender (@liveyun)

A friends help (@armpirate)

Nevertheless (@nochukoo97)

Dress you up (@plvmkoo)

Soju (@plvmkoo)

Jealousy ink (@kooktrash)

Starry night (@kithtaehyung)

When she loved me (@jungkookstatts) [only fanfic that has made me cry, tread carefully)

He is love (@btsrunmylife)

Rattled (@gukslut)

Love alive (@jamaisjoons)

1999 (@tattookoo)

Home (@bonny-kookoo)

Tteokkboki (@taetaesbaebaepsae)

Cat got your tongue (@jessikahathaway)

The boxer's girlfriend (@i-am-baechu)

Honest fuckboy (@hobiwonder)

Perfect love (@i-am-baechu)

Soft (@hamsterclaw)

Brown-eyed baby (@jeonstudios)

Wrong time (@spideyjimin)

Cherry (@peachypinkygloss)

Off-league (@hansolmates)

For me (@personasintro)

OT7

Bon voyage: Into the sea (@yoongsisbae)

Thank you to all of the wonderful writers, ily <3

#bts namjoon #bts x reader #fanfic #fanfic rec #bts yoongi #bts smut #bts fanfic #bts jhope #run bts #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #bts jungkook #bts jung hoseok #bts jin #bts jimin #bts taehyung

[wjkae]

1. Charlie is distraught and scared for Angel. She’ll likely become increasingly determined to free him from Valentino as the season progresses.

2. Alastor is feuding with Vox. He would love to screw Vox over and potentially reap untold power benefits as an overlord.

3. Valentino is obsessed with Angel. He loses it at any hint of losing control over “his favourite toy”.

4. Vox is functionally in charge of Valentino’s meltdowns. Destabilizing Valentino threatens to destabilize all the Vees, especially Vox.

5. The Vees expressed concern in S1E2 about Alastor making a deal with Charlie in her capacity as Lucifer’s daughter.

6. Alastor has canonically attempted to ensnare Charlie in a soul-binding deal before in S1E0. This is possible despite Charlie’s hellborn status.

All that in mind …

What would Princess Charlie Morningstar, heir to the throne of Hell, be willing to trade away to The Radio Demon for Angel’s safety?

#hazbin hotel #hazbin theory #hazbin #hazbin angel dust #angel dust #charlie morningstar #hazbin charlie #hazbin alastor #alastor the radio demon #alastor #the radio demon #valentino #hazbin valentino #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin vox #the vees

[fanaticsnail]

You Kissed the Clown? Part 1

(Notes: Hello new friends! I have found myself fallen under the spell of the flashy fool himself and felt compelled to create something for him.)

(EDIT: This was my first ever fic on Tumblr. It was only ever meant to be a one-shot and it turned into a 15 part series 🤦‍♀️. I have so appreciated each and every one of you liking, commenting and inboxing me about this series and others. Thank you so so much 🥹)

(S1:E2 OPLA timeline)

Upon waking, you found yourself in an unfamiliar environment. Stuffed into a small crate with your three travelling companions, your dark haired friend referred to as a “crew”, your senses were still groggy from the crimson powder exploded above your small rigging.

After your “Captain”, Luffy, disclosed to the group he had consumed the map to the grand line to “keep it in a safe place”, the crate opened to reveal a darkened space. Applause rang throughout the area and your eyes were drawn to a spotlight being placed on a man dressed as a white lion. Several circus-type performers littered the room and directed the large crowd to respond with prompts written on large white panels held by several members. You noticed the features of the crowd were bearing terrified expressions, crying streaks littering their cheeks and some crusted over wounds adorning their faces and bodies.

Through the small opening of the red and white tent, a displeased figure appeared out of the shadows. You were immediately mesmerised by the figure, brightly coloured facial paint adorning his cartoonish features, a large brim hat with blue tassels hung over the folded edge and a collection of mismatched stripes, spots, fur and feather upon his physique. He had a dangerous air around him, full of malice, ill-temperament and a small amount of desperation amongst his features.

The blue haired man immediately berated his companions, yelling at them for the wrong timing, the queue being off, the lighting contrasting over a lion-like man instead of his own features. You looked to your green-haired swordsman companion, making brief eye contact with him and quirking up your brow in question. He shook his head at you and nodded back to bring your attention to the scene playing before you.

You had no idea how you were among this ragtag trio of misfits, especially as piracy was never an occupation you fancied for yourself. You and those within your family line were skilled jewellers; antiquity restoration, appraisal and fine gold and silver smithery was your trade. You and your father were requested to appear before Captain Morgan and add a new gem encrusted embellishment to his recently acquired new head for his Axe-Hand.

You witnessed the fight that was brought out with Helmeppo and several other marines at the skilled hands of Roronoa Zoro. At that point, your father decided he was no longer going to be working with Captain Morgan; no payment was enough to continue working for a man that allowed his child to bully those lesser than him. You were given a choice then to find your own way in the world and bring attention to your own skilled crafts or to sail home with your father to return to work in the shop as a finery smith. Opting for the former of the two, you bid farewell to your father and found yourself upon the small rigging with three companions of whom you had grown fond of.

Bringing you away from your thoughts and tuning back into the conversation, your gaze fell to your orange-haired friend, Nami, as she attempted to bribe the blue-haired clown with a new crew member with untold abilities. Before you could stop her, she threw Luffy’s straw hat into the air and bolted for the opening of the large tent. Two members of the circus crew managed to drag her back to the group which she then berated the jester before you for destroying the town the tent was situated in. The conviction she held in her voice sounded quite intimidating, but the clown just laughed in response. He used a small knife to cut a piece of apple and place it into his mouth, while nonchalantly saying he didn’t destroy everything in the town – he allowed the townspeople to keep their hands to applaud his act.

You inhaled through your nose deeply and widened your eyes at his comment, breathing out slowly through your mouth while fixating your gaze onto his relaxed form. He continued to look over the four of you with a twinkling smile as he consumed his crisp apple before his gaze fell over you.

“You,” he began, pointing at you with the small knife in his hand, “you have been awfully quiet.” He gestured to the rest of the crew with the same knife, “that one threatened me,” he said pointing at Zoro, “that one attempted to bribe me,” he pointed the knife at Nami while sauntering over to the spot you were situated, next to Luffi and Zoro.

“Your Captain lays claim to what’s rightfully mine,” he continued while stalking your form. Your eyes leave his form to look to your companions.

“Don’t you look away from me!” he yelled suddenly at you, causing you to flinch in response. Your body began to tremble slightly at his demands, not used to threats of great violence being thrown at you at a whim. He almost danced over to your place on the ground, bringing his body within an uncomfortable proximity to your own. He made no effort to hide his gaze raking over your body from the hair on your head to the shoes adorning your feet.

Although he had a large nose that immediately drew your attention to it, you couldn’t help but to notice the hue of his irises hidden amongst white, red and blue paint. The intensity of his gaze was drawing you in like a moth to a flame. The hue was akin to several fine gemstones you worked with in your family’s smithery. Jade, sapphire, tourmaline and emerald being the first stones that sprung to your mind while gazing at the angry and menacing clown before you.

“And what would you do, hm?” he condescendingly smirked at you, “you’re no fighter, by the looks of you.”

You held his gaze, staring deeply into his mischievous teal eyes while searching your mind for a response to his pointed question. He placed the small knife into his breast-pocket within his long fur coat and stalked slowly over to you like an animal prowling over to their meal. You trailed your eyes over his form slowly, raking and sizing him up with a small amount of unbridled suggestion held behind your eyelids.

Unsure if what came over you was bravery, stupidity or something else entirely, you reached your right hand forward and swiftly grasped the mustard coloured cravat hanging tightly from his neck and pulled him into you with all of your strength and successfully closed the distance between your bodies.

He was right of course, you were no fighter. Your skills lay in appraising fine metals, gemstones and hand whittled crafts. You read books filled with fairytales, poetry and refrains whispered between lovers. With your occupation, an aura of charisma would often aid in sales; whether you were doing the buying or the selling. You were known far and wide in your homeland as someone with a small amount of flirtatious charm, which was why you were asked to aid your father in his journey to the “tight-pocket” Captain Morgan. You were to charm him as you did many others, swindling them out of their apprehensions and bringing more berry to the till of your family’s business.

A shocked whimper left the lips of the Genius Jester as you tenderly placed your own lips against his, bringing your left hand to his side and using it to bring his body flush against your own, cradling him into a tender embrace. Your eyes were closed as you deepened the kiss shared between you. You began using your lips to open his and caressing them slightly with your tongue.

You slowly felt him relax into your embrace as he placed one hand to the back of your head and the other hand wove itself around you, placing it to the small of your back. He almost gently laced his gloved hand into your hair and held you tightly against him. He released a stifled gasp into your mouth as the hand on your lower back squeezed slightly, pressing your bodies closer together. You released your right hand and moved it tenderly from his cravat to his jaw, feeling the slightly prickled skin beneath his painted face.

Not a word was uttered, silence engulfing the space. In this instance, nothing existed to either of you apart from the moment you were sharing with one another. The map? Gone from both of your minds as you held each other tenderly. You arched your back, pressing your chest further into him as you began lacing your fingers into the hair peaking out from the bottom of his broad hat. You snaked your left hand around his waist, beneath his fur coat and raked your fingertips over his skin, causing him to moan into your mouth and cradle you further into him.

You utilized your head to nudge his own head upward for you to deepen the kiss further. Trailing your hand from the hair under his hat down towards his neck and exploring his pectorals, you massaged down his body while holding him tightly and skillfully in this heated embrace. Your fingers began to explore the flesh of his back, lifting the material slightly to expose his flesh to your administrations.

He did not withhold any sounds from escaping his lips, as small groans released from his lips between kisses alerted you to how much he was truly enjoying your touch. You even allowed some gasps to escape your own lips as you continued to caress, massage and cradle him to yourself as he held you.

You were not foreign to the romantic touch of others by any means, but this kiss felt unlike anything you had experienced prior. You could almost feel his desire for affection as he hungrily held your body against him. Waves of loneliness escaped from his form and onto you as he began to be filled instead with your freely given affection, unlike the painted women he would pay berry for their time.

He groaned slightly and furrowed his brows together at the thought, releasing your lips from his own and holding you to him. His eyes bore into your own as your lips parted from one another, almost gazing into your very soul with the intensity he held.

Without warning, he pushed you from his body and swatted your hands from their position on his back. He turned to face away from you and brought his gaze to your captain before monologuing.

“Ok, here end the theatrics,” he began as the spot lights filter onto the four of you.

“I know one of you have my map, and I’m gonna get it back,” he said with malicious intent.

“What was it you said, rubber boy? That it was ‘in a safe place’?” he mocked with a small glint in his eye. Luffy looked to you in confusion.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. I have eyes and ears everywhere,” he laughed. You trailed your eyes over his features, noticing the paint over his lips appeared more smudged than it had been moments prior. You then began to imagine how your face may appear after you shared the kiss with him moments prior.

“So,” he clapped his hands together and looked to his gang of circus members, “please make our guests uncomfortable in the green room.”

You felt hands clasp your wrists. You looked around to see a large man in a leotard grasping your form before you looked back to the clown. Your eyes met briefly once more, an unfamiliar emotion that could almost be described as a combination apprehension, longing and desire located in his eyes as your body was dragged to another location, this time without your captain amongst you.

You held little resistance as your body was escorted away. You looked to Luffy once more and attempted to reassure him with a nod as you walked briskly to be caged with your friends.

Nami was placed in a small cage suspended above the ground, whereas Zoro was bound to a large spinning wheel. As they were placed into these positions, their movements protesting and making it difficult for your captors to place them in these restricting positions; you held no such apprehension.

An aura of calm was coming from your form, confusing the large leotard-clad man. You placed your wrists together and held them out in front of you with a shrug and almost taunted him with how easy you were making this for him. His brows knit together in a puzzled fashion as he began to bind your hands in rope and tie you to a post away from your companions.

Once successfully restrained, the circus people left you with your thoughts as cries of laughter were echoing to the chamber that sounded like it was being pulled from the mouth of your captain.

“You kissed the clown?” uttered your green-haired, tri-sword wielding companion in a low accusatory tone, “why did you kiss the clown?”

You laughed slightly at the question, looking down at your bonds as you wiggled your hands against the tightly clasped rope, testing it for any sort of weakness amongst the restraint.

“I honestly can say I have no idea,” you smiled while pressing your knee against the post you were bound to with a small shove to assess its strength.

“It was incredibly stupid,” Nami commented from her enclosure, “if you were that touch-starved, I’m sure Zoro or Luffy wouldn’t have minded if you wanted to give them a little smooch.”

You turned your gaze over to Nami momentarily before rolling your eyes.

“Oh please,” you replied, “Zoro, I’m sure you are a wonderful kisser but unfortunately you don’t quite have what I’m looking for.”

He scoffed slightly at the comment while you moved your hands down to the hilt of your belt and began searching the folds of your skirts with your wrists.

“And if you don’t mind me asking, what does the dangerous clown-man have that Zoro doesn’t?” Nami asked with a teasing tone. Your wrists find the object within your belt and you smiled broadly, gripping it and bringing it to the light.

“Right now?” you said with a small twinkle in your eyes as you held the small object up to your new friends, "a knife."

For the first time in a while, the three of you shared a laugh before you all began to attempt an escape from the bonds of the green room.

Part 2

#buggy x you #buggy the clown x reader #one piece #one piece live action #opla #buggy #captain buggy #kiss #creative writing #you #buggy x reader #buggy x y/n #unnamed reader #y/n no name #original character #buggy x female reader #buggy x kiss #x reader

[dailyadventureprompts]

Setting: The Kingdom of Xophena, Realm of the Pure

Though it is famed the world over for the piety of its people and the bravery of its knights, this kingdom holds a dark secret at its heart. If you were to see the scattering of fortress cities surrounded by horror haunted wilderness it would be all too easy to believe the legends: brave warriors sallying forth to do battle against the corruption that besieges them from all sides, slaying great foes and making great sacrifices in the name of defending the innocent. If you looked closer though you would see Xophena for all its faults, the fear by which its elite drive and dominate its populace, a tradition of martial glory that justifies any action or abuse of the warrior caste, a population forced to endure toil and abject subjugation or be exiled outside the walls.

Adventure Hooks:

While travelling through the realm of the pure as part of an ongoing quest, the party run into a retinue of outrider knights on their way to destroy a rampaging aberration hiding out in a gold mine. Some of the knights scoff at the party for being common sellswords, while others recognize them as fellow doogooders-at-arms. There's glory to be had if the party join them in their mission, and more importantly, potential reward and bragging rights.... if they can keep up, the mounted cavaliers aren't going to slow down on the party's behalf.

Xophen emissaries have made an appearance in the party's homeland, courting alliances, making trade deals, and generally putting their finger on the scales of power. Distrustful of too many good offers, the party's patron is planning on a visit to Xophena in the near future and would like them to come along as extra sets of eyes and ears. Renegade heroes have a habit of seeing through the haze of political bullshit.

Xophena would make a fascinating backdrop for a campaign, as Arthurian myth crashes into lovecraftian weirdness. The best place to start would be with the party as castoffs and exiles, eking out a living in one of the few hidden hamlets built by those outcast from the social order. How do they survive? When circumstances demand that they enter one of the fortress cities do they trick their way in, or beg favour from the sanctimonious powers that be? Can they last long enough to discover the secret that has bent the world into its current cruel shape?

Background: Only a few centuries ago Xophena was just like any other kingdom, periods of prosperity and stability that dissolved into infighting as the local warrior elite squabbled for position. That of course all changed when monsters known as the Delnbrood began to wriggle out of the earth like worms after rain, causing untold devastation and forcing a societal retreat to the increasingly fortified settlements dotted about the mountainous foothills. The fear and chaos of these years restructured Xophen society into a rigid hierarchy based around tradition, faith, and survival, which has only grown more ossified as time has gone on.

Both Xophen scripture and legend will tell you that the horrors that beset them began with a treasonous sorcerer Delndrek who sought to take the throne for himself through dishonorable means and darkest sorcery. He was opposed by Tanria brightspear, a saint of the everlight who foiled his every sly attempt to seize power, until at last she cornered him and forced his surrender. Ever the coward, Delndrek sacrificed his humanity rather than relinquish his ambition, becoming an indescribable abomination, that it took the bright speared saint five days to vanquish, dying in the process. It's said that the aberrations that beset Xophena today are born from where his tainted blood struck the earth.

Like many of the tales told about the realm of the pure, this story is a lie, gilded with just enough truth to make it stick in the people's memory. Delndrek wasn't just a sorcerer, but the sorcerer of the royal family, tasked with magicing away all the problems that backwoods dynasty couldn't solve through bloodshed or political marriage. The kingdom's goldmines had always been its lifeblood, and most of the fighting in those days about who could profit from what claim. Trouble was the royal family's mines were drying up, so they threw their pet mage at the problem said that if he didn't find a solution they'd torture him till they did. Dying mines and mounting stress forced Delndrek to look deeper and deeper for an answer, and eventually led him to communion with the outergod Jysh'parun who holds dominion over the secrets of mountains. A pact was struck, the mountains ate people and spat up gold, until eventually the saint found out and decided to put a stop to things.

Cut to today, and the dependants of that very same royal family are still trying to wriggle out of the pact they instigated, spending their people's lives to fill their coffers and fight back the creatures the outer god sends to assert dominion over the realm he was promised.

Setting Details:

The church of the everlight was always strong in Xophena, dating back half a millennia to when an adherent of hers was lost on a stormy sea for months and was only able to find land when the mist parted and he saw the dawn first alighting on one of the region's seaside peaks. The mountainous temple city of First Alight still serves as the heart of the region's faith.

That faith has become just as gaudy and hollow as the rest of the kingdom: Somewhere along the line it was decided that gold was the best way to demonstrate praise to Sarenrae, both in decorating her icons and paying to erect ever grander structures in her honour. While the common people pray for the hope and strength to lead them through lean times, their tithes go to fund an increasingly bloated clergy who spend their days finding reasons that the peoples' sinful nature forestalls their goddess's promised salvation.

You don't compose ballads calling your homeland "Realm of the Pure" unless you've got some hangups around cleanliness. Delndrek's corruption has touched more than the land, as aberrant sorceries and otherworldly mutations have begun to spring up among the populace. Those with influence do their best to hide these marks, those without are scapegoated, exiled, or made an example of.

For all their privilege and brainwashing, many of the realm's knights really do believe in the cause, having largely abandoned the ways of petty armed gentry and settling instead into martial orders. While they all compete to slay the most beasts and earn the most gallant reputation, it is a deepset longing among the knights to be able to find St. Tanria's lost spear, which in the right hands is said to be able to rid the land of its blight once and for all.

Arcane magic is viewed with suspicion in Xophena, as any rogue mage could be just another Delndrek waiting to happen. Exceptions are of course made for those spoken for by the nobility.

Art 1

Art 2

#Jysh'parun #setting #campaign #press start #mountain #lovecraft #occult #dnd #dungeons and dragons #d&d #ttprg #pathfinder #sarenrae

[lets-try-some-writing]

Death and Gifts

Death has existed since time untold, but now with mortal friends, he has found himself in a bit of a pickle. Having been introduced to the concept of repayment, he now feels the need to return the kindness his friends have offered.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for everyone involved, Death pays his debts in full.

Previous part here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Death, or rather Orion Pax, was familiar with the concept of an exchange. Shanix was traded for resources or goods, life was traded for death, and knowledge was traded for service. He knew this, but he eventually came to a rather startling realization upon going through a series of datapads on mentality.

According to what he read, relationships were also a form of exchange. In a relationship of any sort, both parties were to give and take in equal exchange. Service was to be repaid in some way, shape, or form. Emotional care was to be provided in turn, and friends were meant to create bonds through a series of debts to one another in the form of attention, time, and service. To Orion, it was a wakeup call and prompted a severe misunderstanding.

Throughout his entire stay in the mortal plane, he had been receiving the time, attention, and service of his companions. He had been unintentionally indebting himself to them, and at this point, he was swimming in things that needed to be repaid. Ratchet gave knowledge and care freely, and that needed to be repaid as soon as possible. As did Megatron's dutiful companionship. There was much to do, and so Death prepared to repay that which was owed... in his own unique way.

Ratchet was his first and oldest companion. As such, Orion began devising ways to repay him first. Ratchet made his life easier and gave him understanding, Orion could do the same in turn. Thus, over the course of a few weeks, Death began to dig into Ratchet's history, connections, and prospects. The medical student had a few... blotches in his social life that Orion frowned upon seeing. An overenthusiastic ex, a corrupt higher up refusing Ratchet the title of doctor, and a bully who harassed his friend on the daily. Death does not usually pick favorites, but when it came to his friend and his debts, he was willing to compromise.

He spent what time he could with Ratchet, trying to return the emotional support through actions. And when he wasn't otherwise engaged, he put pieces in motion. He couldn't directly do anything, not without making his siblings upset. But setting up scenarios that would lead to death were not exactly off limits. So long as he wasn't there or forcing the death to happen, he wasn't responsible. So what if that one unfortunate ex got into a bad crash? He could have avoided it if he'd tried harder and paid attention. Why should it bother Death that a corrupt doctor overdosed on recreational drugs? The mech was living on borrowed time anyway. The bully ended up being arrested? Well isn't that unfortunate.

Ratchet did not grieve much, and Death was there with him all the way. He still had debts to repay, and Ratchet was worth so much more than being a mere Doctor. Perhaps it was a bit of bias, but Orion couldn't help but pull a few strings. Sometimes the corrupt needed to fall ill to make way for those who were far more suited to the roll. If Ratchet gave Orion a few side glances after he was suddenly promoted to the role of CMO, neither of them acknowledged it.

Ratchet: That mech... did you kill him?

Orion: I am forbidden to directly intervene in the affairs of your kind.

Ratchet: Did you cause this to happen?

Orion: You have been kind to me, you have given me much. It is a debt I will repay.

Ratchet: Orion, please, you don't need to-

Orion: You are of my chosen. Your purpose far exceeds those of the lesser.

Ratchet: You aren't like this. You don't usually have an opinion on anything, at least not like this.

Orion: It was, and it is still not permitted. But I will not allow that which was offered to go unrepaid.

His debt was nowhere near paid, but Orion had little else he could do. HIs friend was soaring high, and so in a bit of desperation, he focused on the rules to see what else he could possibly effect. Direct intervention was out of the question, but perhaps he could give a gift.

It wasn't against the rules to simply remove a block within a mech.

Death smiled when Ratchet found himself with an uncanny ability to sense death before it arrived. The doctor was able to solve cases before they reached a breaking point and determine a cause of death effortlessly, seemingly without any explanation. Ratchet chalked it up to his own skill, and Death grinned as he turned to his next set of debts.

Jazz was next, but for Death, he was hard to fully place. Jazz was an odd one, and repaying debts with him would be difficult. Jazz's situation did not allow for mecha to perish unfortunately. He was in too delicate of a position for that to happen and not harm him. But Orion could give him information. That much he could do. Jazz was an agent, a spy for the Council. Death dug through every case Jazz was involved in with fanatic determination, and once he had everything prepared, he began his work.

Cold cases were suddenly given new evidence as Death searched for the dead within the Allspark and questioned them. Information Jazz could not reach was put before him on a silver platter as mecha with the details found themselves incapacitated by unfortunate accidents. Those who hunted his friend were quickly silenced, not through supernatural means, but through blackmail Orion had from the Archives. To top if all off, Death gifted his friend an ability. When Death came to fallen, they trusted him instinctually. They knew what he was. To Jazz he gave a lesser version of the same gift, merely accentuating Jazz's already powerful charisma with a touch of the calm of the void.

Jazz noticed, but he said nothing. Death merely smiled.

Megatronus was not difficult to repay. Death merely began rigging things in his favor. Well, not necessarily rigging. But the odds tipping ever so slightly in his Champion's favor were not against the rules. Who was ever going to concern themselves with a blade sliding off Megatronus's armor and shattering instead of piercing. Bad craftsmanship had its effects after all. Who would be anything except awed when old wounds healed perfectly and Megatronus returned to the arena without issue? The Champion made all sorts of money for his sponsors. His success was theirs.

Orion's siblings watched him in wrath, further tightening his reigns. But Death would not halt. He could not gift abilities as obvious as he had to Jazz and Ratchet, but it was not out of the question to give Megatronus a more intimidating aura. All it took was for Death to touch him once every few cycles, and Megatronus would carry the stench of death wherever he walked. His foes feared him, and Orion laughed lightly as he watched their terror firsthand. It was not a gift, merely his presence having its effect. His siblings could not punish him for that.

Prima: You cannot keep doing this Thirteen. You are stepping beyond your bounds.

Death: I am following the rite.

Vector: You are not. Your influence has expanded beyond the limits set in place for all Primes. Continue down this path, and we shall be forced to step in.

Death: What must I do to gain the ability to expand?

Micronus: There is no-

Onyx: Expand. Grow.

Prima: Onyx enough!

Onyx: He has the right to know. We have known since the children of Primus walked the world. To keep him in the dark is cruel.

Death: What do you know?

Onyx: The rite forbids that I speak plainly, but continue as you are, and soon enough your reach will expand. The children of Primus are eager to believe.

Death considered the words of his peers, and ultimately he elected to follow Onyx's advice. He was Death, he was allowed to act as he saw fit, at least to a degree. He would obey the rites and rules, but if the children were in danger... well, rules were made to be broken on occasion.

Soundwave was the last on his list, largely because he was Megatronus's favorite. Death looked upon him and decided against any action, instead opting to give a simple gift to repay his debts. Soundwave stalked the halls, and Death dragged him into the shadows. It was for a brief moment, but when he released the spymaster and met his gaze back in the normal plane, Soundwave shakily got to his pedes, and Death smiled again. He enjoyed smiling. Such a silly thing, but one that held so much meaning.

"This gift I have given to repay my debts. The void now knows you, it has tasted your frame. Do not linger long within its grasp, but it welcomes you, should you wish to traverse the dark paths."

He left quietly, and Soundwave for his part shook like a leaf. The work was done, and now Death had largely repaid his debts.

However if a few particularly devoted mailmecha found themselves avoiding trouble and injury with surprising grace, then who were they to judge? Death would repay his debts, regardless of the outcome.

Megatronus, Ratchet, and Jazz were all very much aware that Orion had done something to them, but by the time they came to understand their new gifts, they opted not to ask. Whatever Orion was, he was old, and he was powerful. No longer was he a spark eater in disguise or some old monster. Rather, he had to be a Quintesson or a creation of them. There was no other explanation, not unless one wanted to begin believing in fairy tales about Primes and their power.

Death, oblivious to it all, continued merrily while quite content to have finally "made things right."

#transformers #maccadam #transformers prime #orion pax #megatronus #ratchet #jazz #soundwave #death's embrace au #alternate universe #pre war cybertron #slight cosmic horror I guess #idk what to label death being death

[provincial-girl]

Yeah, so A League of Their Own continues to live in my head rent free, and lately I’ve been really fascinated with what the show does with Sergeant Beverly. There’s one scene in particular in episode 7 which really strikes me as a moment that does some really great, subtle work towards helping us understand the ways in which she fits in the show’s larger goal of exploring queer and marginalized communities.

 It’s right after Jo is escorted into the house by the police, the moment Beverly asks to speak to Carson privately. I feel like this is the scene where we get our first solid hint at the fact that Bev is queer, because she speaks as if she knows. Bev knows how this works. She understands that the names will be in the paper unless someone gets paid, and she clearly knows how to go about paying the right person. She understands the danger of keeping Jo in Rockford in a way that doesn’t even seem to occur to Carson until Bev explains it. Bev discourages trades all season in an attempt to keep the team together, but she pushes this trade through overnight, because she knows that getting Jo out of town ASAP is the best way to keep her safe. Bev is very matter of fact about the whole thing, like she knows these facts of queer life, and has  known them for a long time. 

This scene also takes place in the same archway where Bev all but comes out to Jess, an interesting parallel which suggests that Bev often exists in a sort of in-between space. On one side of the doorway, we have the kitchen, a more private personal space. It’s the only place inside the house where we see Greta try to kiss Carson, where Carson asks Greta on a date, and Greta asks Carson to move to New York with her. It’s also where Bev shares the most she ever has about her service in the Marines as she has a heart to heart with Carson about learning to stand up for herself and find her power (even if that advice is a bit misguided). The kitchen is very clearly a private space, though one vulnerable to intrusion, as we see right after Greta asks Carson to come to New York, and where we can still see people milling around behind Bev and Jess. On the other side of the archway is the much more public space of the staircase and main entrance, the place where Jo is very publicly escorted in by police, as if to indicate that this is what can happen when a person’s private queer life becomes part of a public space. 

This is the in-between Bev works within for the entire time she is with the Peaches. On one hand, she’s an employee of the league, tasked with enforcing rules and maintaining their image for the public. On the other hand, she’s a queer woman doing her very best to protect these vulnerable women. Standing in that doorway as she has these conversations is symbolic of her straddling that line between her public and private self, brief moments where we can very clearly see one bleed into the other. One of the main difference in the shots is that she stands on the left as she talks to Carson, and the right as she talks to Jess. My theory is that this is symbolic of the fact that, in one case, she is taking something away from the team, even if it’s in Jo’s best interests, and in the other, she’s giving something back. It’s a literal give and take that Bev constantly has to balance as she tries to take care of her girls.

Bev may not be a main character, but this character arc acts as an important part of this broader portrait of the lives of queer and marginalized characters living out their own unique, often untold stories. Bev often hovers in the background, but the show treats her with thought and care,using small, subtle moments to create an interesting character, someone we grow to love and remember. By the end of the season, we learn that she’s an older, closeted, queer female Marine who doesn’t care about baseball, but is as devoted to protecting her baseball girls as she is to her fellow Marines, maybe even moreso. I can’t think of an occasion where I’ve ever seen a character quite like that, particularly one where we’re given the time to learn about her organically. I just really love that the show puts in the time and effort to allow a character like that to be seen and included as part of this larger portrait of the lives of marginalized people in 1940’s America. A League of Their Own is just so thoughtful and sneaky smart in how it does that, and I’m so grateful that it exists in this world.

#aloto #a league of their own #sergeant beverly #queer representation #meta #seriously though #the more I engage with this show the more I realize #how smart and thoughtful and well-researched it is #I forgot how much Ilove reading and writing meta #and I love this show so much for reminding me #(among other things) #this show has me in an absolute chokehold in the best possible way #my stuff

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Blood in the Water - Hangman

Pairing: Hangman / Female!Cain!OC

Word Count: 3.8k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Warnings: Arranged & Political Marriage; Post-Apocalypse AU with a Medieval Feel; Blatant Sexism (Not from Jake); Violence; VERY Unhealthy Family Dynamics; Emotional Manipulation; Abuse from Family Members; Sort of Enemies to Lovers but by Circumstance; Slow Burn; Implied Age Gap (All Adults); Tension; Protective!Jake

Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, the livable landscape is carved up by warlords. After a long war with the Dagger Clan, the Cain Empire has been defeated, but peace cannot be brokered without a sacrifice. Hangman assumes that a marriage is that sacrifice. Cain thinks that Hangman’s death is a better trade.

A.N. This chapter is heavy with abusive family dynamics, including sexist comments, implications of bodily harm (not sexual because that's too dark for me), implications of starvation and imprisonment, demeaning language, and objectification--if that is triggering to you in any way DO NOT READ THIS--future chapters will focus less on these dynamics, but this one is heavy on them to give background

Master List

Maverick paced back and forth in front of the fire, clearly fuming and upset with what Ice just told him. Ice, on the other hand, appeared calm, like he was waiting for Maverick to simply get over the news. But Maverick was not going to just get over something like that.

“Are you out of your mind?” Maverick hissed at Ice, who stared back at him with a somewhat bored expression. “First of all, Hangman is never going to accept the terms. And second of all, how can you be so sure that we can even trust this girl?”

“I cannot,” Ice stated, folding his hands in front of him.

“Then how can you be sure that this will actually create peace?"

“I cannot,” Ice repeated.

“Then how could you possibly—”

“—Because I cannot go another day of war, Maverick,” Ice snapped, causing Maverick to immediately quieten down. He stopped with his pacing and folded his arms behind his back. Ice sent him an apologetic look as he shifted in his seat, the weight of the world clearly on his shoulders. “Our people are tired. Their people are tired. And what have we gained from this war?”

“They attacked us,” Maverick reminded Ice sharply.

“I did not forget,” Ice replied stiffly.

His scars, which were peeking above the collar of his shirt, glowed menacingly in the dim lighting. Maverick forced himself to look away, remembering those horrible nights. How long it took to wash Ice’s blood off of his hands. How he thought for sure that Ice was dead as the healers worked on him for hours. How he sobbed with relief when Ice woke up after the attack. How he swore to himself to never let another moment like that ever occur again.

Ice was lucky to be alive. No. Cain was lucky that Ice was still alive. If Ice died in that initial attack, Maverick would not have stopped until the entirety of Cain’s pathetic empire was burned to the ground.

And that was yet another reason why he wouldn't have been a successful Commander.

“But we must try,” Ice continued on, pulling Maverick from his thoughts. “We must try to ensure that the next generations of our people do not know war as a daily occurrence, as we have.”

“Hangman will not be pleased with this,” Maverick stated, moving to sit beside Ice.

“No, he will not. But he should have yielded to Rooster in the Arena if he did not want this responsibility on his shoulders,” Ice replied, staring firmly at the fire in front of him. “This is his duty. As the next Commander, he must put our people first and himself second.”

“You would know,” Maverick sighed, remembering how stiff and stressed Ice was in his first days.

Although Viper, the Commander before Ice, prepared him thoroughly for the role, there was still a learning curve that was unavoidable. There were untold sacrifices and responsibilities that came with leading the Dagger Clan and Hangman would have to learn those lessons himself. Or he would have to yield his position. And potentially his life, given the circumstances.

“Call him. And Rooster as well. We have much to discuss," Ice stated with a grave expression.

~~~~~

“This is ridiculous,” Marcus Cain, the grandson of the emperor and second in line for the throne, muttered as he stared out at the armies that surrounded the capital city of Hammer.

“More like pathetic,” Isaiah Cain, Marcus's father and the son of the emperor, sighed, joining his son to stare out at the intruders. “We were once a great nation. What happened?”

“I was just asking myself the exact same question,” Chester Cain, the Emperor of the Cain Empire, drawled, causing Marcus and Isaiah to whip around.

They both quickly smacked their fists against their chests and bowed their heads to him in greeting, though Cain simply rolled his eyes, bored with their show of decorum. If they put as much effort into their military plans as they did their attempts to fool him into believing that they were competent, they would not have been in this position in the first place.

Oh, if only his first born had lived. Cain wondered how history would be different every single day if his favorite son lived. If that pathetic Maverick hadn’t slaughtered him in cold blood.

“Is the treaty signed?” Cain drawled, stepping forward, his cape swishing behind him.

“Mostly. They wanted to inspect our offer first,” Isaiah replied, causing Cain to nod.

“Very well. I will have her prepare herself.”

“Do you not want me—” Marcus began to speak, but Cain’s sharp glare caused him to shut up.

“You’ve already failed me enough, Marcus,” Cain stated condescendingly before turning on his heel and heading for the tower. “Make sure that everything else is in place. You leave for Miramar at dawn. And not a second later.”

Cain grumbled to himself as he walked up the stairs. The guards bowed to him and hurried to shuffle along, not wanting to get in his way. Walking up the last flight of stairs, Cain motioned for the guards to start the procedure. Three sharp raps on the door, then a ten second pause, and then the door opened. Cain let the guard poke his head inside first before stepping into the room.

A young woman sat at the far wall, wearing a bored expression as Cain stepped inside the room. She stared him down, lacking the fear that the others reserved for him. Her gaze was defiant, though it was clear that she spent a great amount of time in the shadows. Her face with thin and pale, though not naturally. Her clothes were tattered, and her skin was covered in dirt.

But her eyes showed a vibrance, a fight, in them. One that Cain needed to execute his plans.

“Granddaughter,” Cain drawled, motioning for her to stand up. “You are still awake.”

“I was waiting for the enemy to storm the castle,” she replied calmly, resting her hands against the wall. She glanced out her very small window before turning back to Cain. “They have been outside the city gates for days now.”

“Indeed, they have,” Cain agreed, taking a step forward and into the moonlight from the lone window. “And that is the subject that I seek to speak with you about.”

“What of it?”

“There has been a treaty struck between the Daggers and us. Peace in exchange for one thing—you,” Cain stated, causing the woman to narrow her eyes.

“A most noble trade,” she drawled sarcastically, leaning back against the wall. “Truly, I am relieved. No longer am I a mere prisoner. No, now I get to become a broodmare for a foreign prince. Quite the promotion.”

“If you were not the last blood of my dear son, that comment would have cost you your tongue,” Cain clucked, causing her expression to sour. She looked away from him as Cain took a threatening step forward. “Might I remind you of the kindness that I showed you by keeping you here in the castle? Protected from the world?”

“Yes, Emperor,” she returned passively, gripping the wall a bit harsher.

“You might be my dearly departed son’s only child, but you are still a whore’s daughter and a bastard. And it is only out of the kindness of my heart that you will be granted the honor of being the tool through which the Cain Empire returns to its former glory.” Cain stepped forward and stared down his granddaughter, who stared back at him evenly. He tilted his chin up and chuckled a bit. “In return for your service, however, I am willing to offer you a trade.”

“Of what nature?”

“It is a simple trade. A life for a life. They murdered my heir. And I need you to return the favor.” Her nails dug further into the wall, though her expression remained calm and focused. She had years and years of practice of keeping up such appearances in front of Cain, after all. “And in exchange for your service, I will grant freedom unto you. The one true thing you have craved your whole life. As well as some of your father's inheritance. Enough to sail far from here and to never been seen again.”

“And if I fail?” she questioned, knowing how Cain’s deals always worked.

“Well, I think the Dagger Clan would have the answer to that question, should your failure prompt it,” Cain replied, causing her eyes to narrow slightly. “And I do believe that our resources will be spread too thin to offer you any meaningful assistance.”

“Of course,” she drawled sarcastically. “And how am I supposed to carry this act out? I hardly doubt that my extensive training of sitting in this room for my entire life will assist me in killing a man that is to be the next Commander."

"Your tone continues to test my patience, Granddaughter." Cain glared down at her for a moment before adding, "A dagger to his heart while he sleeps would be most fitting for the crimes of his people. Though, poison might be an easier method for a pathetic little girl like you to carry out. We will equipe you with that when the time is right."

"And until then?"

"You must build trust between you and him and his family by extension. They must be lulled into a false sense of security if they are to be properly beaten. Our resources are not what they once were, and we must be smart about this mission."

Cain stood there for a moment with his arms folded behind his back, though the woman did not back down. He found her defiance amusing, but he could not risk her failure. If she were to be found out before the Cain Empire was ready, they would surely be annihilated where they stood.

“Do not fail me, like your uncle and cousin.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “You leave at dawn.”

She stood there for a moment until the sound of his footsteps faded before slowly slipping back to the ground. Resting her head against the wall, she glanced out the small window, dreaming of a life where her happiness and freedom was not contingent upon the temporary goodwill of a man.

~~~~~

Hangman grunted as he trained, sweat dripping down his back as he dodged an attack. The early morning humidity was thick, but it did little to slow him down. The heavy wooden training sword in his hand moved like an extension of himself as he trained against the guards.  Rolling away, Hangman swung his sword and knocked the man down. He blocked another advance and pushed back. His green eyes were narrowed, completely focused on the battle in front of him as he dismantled his opponents.

Rooster and Coyote walked over to the training ground, sharing an unimpressed look when they spotted Hangman training instead of preparing for the peace meetings. Hangman kicked back another guard and used one’s momentum against him, tossing him to the ground like a sack of potatoes, prompting Rooster to shake his head at the display.

“He does realize that he’s just delaying the inevitable, right?” Rooster asked, resting his hands on his hips as he watched Hangman train. “Ice isn’t going to let him slide out of the peace talks.”

“Well, they haven’t arrived yet. He still has time,” Coyote replied, glancing up at the sky.

“Not that much time.” Rooster sighed before walking towards Hangman as the future Commander knocked another guard down. Holding his arms out wide, Rooster called out to Hangman, “How about an actual worthy opponent?”

Hangman turned and immediately threw Rooster a dirty look. Straightening up, Hangman stepped out of the ring and set the training sword back in its place. He walked past Rooster as he undid the training armor that he wore on his chest, not even sparing Rooster a glance. Rooster scoffed at Hangman’s attitude before turning and following after him.

"You’re ignoring everyone today?” Rooster guessed, a few steps behind him.

“I’m focused,” Hangman retorted, placing his training equipment down and shooting Rooster a cold glare. “And I don’t need a babysitter.”

“You do when you’re avoiding your responsibilities.”

“You’re not Ice,” Hangman snipped, reaching for his shirt. Quickly tugging it on and strapping his leather vest back into place, Hangman turned back to Rooster. “I’ve had enough lectures to last a lifetime, Rooster. And I’m not about to get one from you about responsibilities.”

“Who pissed in your porridge?” Coyote asked, walking over to Hangman and Rooster. “And that’s how you want to meet your future bride? Like a sweaty farmer?"

"Get off my back about it," Hangman scoffed, moving to head back inside the main fortress. “And I’m not about to roll out the welcome mat for anyone from that comes from that pathetic family. They’re murderers and cheats.”

“Do you want to continue the war?” Rooster asked, walking up behind Hangman.

“Of course not,” Hangman snapped, whirling around.  

“Then put your big boy Commander pants on and take this seriously,” Rooster replied, causing Hangman to roll his eyes.

“You marry her if you want it so badly,” Hangman scoffed, causing Rooster to shoot him a look.

“You shouldn’t have won the Conquest if you didn’t want the responsibility. Do you yield?” Rooster asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“No,” Hangman practically growled.

“Then you have your answer.”

Hangman scoffed again, shook his head, and headed inside the fortress. Heading up to his room, he paused when he spotted a nicer set of armor set out for him. A note was folded on the top of it and Hangman didn’t even need to open it to know who it was from. Heading to the bath next to his bedroom, Hangman moved to get ready for this ridiculous meeting.

~~~~~

She stared at herself in the mirror as one of the maids dotted her lips with a deep red tint. They had arrived at the capitol of the Dagger Clan an hour prior and now the maids that her family sent along with her were preparing her for her presentation to her betrothed.

The dress that she was wearing was simple, a mark of how far her grandfather’s empire had truly fallen. But the dress did the job well enough. It was long, touching the floor, and loose at her legs. It was a simple cream-like color that did little to compliment her skin, but the shape of it did more than enough to show off her 'womanly assets,' as one of the maids put it.

She sucked in a sharp breath as the wrap around her midsection was tightened once again. Uncomfortable, she shifted in her dress, itching to rip it off, which only seemed to encourage the maid to tighten the fabric more.

“Men find women with smaller waists to be more attractive,” the maid tutted. The woman winced and dug her nails into her palms as her internal organs squished together. “A small waist and wide hips are the mark of a suitable wife.”

“Or a broodmare,” she scoffed, sucking in another breath.

The other maid applied powder to her cheeks and neck, trying to make her appear even thinner and glass frail. The maid trailed the brush down to the exposed tops of her breasts, applying some powder there and immediately earning a sharp glare from the woman in response.

“Is that really necessary?”

“It will draw more attention there,” the maid insisted, setting down the powder. "It will certainly not hurt."

The maid turned back to her and fixed the sleeves covering her shoulders. Staring at her for a moment, the maid then tried to tug the front of her dress down a bit more in an attempt to show off more of her breasts, causing her to harshly push the maid away from her. The maid stumbled back at the shove but did not fall onto the ground like the woman was hoping for.

“That is enough! I am not a whore mingling around a camp,” she snapped, causing the maid to scoff.

“No, you’re just the daughter of one,” the other maid behind snipped, earning a sharp look from her in return. “We were simply told to make you look more desirable, Miss.”

“A tall task indeed,” her counterpart snickered, causing rage to boil in her belly.

A knock at the door saved the maids from a swift smack across the face that the woman was itching to give them. She called for whoever was at the door to come in and withheld an eyeroll when she saw her pathetic cousin walk through the door.

“Are you ready?” he demanded impatiently.

“Yes,” she snipped back, stepping down from the box that the maids set her up on to get her ready. “Let’s get this over with.”

She moved to walk past her cousin when he reached out and grabbed her arm, tugging her harshly. She stumbled a bit, but steadied herself, ready to deliver a swift smack if needed.

“Do not mess this up. We’ve finally found a use for you. Do not take our kindness for granted. And do not mess up this opportunity," Marcus hissed to her.

“I won't. You’ll do that all on your own,” she replied, ripping her arm out of his grasp.

Her cousin’s expression sharpened, and she was half expecting him to reach out and attempt to slap her, but the sound of footsteps down the hall caused her to turn to the door. Knowing that it was probably someone from the Dagger Clan, she quickly extinguished the fire in her eyes and acted more like the docile girl that the Daggers were expecting.

Rooster, flanked by two guards dressed in armor, stepped into the room. His expression was reserved, calculating, and curious as he gazed between her and her cousin. He frowned when he noted how she was dressed before slowly turning to greet her cousin.

“Marcus,” he stated, nodding at him before turning to her. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you . . . I don’t believe I caught your name.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but her cousin beat her to it. He stepped forward, practically forcing her to the shadows again and it took every measure of her self-control to not kick him down to his knees right where he stood.

“Shall we get on with the exchange?” Marcus suggested, causing Rooster to subtly raise an eyebrow.

“Yes, of course.”

Rooster shot one last curious look at her, though she was staring down at the ground, before leading the way out of the room. His two guards flanked him, putting themselves between the Cains and Rooster. And when she stepped outside the room to follow after him, she noted another set of guards, who were meant to prevent her from escaping, most likely.

This was it. There was no backing down now.

She struggled to walk a bit, the way that the tie around her waist sat on her organs seemed to take a bit more of a toll on her as she moved, all while trying to keep up the expression of a simple-minded and scared princess for the guards and everyone else to see.

She followed Rooster into a larger room where she spotted the man that she assumed was the Great Commander Iceman sitting on a large throne in the center of the room. To his left stood the man that she assumed to be her betrothed, Hangman.

Her first impression of him was the fact that he was a sizeable warrior. The armor and cloth that he wore did little to shield his size from her gaze. He was a warrior through and through. All muscle and skin tanned from spending excessive time out on the battlefield. His hair was trimmed short, as was his beard, which seemed to be a shade or so darker than the hair atop his head.

His green eyes were sharp as she entered the room, immediately sizing her up. And after a moment, he frowned as his eyes trailed down her figure, taking in the garments that she wore. She kept her gaze down after that, not in the mood to be degraded again.

Holding her breath for a bit more, she winced as the fabric seemed to somehow get tighter around her waist and her chest. Digging her nails into her palms, she tried to focus on the tiles below her and not the people in front of her to keep up the same act.

“Commander Iceman,” Marcus greeted Ice first before turning to Hangman. “Champion Hangman.” Marcus then slowly turned to Maverick, who was already staring at him with an expression that people tended to reserve for individuals that they had no respect for. “Captain Maverick.”

“Prince Marcus,” Iceman returned, standing up slowly from his chair. “I appreciate your expedience.”

“Of course,” Marcus stated, bowing his head slightly. “Please, allow me to present my cousin. Your betrothed, Champion Hangman.” Marcus stepped forward and gestured to her, as if she were a prized show pony. "Please, inspect her as you wish."

Heat from anger and humiliation crawled up her neck and cheeks, but she simply clenched her jaw shut and dug her nails deeper into her palm. The sound of footsteps caused her to pick her head up, staring down the man that was to be her husband.

The man that she was to murder.

Hangman approached her slowly with his hands folded behind his back. Marcus stepped to the side, allowing Hangman to inspect her by himself. Hangman’s green eyes trailed over her face before trailing lower for a brief moment. She tried to not let the humiliation show too clearly on her face and focused on maintaining a neutral, docile expression.

He raised his hand from around his back and she naturally flinched. Her hand moved up to block what she assumed to be a smack, but when she simply found Hangman staring at her with an odd expression, she tried to pass it off as adjusting her dress. But Hangman, however, was not going to let the little display go without comment.

“What is your name?” he asked softly, causing her to frown.

“My name?” she repeated quietly.

“Yes. What is your name?”

“Alina,” she stated, bowing her head slightly, not sure how to proceed.

“Alina,” he repeated, nodding slowly. “May I touch your check, Alina?”

She nodded and Hangman slowly lifted his hand, gently trailing his thumb down her cheek. Gathering the powder and rouge that were layered there, he pulled back his hand to inspect it. He rubbed his finger over the powder as his expression morphed into one of barely contained anger. Hangman turned and took a step away from Alina and towards her cousin instead.

“If someone were to remove the powder from her body, would they find marks?” Hangman demanded from Marcus, who seemed a bit caught off guard.

“She is still pure, Champion Hangman, if that is what—”

“—No, that is not my question,” Hangman snapped, though Alina could barely react. She sucked in a breath and let out a slight wheeze as the fabric seemed to constrict around her again, holding her lungs hostage. “I thought your men pathetic cowards, but even I didn’t think that your people would stoop so low as to hitting your own women.”

Ice’s expression noticeably darkened and Maverick took a step down further. Rooster and a few of the guards even reached for their swords. Alina struggled a bit to breathe but turned to watch the exchange between her cousin and her betrothed, even as her breath got shallower.

“I beg your pardon,” Marcus scoffed, shooting Hangman a look as if to say that he was crazy. “My cousin is a valued part of our family and I am deeply offended that you would suggest—”

“—Then why have you dressed her up in this?” Hangman demanded, gesturing over to Alina. “You have dressed and painted her up to try and encourage my baser desires, as if I were an animal who could not control myself.” Hangman turned to Alina briefly before continuing, “For hell’s sake, she looks like she can barely . . .”

Her breath choked a bit as she felt her legs lock up. The tight fabric combined with the heat and stress and humiliation of her day along with her lack of significant food or beverage caught up with her all at once. Her vision swam and her legs quickly gave out. She waited for the impact on the harsh stone ground, but her vision went black before she could even hit the floor.

A.N. If anyone is wondering what inspired this unnecessary series, it was this gif and some gladiator vibes:

#top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #top gun #tgm #tgm fanfiction #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x oc #jake seresin x oc #jake seresin #jake seresin fic #jake seresin fanfiction #hangman fic #hangman series #hangman top gun #hangman fanfiction #hangman seresin #top gun au #top gun maverick au #top gun maverick fic #top gun fic #hangman x oc

[chaos0pikachu]

Trends in BL (Sorta): Genre Trends

So I've seen a few posts discussing trends in BL and I wanted to talk about that from a different angle. Specifically discussing what trends are, how they're formed, and to not remove BL from the rest of their countries own media.

The latter is something I see a lot when discussing BL this kind've ~separation of church and state~ but it's BL and Country's General Media. As though BL lives in a separate bubble outside of all other media and thus never influenced by the media being made in its country of origin nor the countries they share direct borders or trade with. Or all influence began and ended with seme/uke dynamics imported from Japan and nothing beyond that (no, Pit Babe was more than likely not inspired by Supernatural) and it's been static ever since.

All of that is, untrue, but also a really limited way of viewing international media. These countries are places with their own history, culture, politics, and of course, media arts. BL is a part of all of that. Which also effects the trends and potential trends we'll see in BL individually (as it's going to change country to country with some crossover).

I think a way of identifying trends in BL and also the root of those trends is by looking at the media of the country of origin their surrounding countries, and what BLs have unprecedented success and what has the industry learned from them?

So I'm gonna break this down by: genre, technical and business trend(s) in 3 part posts. In this post I'm just going to talk about genre trends in Thai and Korean BL as that's what I'm most familiar with.

Basically this post got hella long, I'm not in college anymore, and my motivation was tied to the length of my Jennifer Hudson Best Of playlist. So I had to split it up, es lo que es.

[This will not be a comprehensive list of like all BL trends ever respect to y'all who do but I do not and will not watch every BL in existence, bendicion]

To start we gotta talk first about how trends in media tend to work and also what we mean by "trends". Because there's genre trends, technical trends, and business trends.

Here's a good article breaking down various aspects of all three. When we talk "trends" in film it's not as simplistic as "office romances" or "cross country remakes" of which, one is a genre trend and the latter a business trend.

Some examples of what I mean:

Shared Universe (genre trend)

3d boom (technical trend, trended a few times in the industry, first in the 1950s until the 1960s and then again in the early 2000s until the mid 00s thanks to James Cameron)

Remakes/Reboots (business trend, this is a business based decision b/c the risk threshold for a pre-established work is lower than for an original work that may or may not have financial data backing it)

Trends in media, whether they are genre, business, technical or a combination, tend to take time to build up, and also tend last much longer than a singular year (generally for as long as something is profitable).

Example: it took time for the Shared Universe genre trend to gain traction.

Batman v Superman (2016) wasn't released until five years after Avengers (2012). Following this, The Mummy (2017) starring Tom Cruise was meant to kickstart Universal's The Dark Universe was released six years after Avengers. Before that Dracula Untold (2014) was supposed to be reworked to also start The Dark Universe (both these films flopped so no Dark Universe, rip).

Since the Avengers release, we have the shared universes of: Monsterverse (which combines Godzilla and Kong franchises together, technically started in 2014, officially started in 2017 with Kong Skull Island), and the Sony Spiderverse (Venom, Spider-man, Madam Web, Mobius lol) and The Conjuring Universe (Annabelle, La Llorona, The Conjuring, The Nun).

It's been almost 12 years since Avengers was released (fuckin'a) and we're only now starting to see some minor diminishing returns (Disney had a horrid year financially last year) for this genre trend, and not even across the board.

I want to iterate that Avengers did not 'invent' the idea of a cross-franchise shared universe. Things like Xena and Hercules, or Hanna Barbara cartoons existed long before the Avengers. However the Avengers kickstarted a genre trend in film. Just because a piece of media started a trend does not mean it invented the genre or technical innovation (James Cameron didn't "invent" 3D but he did revolutionize it with Avatar and I suffered through many 3D horror movies because of it).

[I point this out because sometimes ppl be getting testy when ppl say kinnporsche influenced the increase in mafia/crime BLs with well, um, actually history trapped/manner of death came first - yes, yes we know this. And Bi No Isu came out before all of them so everybody drink some tea and relax, everybody's faves are pretty okay😘]

Okay to let's get to what ppl actually wanna talk about, BL.

(Some) Genre trend(s) in Thailand and Korea:

In Thai BL genre trends I'm noticing are: horror, supernatural, paranormal, action crime, and magic/magical realism. A lot of these crossover, horror shows typically are also paranormal - Ghost House Ghost House (2022), After Sundown (2023) - supernatural shows tend to cross over with magical realism like time travel, or other soft magic elements - Time (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Cherry Magic (2023).

For the horror, supernatural/paranormal genre trend, this isn't at all surprising if you look at Thailand's recent film output from 2020 to 2023: The Medium, The Whole Truth, Ghost Lab, Haunted Tales, Cracked, Death Whisperer, Home for Rent, The Maid, Waning Moon, School Tales, and others, are all horror, paranormal, or supernatural films of some sort.

The horror genre trend especially has been around Thailand for a while, as far back as 2018 with the smash success of Girl from Nowhere which only gained a larger following when it hit Netflix in 2021. I'd almost argue the horror genre trend really picked up with Girl From Nowhere as now one of the main acquisitions of Thai series and film on Netflix are of the horror genre.

That larger media trend is now trickling down into BL with series like: Shadow (2023), After Sundown (2023), Dead Friend Forever (2023) and upcoming projects like Vampire Project.

While supernatural/paranormal series like Ghost House Ghost House (2022), 1000 Years Old (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Two Worlds (2024), Golden Blood (2024?) are increasing. OMG! Vampire (TBD?) will at least be supernatural but we can't say with certainty if OMGV will be horror or not as we only have a poster.

I imagine with the success of Dead Friend Forever, and I Feel You Linger in the Air we'll see the trend of horror and supernatural/paranormal series (I know some have already been announced) continued.

Then there's the genre trend towards more action and crime focused series; which more than often crossover but not all~ the time.

In terms of the increase in crime based Thai BLs I'd argue it was a joint combo of Kinnporsche's (2022) wild skyrocketed success, and the success of Manner of Death (2020). Alongside the influence of rise of crime and thrillers from Korean media (The Gangster, the Cop and the Devil (2019) and Unstoppable (2018))

Manner of Death I'd argue influenced projects like Never Let Me Go (2022), Unforgotten Night (2022), and Big Dragon (2022) if only because of their release times and taking into account the time it takes for a production to film and be edited down.

Whilst all these series came out after Kinnporsche - NLMG released a trailer in Nov, Big Dragon in Oct, and Unforgotten Night in Jun, while Kinnporsche dropped their trailer in Apr - they're series releases are so close to Kinnporsche that I don't feel confident in saying Kinnporsche 100% influenced their acquisition. Ngl it's hard not to see influences of KPTS in at least Big Dragon & Unforgotten Night if only in terms of technical film making, so there could~ be influence but I can't say that definitively. I'm gonna attribute these to Manner of Death since it came out two years prior to these other series.

Meanwhile series both released and unreleased My Gangster Oppa (2023), Red Peafowl (TBD?), Chains of Heart (2023), Kidnap (TBD?), are def riding the crime genre trend that Kinnporsche started and I'd argue series like Pit Babe (2023), Playboyy (2023) were acquired for production in part because of the crime elements included in their respective series.

Meanwhile series like Law of Attraction (2023) (crime/action) and The Sign (2023) (crime/action/supernatural) are combining crime, action and supernatural elements together.

I've said before Kinnporsche takes a lot of cues from Korean and Hong Kong crime films like Jet Li's The Enforcer, and Fist of Legend, Donnie Yen's Flash Point, Raging Fire, and Kung Fu Jungle, Han Dong-wook's The Worst of Evil, Kim Jin-Min's My Name, along with Japanese manga like Bi No Isu and KeixYaku.

Meanwhile The Sign is def taking cues from Chinese costume dramas like Ashes of Love, Fairy and Devil, White Snake (and it's many adaptions), Guardian, & Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity. Alongside Hong Kong and Korean cop and romance shows like Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Hotel Del Luna, Director Who Buys Me Dinner, First Love, Again.

[I think the only reason Thailand or Korea hasn't jumped on the full fantasy train and pulled an Untamed is because of budget. The Sign has done very well for Idol Factory so I could see more studios trying to go in that fantasy direction if they can get the funding for it.]

Meanwhile shows like Time (2024), Two Worlds (2024), and Cherry Magic (2023) are leaning more into a combination of magical realism and a supernatural. Which is something that's been popular in Korea (Mr. Queen (2020), The King Eternal Monarch (2020)) in the past and obviously Japan (Cherry Magic (2020).

This, again, isn't a fully comprehensive list. I'm sure there's shows I've missed, and there's going to be evergreen genres that are always produced - university, high school, office all with a general romcom flavor - because they're cheap, easy, low risk and for the most part reliable.

That's not an insult to shows like Cherry Magic TH, or Middleman's Love or Cooking Crush or whatever.

Cooking Crush is just going to cost way less than The Sign it's simply a fact. Likewise Middleman's Love cost less than The Next Prince (TBD?) and was less risk as an office romcom. What helps offset the risk of something like The Next Prince is casting Zee and NuNew in the lead roles.

[watch these two trailers and tell me they cost the same]

Think of it of like, the 50 cop procedural dramas networks are always churning out; they do so because they're cheap, easy, low risk, and reliable.

Gmmtv made Cherry Magic not for the art of it all but because it was low risk and low cost to produce with a high value return. I imagine that's also why gmmtv cast Tay and New because while I don't know who the hell they are, lots of folks in BL fandom do because of Dark Blue Kiss and the reuniting of a well liked costars will also help offset financial risk for the project. Studios will often only greenlight a project if "a name" is attached to said project.

Anyways, Korea's turn.

The data for Korea is less because Korea comes out with fewer series than Thailand. Like currently Thailand has 9 ongoing BLs in 2024 while Korea has 1 (oh City Boy Log you lonely thing you).

For Korean BLs I'm still seeing mostly evergreen genre trends: the workplace (The New Employee, Oh! My Assistant, Roommates of Ponngduck 304,), high school/university (Light On Me, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Semantic Error, Love Class, Love for Love's Sake) and Joseon (Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, Tinted With You, Director Who Buys Me Dinner) romances - which make sense, a lot of these were the trends of romance kdramas in the early to mid-00s.

What I am hoping, is we'll start seeing the acquisition of KBLs that are closer to what's currently trending in Korea: revenge (Revenge of Others, The Glory, Marry My Husband, Perfect Marriage Revenge), thrillers (My Name, Midnight, Somebody, Celebrity, Mask Girl), more class based social commentary (Devil Judge, Golden Spoon, Vigilante, Kingdom), and an increase in both sex and violence (Somebody, A Shop for Killers).

I could totally see more revenge based KBLs in the coming years since revenge and thriller shows can be combined pretty easily and you don't need a huge budget for either. You can also set them in evergreen settings like the workplace (Marry My Husband) or high school/uni (Revenge of Others).

KBLs have mostly stuck with evergreen settings with a couple outliers like Kissable Lips (2022), Once Again (2022) for example. I enjoyed Love for Love's Sake but it stuck in that evergreen space of school based romance, with magical realism. Again, not surprising given KBLs are just following trends of romance kdramas of the past.

Whilst not a bad~~~ thing, it can be a bit stale and hopefully with a bit more budget/investment we'll see the acquisition of series that are more in line with what's trending with Korean audiences currently.

There's other things I'd like to see develop into trends for KBLs but they're mostly technical and business trends.

That's all I got in the tank, this post took me almost six hours to write b/c of all the sourcing and research I'm freaking peeked.

See y'all next time ✌️

Check out other posts in the series:

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition | Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI | Is BL Being Overly Influenced by Modern Western Romance Tropes?

[like these posts? drop me a couple pennies on ko-fi]

#kinnporsche #the sign the series #dead friend forever #cherry magic th #kbl #korean bl #chaos pikachu metas #pikachu's bl film series #thai bl #i'm so freaking tired omg this was so much #Youtube #dff

[jinxquickfoot]

I'm rewatching Infinity War and I want to address one of the key criticisms I hear of it which is: Steve: We don't trade lives, Vision. Also Steve: *takes the fight to Wakanda where a lot of Wakandans die* First point - even if they had destroyed the Stone when Vision first suggests it, the army would have no way of knowing that. They would have come for it anyway. Or even if they did know it was gone, Thanos surely would have sent them to Earth anyway for vengeance. Point is - Earth is getting attacked either way. Wakanda has the best defenses and weaponry in the world. Not to mention that Steve didn't just rock up and start fighting and force everyone else to get on board - T'Challa agreed to make the stand against Thanos there, even knowing the risks to his people.

Second - it's a thematically sound choice. Throughout the entire movie, we see that the good guys aren't willing to sacrifice love for the big picture. Loki won't let Thor die, Wanda and Team Cap won't let Vision sacrifice himself, Gamora can't bear to see Nebula tortured. The only person who is willing to make that personal sacrifice for 'the greater good' is Thanos. He thinks big picture only. The ends totally justify the means. What does one small life matter if he's saving the universe, even if that person is someone he 'loves'? And then we get Stephen and Tony. Even after declaring that he will let Tony or Peter die before handing over the Time Stone, Stephen realizes the value of one life - Tony's life - because it's the one life that will make all the difference in the end. Yes, it's important to keep the end goals and the greater good in mind, but we can't do that by bringing untold harm and suffering to individuals. The Avengers win because they're not Thanos.

#did that even make sense or am I just rambling #I think sometimes a movie criticism becomes so popular we just accept it as fact and forget the actual context it was made in #also you know #so the movie can happen is sometimes a valid reason #avengers infinity war #mcu #marvel

[cnnmairoll]

twirls hair HEY MAI !!! IMMA REQUEST SMTH RQ IF U DONT MIND,,, IM IN DESPERATE NEED OF LUOCHA CONTENT

PREMISE IS BASICALLY LIKE. JUST SECRET ADMIRER (LUOCHA IS ADMIRER), MAYBE HAVE THEM BOTH BE MERCHANTS ?? IDK IMMA LEAVE MOST OF THE LIBERTIES TO U 🫰

CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT U COME UP WITH!! THANK U IN ADVANCE 🙏🙏

Luocha's Hidden Affection

Pairing : Luocha x Merchant!Reader Genre : Fluff a/n : Hey Illu!! ty for requesting this i love writing for Luocha ^^!! But I'm not sure how you want me to write it so this is what I come up with, hope you like it though ><;

In a galaxy painted with the hues of countless stars, where celestial currents carried whispers of stories untold, you and Luocha found yourselves bound by fate's gentle threads. Beyond the stellar seas, you were two wandering merchants, traversing the cosmos in pursuit of trade and adventure. Coincidence, it seemed, was your constant companion, as you both continually gravitated towards the same planets, like celestial bodies orbiting a shared center.

The bond between you and Luocha transcended spoken words. It was a comfort found in the silence shared while gazing at foreign skies, in the camaraderie forged over cups of intergalactic tea. Each encounter brought with it a sense of familiarity, a connection that defied the vast expanse that separated your worlds.

But what you didn't know was that Luocha's heart held a secret—a secret that bloomed like a delicate nebula within him. He was your secret admirer, a quiet observer who had fallen for your spirit, your laughter, and the way your eyes sparkled with the same curiosity that ignited his own. With every coin exchanged and every tale swapped, he found himself falling deeper into an emotion he could barely grasp.

Subtle hints, like stardust, he scattered in your path. His words carried an undertone of warmth, his gaze lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary, and every now and then, a small token of his affection found its way into your possession. A rare gem from a distant asteroid, a delicate bloom that flourished in the harshest of environments—each gift whispered a sentiment he hadn't yet dared to voice.

One day, as you both stood beneath the shimmering canopy of a foreign sky, Luocha's usually eloquent words faltered. It was an accidental confession, brought forth by the cosmos itself. "You know," he began, his voice soft like stardust on a gentle breeze, "these planets... they must envy us. For we get to witness each other's journeys, no matter how vast the galaxies that separate us."

Caught off guard by the vulnerability in his tone, you turned to meet his gaze. There, amidst the constellations that painted the heavens, you saw something more profound—a reflection of emotions mirrored in his eyes. Your heart skipped a beat, realization dawning like a distant sun cresting the horizon.

"I suppose they would," you replied, your own heart finding resonance with his words. "After all, our paths always seem to cross."

A smile, tender and unguarded, graced Luocha's lips. "Perhaps it's not mere coincidence. Perhaps the stars themselves conspire to bring us together."

The air seemed to hum with anticipation, the universe holding its breath as your gazes lingered, locked in a moment that transcended time and space. 

In the ever-expansive tapestry of the cosmos, your journeys continued intertwined. Planets and stars, asteroids and nebulae—each celestial body witnessed your shared adventures. Luocha's presence in your life became a constant, a familiar star that guided you through the uncharted reaches of space.

As your companionship deepened, so did the subtlety of Luocha's gestures. He would share tidbits of his own stories, snippets of his past that he carefully unveiled like ancient artifacts. His vulnerability in these moments was a testament to the trust he had in you, the person who had unknowingly captured his heart.

He would surprise you with small tokens—crystals that shimmered like captured starlight, intricately carved trinkets that told stories of forgotten civilizations, and pressed flowers from planets that bloomed in colors beyond the human spectrum. Each gift held a piece of his essence, an unspoken confession woven into the fabric of the universe.

Conversations under star-strewn skies evolved into stolen moments amidst bustling intergalactic markets, where your laughter mingled with the hum of alien tongues. Luocha's admiration for your spirit only grew, his eyes tracing the arc of your laughter as if it were a constellation he could map. His presence, once comforting, had become essential—a constant that tethered you both amidst the swirling currents of space.

Yet, despite the connection that deepened with every shared adventure, neither of you dared to breach the unspoken boundaries of your companionship. The space between friendship and something more felt both tantalizingly close and impossibly distant. The universe held its breath, waiting for the moment when the delicate balance would shift.

It was on a planet cloaked in hues of violet and indigo that fate, once again, conspired to steer your paths. Amidst a garden of bioluminescent blooms, Luocha presented you with a delicate orb—a vessel filled with shimmering stardust. "A piece of the cosmos," he said softly, his voice a melody that resonated in the air.

You turned the orb in your hands, the stardust dancing like captured fireflies. It was in this ethereal moment that a sudden realization bloomed—an understanding that transcended words. The delicate dance of your gazes, the unspoken confessions woven through time and space—it all led to this pivotal point.

"Luocha," you began, your voice a whisper carried by the wind. "Have you ever considered that maybe the universe has been trying to tell us something all along?"

His gaze met yours, a universe of emotions swirling within. "Perhaps the universe is wiser than we give it credit for," he replied, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

And then, like a meteor streaking across the sky, the boundaries you had both tiptoed around became mere echoes of hesitation. With a tender certainty, Luocha's hand found yours, fingers intertwining like destinies finally aligned. The universe held its breath once more, this time witnessing a moment that had been written in the stars—their secret language understood by hearts that dared to leap.

The cosmos rejoiced in your shared confession, stars pulsating with newfound brilliance as if celebrating a union woven from stardust and whispered dreams. Your love story was a melody sung by celestial bodies, a dance performed across the canvas of infinity.

#˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ mai writes #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #luocha hsr #luocha x reader #hsr luocha #luocha #honkai star rail luocha #star rail #honkai star rail fluff