#and they always mix politics with education which is never a good thing

[soloorganaas]

what are your thoughts about sirius black and gender and class and trauma and toxic relationships and british homophobia and mental illness and kill the gays tropes and the suffocation of hope and found family

ALRIGHT DANI LETS GO

exec summary: JKR’s class anxiety is a big part of her bigotry and her punishment of characters who run away from her. it shapes a specific set of rules, which Sirius breaks in more ways than most other characters, and it draws out a hatred from JKR that leads her to punish him through her writing in painfully particular ways. that includes inflicting brutal tragedy on the heavily implied/coded queer relationship he has with remus, in a kill your gays trope that is peak 90s/00s. and so Sirius’s storyline overall becomes a morality lesson for queer/enby/neurodivergent kids that teaches them whatever love or found family they have will inevitably be destroyed - and they deserve it

~ spicy meta essay below the cut ~

JKR and class anxiety

class divides people in the UK to such an extreme extent its bizarre for people outside to conceptualise. like most of Europe we had centuries of strict class hierarchies, but ours never got entirely broken down because we never got rid of the royal family and aristocracy. class is such a strong form of division that we truly 'other' people from another class to us and generally avoid the excruciating ordeal of mixing with someone from a class different to us. this isn’t always the case - i know people reading this will feel differently - but it is predominant in the middle class

middle class in the UK is entirely different to the US. it's not at all about income, it's about identity markers that signal you are better, more well to-do, more refined than people of a lower class than you. the majority of the UK are working class, so the middle class work hard at the idea they're better than everybody. except, obviously, the upper class, who they will never be as good as under these rules, so instead they aggressively enforce them to try and cling onto power over those below them. think white Republican women

the middle class enforce this generally through keeping everyone and everything in a nice and tidy box. a good education, a respectable job, a large (but not extravagant! that would be chavvy) house, nice (but not flashy! also chavvy) cars, modest and neat clothes that don't draw too much attention, excruciating and often fake politeness. the most important thing in being middle class is not drawing attention to yourself. if you're loud, if your appearance is out of the norm, if you're queer or trans, if you're disabled, if you're neurodivergent, then god help you. you will be abused and shunned (i'm not joking, this happened to me by my school). this interacts with race in a very complicated way which i am absolutely not qualified to speak on, and isn’t relevant to Sirius, so I won’t be attempting to talk about it - but I don’t want to erase the fact that it exists. 

JKR grew up working class but gained so much wealth and notoriety in an educated profession that she shifted to middle class, which is unusual to the point of being forbidden. so when she wrote the later books especially, her need to firmly, clearly follow middle class rules in order to gain acceptance bleeds through her writing

JKR hates Sirius

Sirius breaks every single one of nice middle class rules. every single one. and offensively so. and she hates him for it. I don't think it's a coincidence she only made him a shunned aristocrat until she became famous and classism rose to the forefront - she wanted that power for herself, and she'd never have it, so she punished him for it

Sirius is loud. he's brash. he's talkative. he's argumentative. he's mentally ill. he's neurodivergent. he's gay. he doesn't give a fuck about gender roles. he's extreme, coded a thousand times over as manic depressive. he's unapologetic about all of it. and she can't stand it. no one is allowed to be like that - and especially not the madman side character she created just to provide some spicy background for Harry

so JKR does what every bigoted classist Brit does in this situation and silently, viciously, hatefully and passive aggressively punishes Sirius. she has every character shame him for all his rule-breaking traits by patronising him, looking down on him, criticising him, humiliating him, belittling him, all because he is apparently incapable of being trusted by normal society. Molly is literally JKR's mouthpiece for this, passively aggressively keeping Sirius in line, and getting away with it because she's so sweet and loveable no one ever sees her as a bigot. I have met one hundred thousand women like in her my lifetime. so has JKR. she knew exactly what she was doing

why would these characters turn on him like this, though? Sirius is highly competent, incredibly intelligence and very astute, as shown over the previous books, and both the characters and readers know that. so it has to be something else, something that overrides all of that

it's because of who he is, and that's what we absorb between the lines of the book. that who Sirius is is wrong, and people like him will inevitably be shunned by society around them

12GP, mental illness and Sirius's death

Sirius is (quite literally) characterised as mad, and it's used as a justification for punishing him. by OotP his rebelliousness is explained as a sign of instability. and by god - that instability is toxic. so he's locked in a madhouse for his own good (to keep him alive! to protect Harry!). he's then tortured as painfully as possible to drive him even madder, leading him to the inevitable conclusion of bringing about his own death through his irresponsibility. he has to die, because he has to face the consequences for rebelling

the way that JKR weaves his rule-breaking and depiction of "madness" together is intentional, and truly vile. it's evident in the sharp contrast of his characterisation in PoA/GoF and OotP. he's coded as mentally ill and neurodivergent from the first time we hear of him. he's portrayed as a man of manic depressive extremes (I wrote a bipolar meta here talking about this in more detail), and is clearly suffering from PTSD. we can assume this continues in GoF

alongside all of this, he is so smart, competent and compassionate he manages to keep himself alive and hidden from the ministry whilst living outdoors, basically figures out the entire GoF plot through newspapers and a few rushed conversations through the fire, and is single-mindedly dedicated to his godson

in OotP he is a fundamentally different person - not in a way that is caused by mental illness, but genuine changes in his core character, however it’s still characterised as mental illness. so it becomes justifiable to punish him, to restrict him, to criticise and curtail and humiliate him

and most of all the traits JKR hates about Sirius so much are part and parcel of being bipolar (and also having ADHD, which he's implied to have as well). bipolar people are capable of extraordinary feats when we're manic, which aren't always bad - like, for example, breaking out of a wizarding prison! being on the run for two years just for take care of your godson! we feel everything incredibly deeply - like, for example, devotion to the point of death for your friends, strong emotional reactions to them being mistreated! we have tendencies towards being incredibly creative, smart, and making intellectual leaps that are impossible for other people, all of which are traits Sirius has that make him such an extraordinary wizard, and person. he literally wouldn't be who he is without neurodivergence, and yet JKR portrays it as an entirely negative characterisation, a punishable offence

kill the gays - queer and mentally ill people will never be happy, and they don't deserve to be

Sirius and Remus's story is about two traumatised, scared, lonely kids doomed to be outcasts forever, until they find acceptance and love in found family, and each other. that is the story of every fucking queer kid growing up before like 2015, and everyone now who doesn't live in a liberal town. we look at that story and we know it, we feel it in our bones. i could will write an essay about this in itself but for now:

the way that that story should play out is Sirius and Remus getting to grow up and begin adulthood in a stable environment where they can slowly unlearn their trauma, toxic coping mechanisms and/or terrible relationship models, and form a healthy, mature and long-lasting relationship with each other. but they don't get the chance to do that, because of the First War, and instead their unstable and immature relationship is put under an existential pressure it could never have survived

okay. but then we should be able to see them slowly, if painfully, recover from and/or learn to live with the impacts of that war and eventually get to a stable place where they can deal with their formative trauma as well. except Sirius goes off to be tortured for 12 years, and Remus is sentenced to living as a lonely, isolated and unsupported outcast, who’s lost everything good that he gained in his life

okay... but then when they're finally released from this slice of hell frozen in time for 12 years, they should be able to spend the rest of their lives, guess what? fucking recovering from it all, and maybe, perhaps, being able to salvage a healthy relationship from it. instead they get thrust into another war, where every bit of trauma they've already gone through is magnified, and they have one (1) year together in absolutely awful circumstances before Sirius is killed

at every single turn in their story queer and/or ND people are taught that they will never find safety. they will never be given a reprieve and the chance of stability and happiness they see others have. it's not on the cards for them. it is simply not possible. JKR hams this home three fucking times. it’s brutal. it’s vicious. it’s beyond what anyone should ever have to go through. it’s entirely unnecessary for the plot. it is just punishing them for who they are

it’s a trope we all know well from that era, but the fact that it’s used as a punishment for so many other aspects of Sirius's character is what makes it so doubly awful

conc

nothing about what JKR did to Sirius was an accident. it was deliberate, it was targeted. and it has very, very real impacts on kids growing up reading those books

we should be learning that what makes us different is nothing to be ashamed of, that everyone is different in some way, that difference is all a matter of perspective, that you should be allowed to express every aspect of who you are without so much as a comment, let alone stigma. we should be learning that in a world which doesn't afford us that luxury, we can still build our own sanctuary where we can have that, full of found family and meaningful, lasting love. we should be seeing people like us unlearn the harmful ideas they absorbed growing up so we learn how to do that as well; we should be learning what people like us look like in relationships; we should be made to believe, in our very bones, that happiness is possible for us

instead we watch someone who we see ourselves in be tortured, humiliated, punished and denied every ounce of happiness until their premature death

Sirius deserved better, we all deserved better, and i'll never be quiet for a fucking moment about it lest this wrongdoing go ignored

#finally answering this #it required SO much thought #and it made me really sad #so it took a minute #but it's important #sirius black #wolfstar #harry potter #ty for the ask bb #ch: we choose who we really are #hp #hp meta #meta

[dittomander]

Four amigo school hc?

ehehehehh yes! this is one of those things I've thought about a lot because some of it is actually relevant for Close Enough, so this is something i've wanted to infodump on for a while now:

Elena:

she grew up with private tutors and was taught in the palace alongside Esteban

as a royal (and especially as the heir), there was a heavy focus in her education on things like diplomacy, etiquette, politics, and history

she generally worked better with practical examples than with theory - in particular, she struggled with math for a long time as a kid because of this

(which then created a bit of a vicious cycle - she struggled with math, so she didn't like studying it, so it never really "clicked" for her, so she continued to struggle, etc. etc. this then turned her off to more science-y subjects, since she assumed it would be the same thing)

Esteban routinely out-performed her academically and would hold that over her head, which was a recurring point of contention between them when they were kids

especially since Esteban had more freedom with what he could study - he wasn't expected to rule someday, so he didn't have as rigid of an education track

Elena went through a rebellious phase where she would push back against her teachers because of the above - she didn't really appreciate what the point of a lot of her lessons was until her parents died and she suddenly found herself having to apply them in real-time

she's pretty out-of-touch with what public school is actually like. She really tries to help Isa with her school problems but doesn't have the practical experience to help in very meaningful ways

when Isa first decided to go to public school, Elena tried going to her friends for advice. she got some incredibly mixed reviews.

Gabe:

he had what would classify as the most "typical" school experience of the amigos

like, he went to public school for all his childhood and adolescence, and his school experience was consistently pretty average. He was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades when it came to subject matter.

he was a solid B+ student - he was very hardworking, and good at applying what he learned

but he tended to struggle with memorizing exact definitions, which caused him trouble on tests (and frustrated him to no end - like, he knows what the terms mean, and he knows how to explain it in a way people understand, he just doesn't remember exactly how his textbook phrased it)

in primary school, he was a bit of a self-proclaimed safety patrol. he would often stick up for younger kids he saw getting picked on during recreo, try to help other kids find things they'd lost, walk kids home that were scared to go alone (i.e. bc they had bullies or were just still really young), etc.

the little kids adored him for this - he was basically everyone's big brother. his peers would sometimes poke fun at him for it. his friends weren't malicious about it, but obviously the kids he would prevent from picking on others didn't really like being told to stop

there were more than a few times as a kid when he'd get home late bc he'd been helping someone or would show up at home with a bruise or scrape from inserting himself into someone else's fight, which always worried Blanca to death

he ended up not going into upper secondary - he didn't really plan on going to university, and Roberto wanted him to help around the bakery more.

This period was what locked in his mind that he definitely didn't want to spend the rest of his life working for his dad - those three years had turned what as a kid was a fun learning experience with his dad into a pressure-filled job since Roberto was now expecting him to suddenly be perfect at it

Naomi:

her education is all over the place from all the traveling she did throughout her childhood

like she went through bursts of being homeschooled on her parents' ship to getting a couple months of public education in whatever town they'd settled in and then back to the ship, etc. etc.

as a result, she was always way ahead of her peers in some areas and way behind them in others, since no two kingdoms taught things in the exact same order or at the same rate

she's actually really good at math - it's the same in every language/region, and she got a lot of practical use with it by calculating speed, distance, and location while sailing

she's also pretty good at picking up the basics of different languages but never stayed in one place long enough to really become fluent in the local tongue

she struggled with making friends through school when she was growing up since she was always the "outsider"

she originally planned on doing upper secondary in Avalor since she didn't have an apprenticeship lined up and didn't really know what direction she wanted to go with her life, but she dropped out once she got her job at the palace

upon Mendoza's suggestion (and with her recommendation, since Naomi never finished upper secondary), she eventually starts taking university classes in history and archaeology to continue her studies of Maru

Mateo:

he was actually homeschooled for the first few years of primary school. Rafa didn't want him walking into the city all by himself, and she was worried that he was too young to understand that no, seriously, you absolutely cannot talk about your abuelo in public, Mateo

so he had very limited social experience with his peers by the time he started going to school, and between that and being the new guy (and also just being Mateo), he got pegged as the "weird kid" within like 30 minutes of his first day and never really shook that reputation. He was an easy target for bullying.

he had a difficult time focusing on his schoolwork. He'd be so invested in studying magic at home that he'd routinely forget to do his homework, and he'd stay up so late that he'd doze off or just otherwise be distracted in class

his strife with his peers and his apparent lack of attentiveness got him written off as a "problem student" by his teachers

not helping matters was that he would sometimes question them on Shuriki's propaganda in the history books - he genuinely wasn't trying to be confrontational, but young!Mateo didn't get why what he was being taught at school was so different from what his mom taught him at home

he liked subjects like chemistry and linguistics - things that were "magic adjacent", basically, so he could pretend he was studying that instead

in an inverse situation to Gabe, Mateo was really good at rote memorization, so even though he wouldn't keep up with his assignments, he still tested pretty well. This also drove teachers bonkers. He was that kid getting sent home with "shows potential but needs to apply himself better" and the like written on his report cards

the second "wizard" became a viable career choice he dropped out of upper secondary. like he didn't even wait to be appointed royal wizard - Elena came back and he was like "fuck this shit I'm out"

Bonus Combo Headcanons!

when Elena came to the other amigos to initially ask about school advice for Isa, Gabe's response was a pretty neutral "well she's pretty smart so it might just be kinda boring for her", Naomi's was basically just a massive shrug, and Mateo's was an incredulous "wait, she's going to public school on purpose?"

Naomi and Mateo technically never started upper secondary - Elena came back their summer between 9th and 10th grade - but they were both already enrolled for the next year

Naomi and Mateo were in the same class in school, but they didn't really know each other. They would hang out sometimes since they were both social outcasts for one reason or another, but they didn't really consider each other friends until they met Elena.

(or at least, Naomi didn't consider them friends. Mateo did kinda think that they were)

Mateo and Gabe actually encountered each other once as kids - Gabe got one of Mateo's books back for him from a particularly cruel game of keep-away.

Gabe has literally no memory of the incident - it was just another Tuesday for him. Mateo remembers it but has idealized it so much in his head that he hasn't even considered that the Guy Who Helped Him Once could be his current friend Gabe, who laughed at him for falling off a horse last week.

#elena of avalor #eoa #ditto answers #elena castillo flores #gabe nunez #gabe nuñez #naomi turner #mateo de alva #headcanon

[glassautomaton]

Hey Glassy! Do you have any specific headcanons (for any characters) that someone wouldn't be able to know from reading your work? I love niche little facts about characters (like the fact that Iris can't swim, what a little loser <3)

Also, just wanted to say I adore your works! Your writing style and characterization is wonderful and I look forward to seeing more from you!

Thanks for the kind words and the opportunity to dump all this.

This will be a mix of both somewhat unimportant headcanons and some facts about the characters that may or may not actually be important, just figured I'd include both. This'll be a long one and might be a little rambly, but I figured might as well cover a lot of ground.

Iris

Her right eye has a lighter blue iris than her other one as it was lab-grown, giving her some heterochromia, but it's not super noticeable.

Eats the same meals every day, which are aggressively healthy and utterly tasteless, and spends half of her time exercising and the other half playing crossword or sudoku.

Spent a lot of time studying, though the Foundation mostly has outdated textbooks purchased decades ago when the Ethics Committee mandated that education be provided to contained humanoids. Doesn't know nearly as much about the sciences as Jackie, and isn't quite as good at math as Anne. Probably more well-read than Adams, though.

Mostly likes older movies and music, like 80s stuff, as that was what her parents liked. She's been locked up for so long that she's very out of the loop with new stuff. Also reflective of how she's resistant to accepting new things or change even when it's good.

Has a somewhat absurd skincare routine but would get embarrassed if this was made common knowledge. In fact, the stuff she gets for it hemorrhages the Foundation money but they don't want to piss her off so they go along with it.

Is kind of a prude. She's a repressed Catholic, you can't really blame her too much.

Very easily flattered and/or flustered by compliments. Can kind of get a big head.

Has cut her own hair since she was 15, whenever it gets down to her shoulders she unceremoniously hacks it off to around chin length. Doesn't want other people getting near her head or neck with sharp objects.

Can be obnoxiously competitive, nobody should let her play Mario Kart with the other anomalies.

Jackie

Has a few degrees in stuff like biology, ecology, life sciences, etc.

Has been in healthy and loving relationships in the past but that just means that unlike everyone else in containment she knows what she's missing. But she doesn't let it get to her. Honest.

She's very nice, but not always kind. She'll insult someone to their face and will just be so polite about it that it doesn't really register.

A lot of her memories of her expeditions are offloaded from her brain onto external memory systems, which helps to just not have so many memories that things mix up as well as alleviate some of the stress of what she sees.

Can find it kind of hard to feel like a part of the world she finds herself in, but is hesitant to really take a leap and start caring about it because she doesn't want to be left reeling from having her whole world taken out from under her again.

Is otherwise the most well-adjusted person in the group. Perfectly happy with all aspects of her person and anomaly.

Picked up sketching as a way of getting an image of things she finds without the use of a camera, but does it as a hobby as well. Mostly with a pencil, never really bothered leaning colors or painting.

Anne

I actually included a good chunk of Anne's backstory/history in the first draft of Voices Carry, but I drastically cut down on it since it came off as a bit too villain monologue-y.

After her parents died in an anomalous incident, she was picked up by an organization that sells anomalies, including humanoids, who happened to find her and see that she was an infovore.

Infovores are rare and potentially powerful so she was pawned off to the Insurgency in hopes she'd eventually grow to be more dangerous, but she topped out at being pretty unimpressive, really only reading emotions and occasionally thoughts in broad strokes.

Picked up her sense of humor as a way to cope but has been at it for so long it's just a part of her now.

Her Insurgency cell was very insular and managed poorly, leading to a lot of roles being pawned off onto her as she was the infovore and people assumed she could handle it. This led to her teaching herself proficiency in explosives, pyrotechnics, and statistical analysis, which she is surprisingly good at.

Knows a decent amount of sleight of hand.

Though it's been a while since she's lived on a farm, she's still a bit of a hick deep down. This is the one (1) thing she gets embarrassed about.

Adams

She's very aware of the fact that her relationship to the anomalies begins and ends with her potentially needing to kill them, but tries to get to know them both to make her job easier down the line (as it's much easier to stab someone in the back when they trust you) and to be the first one to know when things start going off the rails.

Because of this she feels weird when she sees, for instance, Iris getting defensive about not knowing how to swim. "I don't like this, it's way too humanizing."

Very goal and career oriented, tries to either keep her relationships to anyone affiliated with the Foundation professional or make an excuse to herself if she cares about the person in any real capacity.

Has been reserving the Site-17 therapy pool late at night to teach Iris to swim where nobody can watch. Iris fucking hates it but she needs to learn as a requirement for her position.

Despite her natural charisma, is a little emotionally unavailable.

Does a decent amount of work to cultivate her "cool" persona, like having a ton of slick outfits and a nice car, because in the back of her head she thinks that maybe a lot of who she is was just manufactured by the Foundation (since she has no memory of the time before she joined).

Foxx

A huge fucking dork. He think's he's James Bond but he has all the poise of a single dad bragging about how much better his daughter is than the goalie of the other little league soccer team mere moments before she kicks the ball directly to said goalie.

Figures that raising a daughter shouldn't be much more of a hassle than being a spy and as such does not ask for as much help as he perhaps should, but he 100% commits to the shit he pulls for his daughter.

For example, he once attended a pool party for the birthday of his daughter's friend. He damn near disintegrated in the chlorine but he stuck it out because, come one, he'd be shotgunned in the chest, how bad could some water be?

His daughter now tells everyone that her dad is allergic to water but is very sensitive about it so they shouldn't mention it.

Not good at cooking, thinks he is. Wonders why his daughter wants to have dinner at her friend's house all the time.

September

September is trans, but I haven't found a good place to mention that yet. Not like it's meant to be a spoiler or anything, though.

She negotiated for top surgery to get taken on as a Factotum. Thinks it's very funny that she got the thirteen most powerful people in the world to pay for her boobs.

Is a huge fucking nerd. In order to make sure that her image wasn't damaged when she moved into Site-17 she broke up her PC and moved each part into her room in different boxes, then rebuilt it. And she wonders why she doesn't have a lot of free time.

Tells everyone "When I get off of work I drink myself to sleep each night. Anyone who interrupts me will regret it." In reality she just doesn't want to be interrupted when she's running raids.

Is nosy and likes keeping up to date on workplace drama but has honed the craft of being inconspicuous when digging for information.

I'd put something here for Gamma and Delta, but I feel like I should develop them more first. I haven't even gotten around to introducing the other two androids. For the sake of having at least one thing, I'll say that Delta likes singing and using instruments, though none of her songs have any real lyrics, more just vocal noises. She does this as she wants to find an abstract way to capture emotions, but most people just find it offputting.

#scp #wow that was a lot #I kind of just wrote out pieces of character development and whatnot but I get that's not what the ask was for #If there's anything you're curious about in particular send in another ask

[mightyflamethrower]

MrBeast’s Philanthropic Effort Draws Unexpected Backlash for Constructing 100 Wells in Africa to Supply Clean Water Because He is “White” (VIDEO)

The best thing that could happen to Africa is for them to be recolonized.

The well-known philanthropist and YouTube giant, MrBeast, has encountered a wave of criticism after his latest project in Africa.

Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast, faces a fresh wave of scrutiny following the release of his new video showcasing the funding and construction of 100 wells across various African nations. The digital philanthropist anticipated backlash, stating he expects to “get canceled” for his charitable actions, which have historically drawn fire.

MrBeast, who has previously faced labels such as “white savior” and been called “demonic” for his humanitarian content, has now been accused of overshadowing the efforts of local governments and international organizations. His initiative, stretching across Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, will provide clean drinking water to approximately 500,000 people.

The wells were constructed in villages and schools across Africa and were created using giant drills to access pure water sources underground.

In addition to the wells, MrBeast’s video features donations of educational supplies to Kenyan schools and the construction of a bridge to facilitate community access to medical facilities and educational institutions.

Even Costco Is Now Selling Gold Bars – But How Do You Buy Gold if Your Money Is Wrapped up in a Retirement Account?

Despite the tangible benefits of these projects, the social media star has been met with mixed reactions.

“I already know I’m gonna get canceled because I uploaded a video helping people, and to be 100% clear, I don’t care. I’m always going to use my channel to help people and try to inspire my audience to do the same,” the social media star wrote.

Taylor Lorenz, a far-left reporter, addressed the concept of monetizing kindness, suggesting that the YouTube star’s approach could be perceived as exploitative.

“No one is “cancelling” you for “helping people”, you’ve received extremely light criticism in the past for the way you’ve monetized “kindness” content that some vulnerable people found to be exploitative,” said Lorenz.

“Encouraging young people to exploit vulnerable communities for content which they can then profit off of enormously, is the issue,” Lorenz added.

No one is “cancelling” you for “helping people”, you’ve received extremely light criticism in the past for the way you’ve monetized “kindness” content that some vulnerable people found to be exploitative.

Meanwhile, Albert Nat Hyde, a Twitter activist, rebuffed the idea of Africans needing water donations, criticizing what he views as a capitalist agenda beneath the guise of charity. He also added that the word “wells” is offensive.

“Wells in 2023 is offensive; why not boreholes or pipe-borne water? – Africans do not need water donation; we ain’t that poor and thirsty. – Africa is a continent with 54 countries; he must be specific where he went – This is capitalism; he wanna low-key use these countries for profit – He has set Africans for global ridicule by building wells we never asked him for,” Hyde wrote.

Mr Beast 100 wells is disrespect to Africans – He described the entire Africa as a village with its people living in huts – He projected that all Africans lack good drinking water – Wells in 2023 is offensive; why not boreholes or pipe-borne water? – Africans do not need water… pic.twitter.com/X8k12kvdp3 — Albert Nat Hyde (@BongoIdeas) November 5, 2023

Francis Gaitho, a Kenyan political activist, argued against what he perceives as a perpetuation of African stereotypes, accusing MrBeast of reinforcing the narrative of African poverty for content views. Gaitho emphasized the continent’s desire to move beyond philanthropy that serves external interests over genuine developmental progress.

“America is part of the problem,” said Gaitho, adding, “And you, Mr. Beast, are not supposed to be coming here to validate some of these long-held stereotypes that Africa is poor.”

MR BEAST IN KENYA Content creator #mrbeast was in Kenya drilling boreholes in 100 schools across the country. Also there’s a bishop from Naivasha called Abiud Masinde who has been accused by an American benefactor of stealing donor money meant to build a school. pic.twitter.com/QdZCwOamoy — Francis Gaitho (@FGaitho237) November 5, 2023

Saran Kaba Jones, the founder of FACE Africa, also weighed in, expressing the challenges of sustaining such humanitarian projects. She acknowledges the frustrations of seeing a well-resourced figure like MrBeast, a “white male,” garner immediate attention.

“I’ve been doing this for 15 years, but we’ve been struggling to continue the work because funding, awareness, and advocacy all take work,” Jones told CNN, adding, “overnight, this person comes along, who happens to be a white male figure with a huge platform, and all of a sudden, he gets all of the attention. It’s kind of frustrating, but it’s also understanding the nature of how the world is.”

#Youtube

[atmosphericradar]

The interview of Elon Musk by Don Lemon revealed how ingesting right-wing talking points made Elon intellectually incurious.

Across the earliest segments Elon makes it clear that his personal Overton Window is shifted noticeably to the right. Him calling CNN "far left" is laughable, but this gives us some idea of the political circles he runs in, and the ideas he's injesting.

In the Great Replacement Theory segment we see Don's questions bouncing off Elon; Elon apparently doesn't grasp how his belief that "immigrants are biasing US national elections" dovetails into GRT talking points. Don, for his part, doesn't go out of his way to logically lay out how Elon publishing his belief might legitimize GRT. OK, fine, maybe Elon just doesn't know about GRT and isn't in the right head space to learn while in a high-profile interview.

But then we get to the content moderation segment, and Elon has the chance to talk about free speech, something he has repeatedly expressed support of and complex interest in. Don is giving Elon pretty standard talking points about social media content moderation, and Elon (as the owner of Twitter and a long-time "free speech absolutist") must have heard these talking points before. He claims that he bought Twitter on the grounds of preserving free speech on the internet! But the interview segment is mostly Don asking the same few questions over and over, with Elon not answering any of them and instead insisting Don is pro-censorship (without giving proper reasoning). I could think of a few good rebuttals to Don while watching the video, but Elon (who would likely consider himself a major proponent, if not an actual "thought leader", in the realm of American free speech discourse for several years now) offers only the most surface-level rejections of the way Don frames his questions.

The segment on DEI initiatives was even worse, and honestly painful to listen to. Don is really going at this point: posing several questions, bringing up studies and stats, and putting in work to try and pull some self-explanation out of Elon. But Elon stubbornly refuses to engage with what Don is asking! Elon repeats the same talking point over and over, not elaborating at all, and making no effort to tie in his "objection" to DEI programs with the actual question being asked of him. It's pathetic, and it shows that what he is regurgitating isn't his own idea.

I'm not going to rehash what happened in the "Woke Mind Virus" segment. Elon is a nepotism baby from an extremely wealthy mining family in apartheid South Africa, he isn't going to be a champion of race reparations or anything. His "color-blind meritocracy" viewpoint (two phrases which he never used in the interview) is outdated and denies reality. But again we see him clinging to a right-wing talking point instead of explaining himself. He won't actually say out loud something like "systemic racism, sexism, and transphobia are venquished problems, and we can let time equalize the racial mix of educated professions", because he doesn't believe that. He hasn't thought for himself, just knows the talking point.

By the end of the interview he's totally turned off, pressing Don for more questions because he wants to change the subject. The interview frustrates him, because he can't answer the questions meaningfully, so he wants to move on to something else. He doesn't have answers to Don's questions because he just absorbed right-wing talking points and did no actual thought on the subjects for himself. And he wants to move on because he wants to feel competent and smart (and cares less about whether he actually is those things). It's a very immature behavior to try and run away from hard work, but it checks for Elon who constantly flits from one project to another, throws money at problems, and always focuses on the future (never the present or the past).

I'm not a fan of Elon Musk, but I am genuinely saddened to see a science fiction geek be suckered into such anti-intellectual behavior. I don't know who could teach that man some additional critical thinking skills, but he really needs them. Now more than ever.

#elongated muskrat and adjacent #ideological dork web #conservatism #us politics #alt-right #critical thinking #videos #long post #my post #cw racism

[violetsystems]

You can definitely feel the switch from west side to south side out here. It’s easiest to explain to people in baseball terms. The cubs are north side. And that’s generally around boy’s town which is a queer neighborhood. The vibe up there growing up was always kind of both hokey but embracing regardless if you were gay or straight. I never had a problem with the Industrial scene and the gay clubs toe to toe. A lot of straight people didn’t really care. We were represented by music not politics. The west side mentality is more indicative of the footwork I represent. Nobody cares or at least say they do but it’s also very anarchistic. The Wild West side. People don’t care if they hurt your feelings but they’re not openly trying to. It is what it is. I don’t know that there’s really a baseball team for that but the bulls are definitely on the west side of things. The south side Irish and sox mentality goes all the way to where footwork battlegrounds used to happen. A dance spot on 87th where people battled along with bud Billiken parade. Very territorial at times and prone to what we call south side shenanigans. The crosstown classic was when sox would play the cubs and the rivalries reflected. Chicago is a very territorial block by block city. When Lightfoot ran it? It was a very chaotic mix of the three. East side maybe if you are talking Gary, Indiana. She was gay and also black with ties to the south and west. She knew how to accept the chaos even if she was a little green about it. The new mayor comes from Cook county which expands past the city to the suburbs near where I grew up. Deep South side. We left the suburbs to get away from the conservative mindset regardless if people talked all high and mighty. He fired the health commissioner on some we’re all in this together talk. But together means the county in some ways. And that’s where it gets messy. Because the city mentality is a lot different from the county. It all bleeds together in a mess. You want everyone to get along but current administration just seems to force it without being questioned. Father knows best. I’m a teacher I know better. Always up in your business because the south wants to control your business. Can be very paranoid at times. If you aren’t on the same team then you’re the enemy and they treat you like it. Call it roasting or punishment whatever it is school teacher bs. It’s very think of the children mentality and if you don’t have family you are kind of pariah. Vallas at least came from outside this oppressive connected educational system as a teacher and that’s why he was dismissed. And everybody is out there at once on some wild west side to the kindly north side neighborhood shit to the we run this town south side shit. And it feels both oppressive and more of the same to me. I’m lower west side mostly for the last decade and a half. My music and crew affiliations kind of reflect that even if I’m not active. My whole point right now is the state is about as progressive as it can be. And Lightfoot at least got that we were all contained within it. Now it’s just pockets of spin. If you are good at staying under the radar in the pocket then you know corruption is going to get worse. At least they passed that doxxing law. Though I don’t think that changes anything for me. That’s the west side in me talking. All in all I think my best chances out here are with a state school. Locked out of everything else. Go cubs. 🐻

[livesinthebalance]

// Well, @quick-drawn, you asked these questions a while ago, but I'm finally getting around to answering them and you're about to find out exactly how alike James and Jesse really are, if there's anything we haven't discussed to this point.

JAMES VALDEZ

Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory?

James' childhood was… A bit of a mixed bag. His worst memory is probably from the time he was six, the night his mamá , Esperanza, came home late from work. His dad was a violent alcoholic—one of the reasons that James seldom touches the stuff. Thankfully, it wasn't a bad incident, but it was the first time his mother wasn't there to draw his attention and bear the brunt of it. James still, despite his young age, remembers his mother finding him in his room, trying to stop crying. She packed the most important things into a duffelbag that night and they left while his father was passed out in his armchair to go to his aunt's house and stay with her for a while. He never saw the man again after that. One of the better memories [ or, at least, one of the more humorous ones ] is how his little sister—because his mother realized she was pregnant not long after they left—got her name. Calista Valdez was named 'Calista' because a young James told his mamá that the newborn baby looked ugly, and his mamá pointed out to him that babies usually do but that she has no doubt that this baby will be just as beautiful as her first.

What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?

James hated school. Canonically, this genius drank some liquid soap to make himself sick once to get out of going to school. [ He did not count on HOW sick he would get and never did that again BUT the point stands. ] I feel like that says plenty. But, honestly, saying that he hated school in its entirety isn't exactly true. He enjoyed learning and had the ability to soak up knowledge like a sponge, a skill that he has retained into the current day. What he didn't enjoy was the bullying and the pettiness from the other kids, aimed at him and others. He didn't enjoy teachers who were so insecure in their ability to teach anything outside of the curriculum that they would eventually stop calling on him when he raised his hand to ask a question, and then would make him pull a card when he finally grew impatient and blurted out the question. He hated the childish politics of school. He hated how hard his mamá—a single mother—had to work to put him and his sister through school with everything they needed. James only made it as far as graduating high school. He joined the military as a means of trying to get through college, mostly because his mamá wanted so much for him to go, but that never happened because she died and then he spiraled hard and ended up working for the cartel that he made his way out of after getting himself, and only himself, caught by Overwatch. As far as favorite subjects go, I feel like he was such a geek. He loved history and he enjoyed the practicality of math. He did not have the patience for Literature as he didn't really have the patience—or time, considering he took on a job as soon as he was old enough to help his mother—to really sit down and read. He also didn't much care for Grammar, because he thought it was completely stupid to have to diagram a sentence, because when are you ever going to have to do that in the real world. [ Even as a child, James was always fairly practically minded, after all. ]

Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

He cannot cook and you should never let him near a stove ever if you value the money you put into your food. HOWEVER, he is great if you set him at a grill in the backyard. Some of the best food you will ever taste, honestly. Why he can grill but not cook is anyone's guess. He can't really tell you either.

What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

Ha. Hahaha. Ha ha. Ha. Sleeping pattern would imply that James sleeps. I have a whole headcanon post on his original, canon blog about his sleep. I will edit it and link it HERE after I post because I don't want to lose what I've typed so far and I don't trust my browser not to kick it and reload. As far as what do they like to sleep on, if James sleeps, he can sleep almost anywhere. What he likes to sleep on is a fairly firm mattress with ton of blankets and more than a few pillows.

What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

This is a difficult one to answer. If I had to summarize James' biggest fear, I would say the overarching umbrella would be Loss. Loss of CONTROL. Loss of people. Loss of ABILITY due to his NERVE DAMAGE. [ But Failure and not being Enough are very close seconds. I also have some headcanons about that, and I'll link them HERE as well. ] And how does he react when he's scared? Badly, would be the first word that comes to mind. Mainly, fear for him tends to come out as Anger. It's never Lay Hands On Somebody—aside from maybe grabbing them by the front of their shirt to bring them in close to get their attention, or unless the other person took a swing. Sometimes it's a Cold, Seething Anger. Sometimes it's a Loud Mad Anger. Regardless, fear seldom ever displays as clearly evident fear. It is almost always Anger. [ That is usually directed at himself because of the very fears that place second. ]

#|| one day is hell; the next day's the dawn || { about // james } #TW: CHILD ABUSE MENTION

[xiaq]

Hi, I have a question re:sex and Christianity. Small background: I still go to church, and I still live with my parents even though I'm not much younger than you, because housing is very very expensive where I live (pretty common here, I would say about 2/3 of my friends live with their parents and we are decently privileged kids)

Anyway. How does one get over purity culture? To be clear, I've never been told in church not to have sex, I've never gotten the gendered lessons that you got. But I am terrified of having sex. My first real, multi-year relationship just ended and while there was hand stuff etc, there was never any p in v sex (lol I feel 12). But I still had insane anxiety about being pregnant despite being on bc. And I think its because I know my parents would be so disappointed if I had sex. And if I was pregnant I could imagine all the gossip. And honestly I think im from a pretty open church, b/c one of our previous ministers kids recently got married at 8 months pregnant and lots of church people were at the wedding and supportive and her parents were there and everything.

I dont even think I particularly like sex, i might be on the ace spectrum, but how do I remove it from all the anxiety that's tied to it so I can even give myself the chance to find out???

(Asking because it seems like you've been pretty open about purity culture/removing yourself from it)

CW for sex talk (again)

How does one get over purity culture?

Oh man. That really is the million-dollar question, huh? Obviously, I can only answer re my personal experiences, and this is something you should talk to a therapist about, but I can tell you how I’ve tackled it with my therapist at least.

Purity culture is, at its core, an ideology that is perpetuated by shame. If you’re indoctrinated into purity culture when you’re a kid, the concepts become baked into the way you construct your identity, your perception of self, and your perception of your sexuality. It’s practically intrinsic, by the time you’re an adult, to feel shame any time you’re reminded you have a body, much less a sexuality.

According to the chapels I sat through every week as a kid, a girl's body could be 3 things: an intentional stumbling block for men, an accidental stumbling block for men, or unnoticeable. Women were to strive for the third option so as to keep their (and their male friends/authority figures) purity intact. After all, if a boy, or even your male teacher, had impure thoughts about you, it was your fault for tempting them (which, holy shit. I still can’t believe that was a thing I bought into for so long. If my 45 yr old grown-ass teacher had impure thoughts because he could see my 12 yr old collarbone, that sure as hell wasn’t my fault. But I digress.) The Only time a woman’s body can be something else, is when she gives it to her husband, at which point she must suddenly flip the switch in her brain that she is now allowed to be a Sexual Being and she must perform Sexual Duties despite living in outright fear of her own body and sexuality for years (decades?) up until this point. Jesus take the wheel.

Purity culture isn’t a thing you can just decide to walk away from if you’ve grown up in it. Because its ideology is insidious and internalized. So first you need to submit to the fact that you’re going to be fucked up about sex. It sounds like you’re there. Second, you need to interrogate what you believe. If you’re leaving religion behind entirely, you’ll approach removing yourself from purity culture differently than if you still identify as a Christian. It sounds like you might be the latter, which meant, for me, separating what’s actually biblical and what’s shitty, contrived, doctrine that I was told is biblical but is actually more political than spiritual. This helps you address the shame issue.

You need to throw away I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Lady in Waiting and all those ridiculous books you read and reread in the hopes of somehow obtaining impossible marriage perfection and look into actual scripture interpreted within its historical context. I could write a book on this, but the TL;DR is that the text of the Bible was written, translated, curated, and changed multiple times over thousands of years by human beings with human biases and, often, personal and/or political agendas. It contradicts itself! Reading it as it is—a flawed historical document—rather than some sort of God-breathed perfect document—is incredibly freeing. When you do, you’ll probably realize that purity culture is bullshit on a spiritual level. Which is a good start, if that matters to you. Because any time you start to feel shame or guilt you can ask yourself: does God actually care if I wear a bikini or touch a dick I’m not married to? Probably not. Wear the bikini. Touch the dick.

The most important therapy session for me was when my therapist asked what I would do if I got to heaven and God was actually the God I’d been raised to fear. What would I do if he condemned me for being bisexual and having premarital sex and becoming educated, for arguing with men, and failing to isolate while menstruating, and wearing mixed fabrics? If Montero had come out at the point, I probably would have said I’d pole dance down to hell. Instead, I said I would spit on heaven’s gates. If a god that cruel and that pointlessly demeaning really exists—a god who would create in me condemned desire—I won't worship him. The good news is, I’m 99% sure he doesn’t exist. At the very least, he isn’t supported by scripture.

Okay. The final thing you need to do is figure out what you actually want, sexually speaking. This bit is probably the hardest. I’m still in the early stages of this myself. You say: “I dont even think I particularly like sex, i might be on the ace spectrum, but how do I remove it from all the anxiety that's tied to it so I can even give myself the chance to find out???” Bro, I wish I had an easy answer for you. For me, whenever I’m feeling anxious about Sex Things, I tell myself: 1. My God does not equate my worth to my sexual habits. 2. My partner does not equate my worth to my sexual habits. 3. I do not equate my worth to my sexual habits. It seems silly, but reminding myself of those three things is massively helpful. If, after I’ve sorted through those, I’m still anxious or uncomfortable, I stop doing the thing. I evaluate. Am I overwhelmed and I need to try again some other time? Do I just not like the thing? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Sometimes you change your mind. Sometimes you just don’t know. That’s why having a partner who you trust and who’s willing to patiently explore your interests (and respect your disinterests) is so important. Half the battle, for me, was having a partner who told me they’d be ok with no sex at all. Because that took the pressure off me. If the bare minimum they need is nothing, then anything more than that is a bonus! Hooray! This is maybe TMI, but let me tell you. I thought I was asexual* right up until I was able to have moderately non-anxious sex. Never in my life did I think I would initiate a sexual situation but… I do now. It’s a fun thing to do with a person I love and, holy shit. I am furious that I nearly missed out on it.

Finally, re birth control: I don’t know how you can approach that fear in a way that works for you. If you don’t want to ever have penetrative sex, that’s fine! If that’s a point of anxiety you can’t get rid of, then don't push yourself to do it. If you find out you like other sex things, do the other sex things! If you don't like doing any sex things, don't do any sex things! Also, have you considered sleeping with people who can’t get you pregnant? Always an option if it’s an option you want to consider. ;)

Okay. I hope this was even a little bit helpful. Sorry if it’s a little convoluted, I typed it up in bursts during my work breaks.

*This is not at all to say that asexuality can be “fixed." Rather, it’s to say that things like purity culture can drastically confuse your sexuality in general. If you’re asexual, then this process is still important to discover what you like/dislike. Then you can be explicit about those necesities and find a partner who’s a good fit (if you want a partner at all, that is).

#purity culture #sex talk #christianity #sex and relationships #sex and religion #mylife #answered asks #aspec #cw sex

[1kook]

commercial break: twelve

this is part of my netflix & chill series a prelude to part 10 <3

SUMMARY Anyway, if it was up to Jungkook, Kim Doyeon would not be a member of the Engagement Ring Committee.  WARNING none !! we r safe MISC jk and doyeon mortal enemies, nearly everyone is mentioned, thank u namjoon, jk loves oc, the end <3 jimin makes his first appearance O_O WC 1.4k

NOTES we just having fun with it!!! jk’s friendship with everyone else <3

Doyeon says you have fat fingers, and Jungkook takes great offense at that. “Who cares about the size— __ has pretty hands, idiot,” he mutters, and almost wants to feel bad about being so childish in the middle of this jewelry store. But Kim Doyeon is a pest— a fly who just won’t stop buzzing by his ear with each ring they look at, and she has the audacity to look disgusted with him now. Jungkook very much regrets inviting her along. She exudes very similar energy to the popular girls he used to go to high school, the ones that would only talk to him because he was friends with Namjoon and wanted Jungkook to help them into his pants. Lo and behold, Kim Doyeon is very acquainted with whatever’s inside Namjoon’s pants. She hits the mark perfectly. 

“Oh, definitely get her a rock. Like, one of those obnoxiously bing and shiny rings, maybe?” And she never stops talking. 

Jungkook hasn’t had to spend this much time with her in months, the last time being Namjoon’s birthday when you had tasked the two of them to go pick up the cake together. Not only was Doyeon adamant on passenger-seat driving — “Turn here,” she says a moment too late, “no wait, here — but she had been an absolute heathen outside in the bakery parking lot. 

(“Okay, now take a picture of me by this wall,” she says, artfully holding up the box of cake in two hands, dark hair flipped over her shoulder. Jungkook doesn’t know how to tell her that there is no significant difference between this brick wall and the brick wall they just took a picture by two minutes before.)

Anyway, if it was up to Jungkook, Kim Doyeon would not be a member of the Engagement Ring Committee. It would be him and Namjoon, and maybe Namjoon’s blunt roommate Jimin if he was feeling down for it, but that was pretty much it. Even Taehyung, a very close and dearly cherished friend, had not made the cut. He was too lazy, didn’t offer much concrete advice other than the occasional, “that one looks cool” comment. 

The great thing about Namjoon is that he’s highly educated on just about every aspect of life; he knows the best hairstylists — “You can always ask Hobi,” Namjoon offers, “he’s married.” — and the best lawyers — “Oh, and Yoongi can help with your prenup.” — for no reason other than the fact he is Namjoon. 

The bad thing about Namjoon is that he’s dead set on including Doyeon. “Doyeon is ___’s best friend,” he says calmly one night after dinner. You’re at your friend’s house this weekend, something about a midnight revenge plot against a shitty ex-boyfriend. He isn’t too clear on the details. “You have to let her in on it.” It’s been decades since Jungkook last stomped his foot in annoyance, but the urge wells up strongly in him now. 

Jimin is on the couch. “Oooh, you don’t like her?” he asks, flipping his platinum hair away from his eyes. Jungkook doesn’t answer, only because it would be rude to confirm it in front of Namjoon. Jimin presses on. “Is she, like, an evil best friend?”

“Yes,” Jungkook says at the same time Namjoon says, “no.” Jimin’s got this highly intrigued smirk on his face, and Jungkook hates how similar it is to your own mischievous grins. He’s glad you haven’t met Jimin, mostly because he knows you have your mean moments and meeting Park Jimin would only exacerbate them. Namjoon frowns anyway. 

Jimin says, “oh, you guys should duel. Like, whoever knows __ the best gets to keep her.” 

Namjoon jumps to stop that thought. “No— they’re not gonna duel, Jimin. ___ isn’t an object to win,” he scolds, and Jungkook nods along agreeingly, pretends he hadn’t seriously considered Jimin’s idea for a solid ten seconds. 

Long story short, Doyeon has tagged along to this jeweler and the past two jewelers to make sure Jungkook doesn’t give you “an ugly ring,” as she claims. 

“Wait, what if you get her this one,” she says, on the other side of the store. Jungkook sighs, but hurries over anyway. Hey, he’s here to see some rings, okay? 

Doyeon is looking at the most ugly ring Jungkook has ever seen, a mix of a braid and a snake, that is just too… not you. “This is hideous,” he says, disregarding all and any notions of being polite because at this point, she had to be pulling his leg. “___ would hate this.” 

At his side, Doyeon huffs. “Oh, ‘cause you know ___ sooo well, don’t you?” she snarks. 

Jungkook levels her with a glare. “I do, actually,” he says, “that’s literally what made me want to marry her.” And because Kim Doyeon sparks a very immature flame within him, he feels the need to add, “I probably know ___ better than you,” to top it off. 

Doyeon scoffs. “No, you don’t— you will never know her like I do, you overgrown fungus,” she spits. “Me and ___ have exceeded any level of trust you could ever hope to have, a friendship forged on the grounds of love and equal values. A nerd like you can’t even begin to fathom the absolutely crazy shit we’ve shared with each other.” 

If he was eight years younger, Jungkook is certain he would have gone home and cried. Mid-twenties Jungkook, on the other hand, has had one too many rodeos with mean girls — he’s dating a retired high school cheerleader, for goodness sake, an apex predator if he’s ever seen one — and will not stand for it. Besides, Jungkook has received your blessing to check Doyeon into place if ever she crosses the line. 

(“Sometimes you just gotta knock her down, maybe call her a dumbass if necessary,” you had said one night after Doyeon had unceremoniously barged into your apartment to monopolize your evening plans with Jungkook. Now it’s nearing midnight and as much as Jungkook wants to spend time with you, he’s deathly tired. “Just tell her off.” 

Jungkook frowns, snuggles closer until he’s so tightly pressed against your body that he can’t tell whose heartbeat is whose. He likes it like that.

There’s just something about your annoying best friend that activates this feeling in Jungkook’s chest. If anything, Jungkook imagines it is similar to that of having a bratty little sister. But Doyeon as his sister? He rolls his eyes so far back he swears he sees his own brain. 

It’s childish and petty and unlike Jungkook — or at least, unlike the Jungkook he knows you think he is. Which is flattering, to be thought of so highly, but sometimes Jungkook wonders where on earth you got that idea from. Because whenever he’s around you, Jungkook becomes increasingly immature, grows so greedy and needy, desperate for anything you have to give him. 

And because he’s so immature, he settles on tattling to you instead, “she called me a sweaty meat bag,” to which you snort in amusement.) 

For now, he calls on the spirit of the most mature person he knows (Namjoon). Jungkook takes one last look at his millionth silver band of the day before turning to address the Wicked Witch of the West. “I might not know ___ like you do, but that’s fine,” he says calmly. “We’re gonna spend the rest of our lives together anyway.” 

In front of him, Doyeon’s eye twitches and Jungkook senses he has won. For now. See, the thing is, Jungkook knows that using Namjoon-level logic against her is foolproof. For one, Namjoon’s logic is always solid. But also, as much as Jungkook despises Kim Doyeon with nearly every fiber in his being… ultimately, they share a common interest: cherishing you. 

Had it not been for your existence in their lives, Jungkook doubts he would have ever spent his Saturday morning at a jeweler with the likes of Kim Doyeon, especially not after she had spent ten minutes in the Starbucks drive-thru ordering the most bizarrely complicated drink. But deep in his heart Jungkook knows that she loves you, though not as much as him, and he respects the fact she is willing to accompany him in the name of buying you a beautiful engagement ring. It’s a friendship solidarity he admires, and for that he stomps down his childish pride to answer in a way that would impress, well, you. 

(Even when you’re not here, Jungkook always wants to impress you.)

At his side, Doyeon huffs. “I should’ve never taken ___ to that party.”

Copyright © 2021, 1kook on tumblr

#networkbangtan #jungkook #jungkook fic #jeon jungkook #jeon jungkook fic #jjk fic #jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #bts fic #bts x reader #mine

[solaeter]

can i request any soft casual date headcanons for choso or noritoshi or geto? -akatsukimommy

Soft, Casual Date | Headcanons 

Note: tysm for being my first request! .+:｡(ﾉ･ω･)ﾉﾞ I hope I did these justice, headcanons and I don’t get along because I over think and..it’s a process lmao. I also chose to do all three because I can’t pick between them |ω･)و ̑̑༉

Word Count: 1838

Characters: Choso, Noritoshi Kamo and Suguru Geto

Warning[s]: None aside from possible errors I didn’t bother to check for. 

Request Status: OPEN

↠ There’d be lots of communication, mostly coming from you as the two of you venture about. From shops, food and to culture, you educate Choso while he just is so lost in you. He’s like a puppy, completely in love and hanging onto every word. From how he looks at you, you’d question if he was actually listening. 

↠ A soft casual date with Choso would probably be showing him around Tokyo. This boy will be glued to your side, arms linked together or he’d hold your hand. Regardless, he’s not letting you out of his sight. 

“Did I lose you?” You worried you were babbling on too much and Choso shakes his head. He can’t help himself and admire you, how you knew so much and the level of patience you had for him made his chest tighten. 

“No, continue please.” So polite he is, taking your hand once again as you smile before going into another explanation that leads into a particularly embarrassing story of a past experience. But Choso doesn’t laugh, he is humored, don’t get him wrong, but he pulls you to his side and offers a small bit of comfort. So precious (´•ω•̥`)

↠ After walking around for what feels like forever, you’d drag Choso to a cute little cafe for a chance to sit down and enjoy a snack or drink. 

↠ Choso might feel a little out of his element but having you there is all he needs. So don’t mind him he wears a little frown or looks around curiously. Normal customs are beyond the poor boy though he is quick to catch onto things.

↠ For example, Choso may not like anything in his coffee. So when you look at him with a crinkled nose and a small smile, he’d tilt his head.

“What?”

“Black coffee? I could never.” You stick your tongue in a playfully disgusted manner and if Choso wasn’t in love then, he certainly fell more. You were so cute, innocent and he can’t seem to handle the emotions that swarm him.

↠ Choso.exe has stopped working. 

↠ After the pit stop, the little date would end with Choso seeing you home. He had things to attend to so staying wasn’t a choice unfortunately, but he makes sure to give you one hell of a hug. There’s so much love and he will cherish every moment with you, his actions prove this statement.

↠ Especially when he doesn’t let go immediately, keeping you there and mumbling a goodnight in your ear. It’d have your heart hammering in your chest and if he kisses you, or you to him, you’d both probably be flustered messes.

↠ But that’s alright cause neither one of you will forget the feeling and you’d be left at the door to your home, eyes soft and body warm with your phone in hand to plan the next time you get to see Choso.

↠ A soft casual date with Noritoshi would probably be an evening stroll through the park or sitting at home and enjoying one another's company. It’s not about what goes on, but rather the experience, atmosphere and feelings during that moment. Noritoshi is sentimental and it plays into a lot of things that he does. Especially when it comes to you.

↠ If you went for a walk with Noritoshi, just like with Choso, he’s keep you close. Except it might be a hand on the small of your back or loosely holding your hand. The contact is reassuring to him, it lets him know you’re okay even if there’s no danger in sight. 

↠ He also holds these little dates close to his heart considering he’s busy most of the time with sorcerer work and clan duties. So one the off days where he can see you, happiness and a sense of much needed calmness will radiate around him. And it’s obvious to you.

“You seem happy.” You point out while the two of you stand on a bridge overlooking a quiet stream illuminated by the setting sun. One might say the view is right out of a photo and you’d agree. Noritoshi laughs beside you, sounding so free from whatever shackles held him daily.

“Any time with you brings me much joy. It’s a breath of fresh air. Perhaps even an escape from reality.” He’d say so casually despite the sentence being cheesy as hell. You bite your lip and smile, ignoring the light blush dusting your cheeks. Smooth fucker, how dare he ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

Instead of responding because you were lost for words like a fool, you’d hug Noritoshi’s side and enjoy the peaceful view. The contact was all the response he needed, he thrived off of it. 

↠ Noritoshi isn’t opposed to taking you to his home, but he enjoys spending time at yours for a change of scenery. His obligations and duties don’t follow him once inside your humble little abode.

↠ A date can be anything, or so you’ve reassured many times because let’s be honest, Noritoshi doesn’t have the slightest idea on dating. So when you offered to sit at home and ‘chill’, he was completely thrown left field the first time. Now it’s one of his favorite things.

↠ Noritoshi will melt if you let him lay his head on your lap so you can play with his hair. There’s something so, so relaxing about it that he just falls apart over a simple act of affection. Plus you love seeing his content face while you absentmindedly watch tv and chat quietly about the day's events. The domestic atmosphere has your head spinning and mind jumping to thoughts of marriage. You’d bat the thoughts away but you can’t and when you frown, Noritoshi is quick to notice. 

“You okay?” His soothing voice brings you out of your short lived fantasy and you look down at him, noticing the concern despite his eyes never opening. You nod quickly, flashing a reassuring smile.

“Of course! I was just thinking, nothing bad.” You wouldn’t dare admit to thinking about the future that isn’t even certain. Instead of pressing further, Noritoshi brings a hand up to rest along your cheek. His touch was warm and welcoming and you can’t help but nuzzle into the palm of his hand. 

↠ Lovesick fools you both are. 

↠ Noritoshi is attached to you and he knew he was in deep after the first date. Now every moment with you is engraved in his memory, his heart. No matter how simple or quiet or rambunctious, he doesn’t forget. He also makes mental notes to take you out somewhere nice the next time he gets free time. Until then, he relishes in the comfort you bring and the freedom he feels while spending time at your home.

↠ All in all, relaxing at home playing with Noritoshi’s hair after taking a nice walk sure beats going to the movies or staying out into the late hours of the night. You cherish the softness of his face as he lays on you and the way he lets himself be loose around you in private. Nothing can beat the little things. 

↠ A soft casual date with Geto would be getting him out of trouble probably going out to some unhealthy restaurant and eating your weight in a buffet. Why? Geto can eat and will definitely drag you along. Will also make comments like:

“You need to gain some weight [Name], don’t fear the food.” He’s tryna be nice, honestly especially if you are shy or being conservative. But you may or may not take offense to that. So just punch him to shut him up (๑و•̀ω•́)و.

↠ Will talk about anyone and anything. Geto definitely gossip to you about other people that pass by, making up random blurbs that are far fetched or downright dumb. He likes to keep the mood light and fun especially if he just came back from a mission and needed a change of pace. 

↠ Geto is polite in every sense of the way despite his little comments here and there. He holds doors open for you, keeps your hand locked in his and will often bring it up to kiss your knuckles just to wooo you. Only because he knows it works. Every time. 

↠ After dinner, Geto would take you to the top of some building to look at the sky. Why? It’s romantic in his opinion and secondly it’s nice to get away from the crowds and admire the sea of stars while in the presence of the one who so graciously tolerates him.

“You know,” He’d break the silence and look over at you, catching your attention, “I appreciate you for keeping me grounded.” Geto spoke from his heart, referring to the mixed feelings and lingering doubt that covered his heart. The only light that remained was the space you occupied. You blink and sit up on your elbow.

“Where’s this coming from?”

“I don’t know, I just wanted to say it.” He shrugs, flashing you a half smile before pulling you on him for a hug. The two of you would remain like this until lord knows when. Geto wanted to stay like this for as long as possible because soon he wouldn’t have you anymore. 

↠ Which brings us to the new Geto, the monkey hater. If you managed to stay with him through all the shit he did, good on you for being a certified simp! And if you were a non-sorcerer, you are the only ‘monkey’ he tolerates because he loves you so. This bastard will kill anyone for you, even if you’re out on a cute, casual date.

↠ Which would include him taking you out somewhere very nice, like way out of your normal budget. The man loves to impress, always has and always will. 

“Isn’t this a bit..much?” You question, looking at the array of silverware neatly arranged before you. Geto leans forward, his elbow on the table and chin now resting in the palm of his hand. He wore a sly smile, one that was far too relaxed for a cold hearted killer. 

“Not at all.” He reaches with his other hand and takes yours, brushing his thumb across your knuckles. You melt of course, he always managed to take you down, so effortlessly. “You deserve the best.”

“Even if I’m a monkey?” You raise an eyebrow. No one said you agreed with his ideals, but love kept you by his side. Geto laughs, clearly humored. 

“What can I say? I’m a hypocrite out of love.”

(╯°□°）╯︵ (\ . 0 .)\  

↠ As to where you go afterwards, that depends on you cause Geto will take you anywhere. Even though he’s different now, his opinion toward you and how he holds the relationship never changed. If anything, he loves you even more for looking past the monster he became and showing him the love he was scared to lose. 

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen imagine #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #choso #noritoshi kamo #geto suguru #suguru geto #noritoshi #choso x reader #noritoshi x reader #noritoshi kamo x reader #geto suguru x reader #suguru geto x reader #jujutsu kaisen choso #jujutsu kaisen noritoshi #jujutsu kaisen geto #jujutsu kaisen headcanons #jjk headcanons #choso headcanons #noritoshi headcanons #geto headcanons #jjk choso #jjk noritoshi #jjk geto #jujutsu kaisen x you

[earnestly-endlessly]

hey!! Your fic recommendations are always elite–I was wondering if you had any kid fics, thank you <3

Hi anon. I have plenty of kid fics for you. Since you didn't quite specify what kind of kid fic you wanted I decided to divide it into fics where Charles and Erik are kids or get deaged and fics that involve kids. This is kind of a long list so I hope that there are plenty of new fics for you to read.

Cherik Kid Fic

--They are kids or get deaged--

Conspiracy of Kisses - Alaceron

Summary: Seven-year-old Erik needs to keep his telepathic best friend Charles from finding out that he wants to kiss him. But that's okay, because he has a plan - he'll put on a tinfoil hat.

Chasing After You - Alaceron

Summary: Charles isn't very good at tag. Erik helps

We’ll be the sum - afrocurl, ninemoons42

Summary: In between bouts of blanket burrito-ing and vegging out on movies, Charles and Erik figure out how they currently feel about each other.

Of course, they're schoolboys and they're on a sleepover and also Edie dotes on them both excessively, so things work out just fine.

Growing pains - ikeracity

Summary: Twelve-year-old Erik Lehnsherr is an angry, closed-off foster kid with trust issues and a bad temper. Ten-year-old Charles Xavier is a lonely kid in boarding school who just wants a friend.

Logan pretends he doesn't think they're both fucking adorable.

Valentine’s day – ikeracity

Summary: Kid fic! Erik waits impatiently all day at school to give Charles a card for Valentine's Day. Maybe Charles has something for him too...?

Now You Know You Know it Now – luninosity

Summary: Erik’s not sure why he keeps glancing at the other boy. Not as if Erik likes other kids, or other people in general, for that matter. But still—he finds himself looking. Again.

This Family Comes with Batteries - Fishwrites, lynneh

Summary: An orphaned Charles Xavier goes to live with his Godfather: Tony Stark. This story is a tale of what would have happened to the events of MCU, if Tony was raising a six year old telepath in Stark Tower. There is also the matter of Charles' robot AI manny/bodyguard/tutor/only-friend, David.

You’re Not Doing This Alone – flightinflame, Lynds

Summary: What's meant to be a simple recruitment mission leads to both Erik and Charles being de-aged back to thirteen years old. Terrified and out of their depth, the boys try to hide their situation and help each other until they can work out what is going on.

Charles Xavier, A Retelling – Extra_fried_noodles

Summary: An attempt to reverse his paralysis goes wrong, and Charles is de-aged into a 2 year old toddler. While Hank scrambles to fix the situation, the whole gang is here to help. Through a mix of selective memory, they watch Charles relive his childhood, revealing some deeply hidden and painful truths.

Protective Instinct – Groovyhornbill

Summary: Charles and Erik were testing Cerebro’s new prototype when things went very wrong.

Divergence – Lynds

Summary: Universes and timelines collide, dropping two younger versions of Charles Xavier into the midst of the hunt for Sebastian Shaw. Now the newly formed X-men have to deal with a strangely quiet and self-reliant six year old, and a sixteen year old covered in bruises.

Erik, in particular, has to accept that the man he loves hasn't had the kind, happy upbringing he wished for him. But these children are here now, and Erik's not going to let anyone hurt them this time.

--Where they have kids--

Sink or Swim – endingthemes

Summary: Erik is a struggling single dad of three kids with a burning hatred for Sebastian Shaw, the man who wronged him years ago. He’s tried to move on with his life, but a run-in with Shaw’s rude, spoiled omega, Charles, drags up old anger. When Charles ends up in the hospital after an accident, Erik goes to confront him only to find that Charles has amnesia. In the confusion, Charles mistakenly assumes that Erik is his mate.

Erik knows he should clear up the misunderstanding, but how can he pass up this perfect chance for a little revenge?

(An Overboard AU)

Rumor Has It - blueink3

Summary: "Did I hear the doorbell earlier?"

"Yeah, but I'd steer clear if I were you. It seemed a little tense. I don't know what's going on, but there's a kid out there who looks freakily like the prof."

Nearly six months after Cuba, Charles' life is turned upside down for the second time. Though he's slowly learning to adapt to the first, he's not sure he can handle the second. Luckily for him, there are a few people out there more than willing to help.

Words and Pictures – pocky_slash

Summary: When Lorna's powers manifest early, Charles Xavier's mutant picture books are the perfect teaching tool. Erik just hadn't expected the author to be so young. Or attractive. Or available.

Write this number down (you can call it anytime) – pocky_slash

Summary: When Erik upsets his children, they have a habit of running away from home--and straight to Charles' school for cookies and consolation. Charles doesn't mind the visitors, but as they appear more and more frequently, he realizes that sooner or later, he and Erik are going to have to talk about what happened on the beach and what it means for their future and the future of Erik's children.

Dress Your Family in Plaid and Skinny Jeans – cygnaut

Summary: Erik and Charles meet at the mutant playgroup/parenting support circle and they instantly hit it off. And so do their kids, Lorna and David.

Not What I was Expecting (So Much Better) – lazulisong

Summary: Erik, the single father, hires Charles, the grad student with the slightly shady past, to be his manny.

Heli Cases – Black_Betty

Summary: "Heli Cases" is a program on PBS whose aim is to educate on the rapidly increasing occurrence of genetic mutation in the general populous by breaking the complex science down into palatable, easy to digest pieces.

It is also the only thing that helps Erik get his fussy daughter to fall asleep.

(Featuring Dadneto, baby Lorna and the struggles of single fatherhood, and Charles as the host of a late night show about genetics.)

Doing Something for Yourself – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik is a hard working engineer and single dad, Charles runs a local Community Center where Wanda and Pietro spend their time after school. Erik accidentally makes Charles' acquaintance one Wednesday evening when he's running late from work. Erik has no idea if he stands a chance with his new acquaintance, but that isn't going to keep him from falling for the guy.

A Good Dad – listerinezero

Summary: Ten years later, Magneto has left the Brotherhood and Raven asks Charles to help her find him. Charles discovers that Erik is the single father of five year old twins Wanda and Pietro, and he is doing everything he can to keep them safe from his former enemies.

Take a Chance (On Me) – Ook

Summary: In which Charles, terrorised by his abusive ex, takes his young son to a small town in America, where they both settle down and make friends with their neighbours. Particularly the town mechanic, Erik, and his foster son, Alex. Requester stated they wanted to "drown in H/C. "

Can’t Buy Me Love – niniblack

Summary: Erik's a single dad struggling to make it work and nab the promotion he's been waiting for. The last thing he needs is to get involved with politician and notorious playboy Charles Xavier.

(The Maid in Manhattan pastiche that no one asked for.)

Ohana – royal_chandler

Summary: Erik's children are absolute hellions. If by hellions, one means children who are incredibly protective of their new family unit and won't let a few household mishaps get in the way of keeping it together.

One Second and a Million Miles – magneto

Summary: Between being a parent to the best baby in the history of man-kind and co-running a Mutant Center in Hell's Kitchen, Erik Lehnsherr has his hands pretty full. Too full, certainly for romance; something that has never really been on his radar to begin with.

All that changes, however, when he meets Dr. Charles Xavier. Handsome, intelligent, capable, kind, an Omega level telepath, and one of the best pediatricians in the state, he's everything Erik didn't know he was looking for. But he's also Lorna's pediatrician which means, of course, he's off-limits. Except how is Erik supposed to try and forget his crush when he and Charles keep running into each other as if fate is trying to tell them something? When, as Charles says, they seem to want the same thing?

Her Only Mutations Were Her Blue Eyes and Her Auburn Hair – Pookaseraph

Summary: While sneaking back out of Russia, Erik and Charles stumble across Anya, Erik's presumed dead daughter, and it changes quite a few little things along the way. Fluffy, self-indulgent, fix-it.

Despicably Yours – Cesare, veryorangecat

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr, AKA Magneto, is a supervillain without equal... except maybe one: Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X, AKA Erik's next door neighbor. When their competition heats up, Erik decides the only way to get ahead is to adopt four mutant orphans to infiltrate Charles's mansion.

Things don't go as planned.

The Wrong Impression – Rosawyn

Summary: Charles is trying to balance the responsibilities of his career with his responsibilities as a single father to a tiny baby. It's not something he ever thought he'd have to do, and it's not as easy as those women on the internet make it look! He does't have much of a social life (unless talking to his sister on the phone and attending a parents' class where he's the only guy count), and he doesn't even have time to think of dating. He's just trying to keep his job - and keep his son fed and healthy.

Marrying a Mob – Ook

Summary: Charles is a teacher at a very exclusive school. When armed men burst in on the trail of two children, of course he stands up to them and gets hurt. The children are Erik Lehnsherr's children (of course); a "prominent businessman" or, less politely, "mobster".

Erik is grateful to Charles for saving his children's lives at the cost of his kneecap. So very grateful.

Naturally he tries to reward Charles for his actions. Equally naturally, Charles will be having none of that.

Azazel finds the whole thing unspeakably hilarious. Naturally.

#cherik #cherik fic recs #fic recs #asks #earnestly answers #kid fic #long post

[midasinc]

canon era feuilly/enjolras

-feuilly comes to paris without a sous in his pocket and only the clothes on his back. he's worked little jobs here and there for his whole life and he's doing the same. at twenty-one, he's matured too much for his young age. when he secures an apprenticeship under a fanmaker, he's overwhelmed to find himself with a small room to stay in and a place to put his hat

-two years into his apprenticeship, he's given a real job under the fanmaker he's been spending most of his days with and it's the closest thing he has with a family, honestly. but now he can pay them for rent and has a real job and the first day he can afford something real, he buys himself this shiny, shiny green cravat and it looks incredibly tacky with his worker's clothing, all worn and yellowed with age and sweat and stain, but he loves it and he wears it all the time

-one day in the winter, he's walking home from a delivery and it's too fucking cold and he can't feel his fingers or his toes and his skin burns from how frozen he is because feuilly can't afford a coat, and he has to stop inside a cafe to ensure that he makes it home alive and there's this couple of rich-looking students whispering about a meeting as they head into a back room and feuilly is curious by nature, so he follows

-turns out, it's a super politically charged group with lots of talking over each other and speeches and arguing and he sits back and listens and he slips back out after an hour. at home, he thinks about it in bed. feuilly's been in many different places, he's seen so many people in pain. he's been in so much pain- starvation, loneliness, oppression, he's seen it all and he's felt it all

-he spends his free time reading books from the fanmaker's collection: his atlas, his novels, and more. mixed with both his opinions and his experiences, feuilly writes his ideas on government and politics and society on the back scrap of an old list of paints he'd been sent out to buy and he ties his green cravat as nicely as he can and he returns to the cafe

-there's no one there

-and he goes again

-and there's no one there

-and feuilly gives up for a few more days before getting up on a sunday and going once more- cravat tied and list in his hands- and there are students there. the same ones as before, maybe. maybe they aren't, he can't remember. but he's there and for a moment his hands are shaking and he's afraid that these rich students are going to make fun of him, but something possesses him to stand and-

-enjolras is twenty years old. he's studying law and dawns his hat and coat the same as he does every sunday. he's got a particularly long spiel planned about workers' rights and he completely ignores the women passing by and whispering about him because he always does

-enjolras has never been interested in a woman and he does not intend to be- the only thing he truly loves is his country

-he greets combeferre at the door and apologizes for running a bit late, but he sets his things down and momentarily notices a new face in the corner. enjolras thought he mightve seen him at the last meeting, but doesn't recognize him from school, or the area, or anything. the only noticeable thing about him is the incredibly tacky green cravat tied around his neck, shining in the candlelight.

-enjolras asks courfeyrac to greet him and starts the meeting

-he begins to talk about the situation of lower class working peoples and the life of factory workers and low-paid artisans and he's cut off. the man from the corner stands abruptly

-"have you ever worked?"

-for a moment, enjolras is like (oh my fucking god we have another grantaire) but answers truthfully that no, he's never worked. he's never had to

-the young man doesn't berate him, however, but he corrects him in explaining in more detail what people go through and the limbs they lose and the sores on their fingers and the soot that stains their skin all for what? hardly anything. he's surprisingly knowledgeable about lower classes, more than anyone else. courfeyrac returns to enjolras's side and murmurs into his ear that he's actually working class and actually their first member who isn't a student himself

-enj gets stars in his eyes because this is the actually the opening they needed- they need more of this demographic

-after the meeting, he stops the young man with the cravat and asks him for his name. the man is hesitant to shake his hand but does so anyway and introduces himself as feuilly. enjolras takes the time to ask him about himself and his relations to the working community and that's how feuilly gets his first task of asking around for new members

-once again, he's hesitant, but he says okay. enjolras gets starry-eyed again and shakes his hands and thanks him very much and leaves

-feuilly sneaks back into his apartment and loosens his tie and lays in bed, drumming his fingers and unable to sleep. his hand still feels warm from enjolras's firm handshake. he's probably the luckiest guy alive- enjolras is. he's rich, handsome, smart. he's sure to marry well and be successful and have sons who will be the same as he was. feuilly can't really think straight, so he blows out the candle in his room and forces his body to fall asleep

-for the first time in his life, he dreams of having friends and having people his age look at him like a person, and not just a face in the crowd

-come the next week, he's got another couple workers in tow and enjolras greets them just as enthusiastically as he did feuilly. his heart sinks in his chest, thinking that enjolras might not want to be his friend at all. feuilly sits next to the workers and listens through the meeting and tries not to feel melancholy about still being alone

-after the meeting, a hand catches his arm. enjolras is asking if he could stay, maybe, and talk with him about politics. it seems like a loaded statement, but feuilly agrees

-they discuss governments in other countries and political theories and he learns that enjolras is very politically charged for a young man with his status- more than any other possible person. when he talks, his brow furrows and his eyes refuse to stray from the person he speaks with and he talks with his hands. oh he talks with his hands. feuilly can't possibly look away. listening to enjolras talk is like getting drunk off absinthe.

-it's just as addicting to talk back. feuilly wants to debate with him and correct him when he's wrong and say everything he thinks. sometimes, enjolras agrees. sometimes, he catches enjolras by surprise by what he knows. he taught himself to read and write and he isn't stupid. feuilly's intelligent, even if he hasn't been fortunate enough to afford a real education for himself

-simple post-meeting conversations turn to other nightly conversations, ones at enjolras's student lodgings and at cafes with combeferre and courfeyrac and feuilly finds himself excited to see him. as he's painting throughout the day, he thinks about what he wants to talk about with enjolras the next time he sees him

-one day, the madame of the house asks him which grisette has him with such a smile on his face and feuilly laughs it off

-but that cannot defy the fact that he's thinking about that serious look on enjolras's face and the smile that curls the corners of his mouths when feuilly says something smart and he's reaching a hand into his sleep pants and screwing his eyes shut and

-ah. that's it.

-enjolras doesn't notice when feuilly gets a bit more reserved around him. he still pulls him aside and asks him for his input and gives him looks, prompting him to speak when somebody says something he knows feuilly could refute. feuilly is a bit more quiet, however, and it's only after a week that enjolras thinks something might be off

-finding out where he works, enjolras walks downtown to the fanmaker's shop and steps inside. he sees feuilly with his cap and his sleeves pushed up as he details a flower on a fan, hand steady and strokes delicate. he bites his lip when he's focused, enjolras notices

-"feuilly"

-feuilly startles, thankfully not messing up his fan. he glances over at him with wide eyes and then back at his work and then back at enjolras.

-"enj...olras." -enjolras steps up to the counter and asks him if he's feeling ill or if he's working too hard. he says that he's been quiet and off and wants to know if something is wrong

-feuilly pauses and shakes his head. he apologizes for being that way and invites enjolras to talk like they normally should. he says his lodgings are here and if enjolras wanted he could come over. his face is pink, when he says it and enjolras really does worry that he might be ill

-nonetheless, enjolras says he'll come over

-feuilly is fucking sweating bullets. he's worried that he'll say something awful and enjolras will find him to be a degenerate and throw him out of their socialist club

-he's still unsure of how to go about this situation and puts on his green cravat for when enjolras is over and neatens up his apartment as much as he can and by the time enjolras is there, he's apologizing for it not being much and probably being worse than enjolras expected

-enjolras is nice about it, though, and has his notes and books as per usual and doesn't seem to think any differently of him. they talk like usual and after a while, enjolras asks him about his work. he knows feuilly has no family and worked under this man for a while, but he's never seen him at work. he talks a bit about his painting and his commissions with fans and offers to show enjolras what painting a fan is like, but he doesn't have any good fans or paper and he doesn't want to ruin enjolras's notes. enj sticks out his arm, though, and says he could always paint on him

-once again- sweating bullets

-enjolras is glad when feuilly wants to show him his talents. with small pots of paints and a delicate brush, he murmurs to himself about styles and paints an example of popular designs with flowers and more

-feuilly's fingers are rough and warm against his arm and enjolras watches the tip of his nose as he paints, the flutter of his lashes and the splatter of freckles across his face. he finds himself very fortunate to have a friend like feuilly: one who's intelligent, credible where he stands on his opinions, and so very talented.

-hm

-after a moment, feuilly finishes an orchid and he sets down his brush, admiring the pale flower on enjolras's forearm. he doesn't mean to, but his hand lags behind on enj's arm, thumb gently stroking against the skin

-enjolras is watching him very carefully, he notices and thinks that he should probably let go and apologize at this point, but enjolras's feet are pointed towards him and his finger curls inward to brush against feuilly's other hand and his eyes flicker down to the area above his chin

-it's the same at that meeting, when something possessed feuilly to stand up and address an unfamiliar crowd. he leans forward in his seat and presses a very, very careful kiss to enjolras's lips. when he gets nothing in return, he momentarily considers hurling himself into the seine, but then enjolras pushes back forward and kisses him back and it's clunky and their teeth clink together for a moment before they figure each other out

-enjolras doesn't like women or men, he likes feuilly and he loves his country. he spends the night in his apartment- and they don't do much else but kiss. enjolras listens to feuilly talks about poland and germany and presses gentle kisses to his temples and the side of his mouth and his jaw because feuilly is intelligent, overwhelmingly so, and enjolras finds it very attractive

#they deserve smooches #aaaaaaaaaaaaa #les mis #les miserables #enjolras #feuilly #enjolras x feuilly #les amis de l'abc #les amis #canon era #les mis headcanons

[ggukkieland]

📕CURRENT READS (2020 November)

🌹 Almost done with the list except for a few and I am excited to curate fics that are fitting for merry December 🎅❄🎄🤶 woot woot! 

I enjoyed this month’s reads - a mix of cyberpunk au, android au, werewolf aus, slice of life, exes and those on the verge of breaking up, and lots of beautifully-written drabbles which ended up in my list of favorites. 

Please send these authors some love by reblogging their content =)

✅ -  done reading   | S (smut) F (fluff) A (angst) 

🥕[Ongoing Series - to check weekly] 

Still reading the ongoing series from October’s reading list, whenever there is an update 😊.

Onyx @springbean - JJK | ABO universe, omega!reader, rouge!Alpha!Jungkook, roommates, cyberpunk au | A, F (this is so fascinating)

[2/?] years after the war, Soketh has become a bustling electric city of life and death. a world now filled with mystery, danger, and rules, y/n finds herself rooming with her old friend while trying to find herself in the city of dangerous dreams. however, her world is turned upside down when a rouge alpha enters their life seeking refuge and help…

Vulgar and Divine @yeoldontknow - JHS | elf!hoseok au, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage,  fantasy au, horror, suspense | A, S

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Kitchen Confidential @glitter-kookiedough - KSJ | chef au, slow burn, enemies to lovers | A, F, S

[3/?] After years of annoying the life out of you, your rival, Kim Seokjin, pushes you a step too far and he knows it. As angry and resentful as you are, you don’t realize that something has been brewing under the surface for years. This weekend, that will change. 🌟 new chapter🌟

enemiestolovers drabble series @sincerelyourfangirl - JJK | enemies to lovers, fwb, co-workers | S, A, F

[3/?] Maybe the line between love and hate is thin. Especially when you’re in bed with Jungkook.

Challenge Accepted | What Happens When You’re not Careful | Risky Business

The Lost Luna @hobisbeautifulass - KTH | werewolf au, soulmate au, rival clans | F, A

[2/?] One Luna is born per a hundred-year cycle or so and only appears after the previous one has passed away.  This Luna was forced into hiding for seventeen years, but now she’s back, bloodthirsty, and ready to reclaim her throne.

Mutual Help @personasintro - JJK | bestfriend au, fwb au, fake dating | A, S, F

[24/?] in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it a mutual help

Bite Me @cheeky-kookie - PJM | vampire au | A, F, S

[1/?] Growing up, you always learned to look over your shoulder at night, hoping to never run into the catlike gleam of a vampires eyes. Yet, one night on your way home you find yourself staring into the very things you feared most. Dangerously beautiful and undeniably confident, Park Jimin was everything you knew you needed to stay away from, but he had other plans.

Nut Jobs @ironicarmy - OT7 | slice of life, crack, humor, friends au | S

[5/?] Eight friends. One terrible idea. A whole lot of trouble. Welcome to No Nut November.

Cherry Pickers @kimnjss - JJK | social media au, smau, gamer, fuckboi, vixen!reader, virgin!reader | F, S, A

[4/?] [updates daily] known for your body and surrounded by rumors about your sex life… rumors that he doesn’t think to doubt. until he’s meeting you… forced to realize there’s much more to you then the thonged shorts and lacy costumes.

(or, you’re a video vixen with an assumed identity and jungkook manages to see past it.)

Across the Board @out-of-jams - KTH | 20s, gambling, mafia au, enemies to lovers | S, A

[1/?] And now you’re indebted to the city’s most dangerous mob boss, forced to pay your dues in blood one way or another. With a gun pushed into your hands and your life at stake; once you’re in, you’re in. You’ll never get out.

🥕[Completed AUs/Series/Drabbles -  to read]

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re: Untitled @to-star-lake - 18.8k | JJK | A, S, F, ceo au, arranged marriage, childhood acquaintance turned enemies (one of my favorites this month 🥰)  

01 02 03 04  ✅

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01: Winter (5k words)   ✅ 02: Spring (6k words)  03: Summer (7k words)  04: Fall (13k words) 

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01 ✅ 1.5  02 (will finish the rest of the chapters; this is so good)

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01  ✅ 02 (to read)

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15   ✅

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01 02 03 04 drabble ✅

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01 02 03 04 05 06  ✅

Inebriated [Jungkook’s POV] - 7.4k, read after chapter 4 ✅

You’re so Creepy (drabble series) @whatifyoulivelikethat  - 2k per member | OT7 | F, crack, university au, creepy girl au, (actually cute) 

There’s always at least one campus creepy girl. Or seven. Part 1 (1st kiss) Part 2 (2nd meeting)

kim namjoon - part i | part ii (fave)  ✅

kim seokjin - part i | part ii (fave)  ✅

min yoongi - part i | part ii  ✅

jung hoseok - part i | part ii (fave)  ✅

park jimin  - part i | part ii (fave)  ✅

kim taehyung  - part i | part ii ✅

jeon jungkook - part i | part ii  ✅

🥕[Drabbles]

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Savage Love @whatifyoulivelikethat - | JJK | S, pwp, OC is yoongi’s ex 😬 ✅

🌹  Drabbles by @zephyoongist​  - I love the way these are written. Just beautiful. Truly fluffy (like butterflies in my stomach) and also gives off a deep/for keeps type of dynamics between the characters:

you and yoongi had an unusual friendship... - 665 words | MYG | fluff, mutual pining, friends to lovers ✅🥰

kim taehyung had only met you a few times… - 1.2k | KTH | fluff, accidental pregnancy au ✅🥰 (a fave)

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jung hoseok found you when you were about to make the biggest mistake of your life… - 1.5k | JHS | fluff, runaway bride, slice of life | really cute ✅🥰

#ggukkiereadinglist #bts fanfic #bts angst #bts smut #bts fluff #bts x reader #bts drabbles #namjoon fanfic #seokjin fanfic #yoongi fanfic #hoseok fanfic #jimin fanfic #taehyung fanfic #jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #yoongi x reader #taehyung x reader #jimin x reader #namjoon x reader #hoseok x reader #seokjin x reader

[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.03

10/21/2020

Garden of Delights

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 5,411

Warnings: angst, jealousy, talks of death, talk of sickness, infant sickness, neglect, fluff

A/N: As I said, writing itself right now. lol I’m not really sure how long this story will be. I have the basic premise set and a small plot, but if I choose to make this around the size of Pseudo Princess, I’ll have to come up with a bigger plot than the simple one I’ve got. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know I certainly loved writing it. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work! xoxo

Seriously, Thor doesn’t reblog as easily as Bucky or Steve on tumblr, so I TRULY appreciate it.

Please do not RESPOST any of my works on other sides or blogs.

REBLOGS always welcome!

You’re still laughing gently, hiding your chewing behind your hand.

“Stop.” You plead, looking across the table at Thor.

Both of you seated on opposite heads of the table. To your left is Loki, smirking with no shame at the stories just relayed. To your right is Brunnhilde, sipping her wine…well, guzzling would be more apt.

She’s teetering left and right, elbow on the table as she shakes her head at Loki across from her.

They lock eyes and Loki scoffs, “Don’t pretend as if you didn’t want to stab him too when you first met him.”

“I never said I didn’t!” She argues, plopping her glass down a little too hard and the glass makes a loud clink that draws everyone’s gaze.

“Why did you want to stab him?” You ask her, reaching for your own glass of regular wine. Thor had promised that you didn’t want to try the Asgardian mix.

“You won’t wake for a week. Trust me, Your Highness.” He’d been super proper, and it was a little annoying, but you understand why he’s being so careful. He wants to impress everyone, especially the two who sit beside him.

To his left sits a woman, absolutely drop dead gorgeous with creamy moon skin and raven hair. She’s certainly one to watch out for as Brunnhilde had said.

She hasn’t smiled once since she gave you a small stiff grin as Thor had introduced you.

Even now she watches you, her hand resting on the table, a little too close to Thor’s hand for comfort.

Her fingers seem to be inching their way towards his and you feel the beginning bite of fangs in your mouth at the thought of her hating you because she wants Thor for herself.

This also makes you sad because you don’t meet women who are as unique as she, but Lady Sif has drawn a line and you find yourself on one side with Thor while she watches from the other, despising your very existence for taking the man she covets.

On Thor’s right is a man with his dark hair in dreads. Beautiful amber eyes stand bright against his dark skin, and the luxurious gray armor he wears, sits pretty on his muscular form. To his own right is a sword, placed between him and Loki.

He looks less amused by the story Loki and Thor just told them but when he meets your gaze, his eyes betray an amusement. Heimdall, protector of the Asgardian borders, has a soft spot for his King and his friends.

“To put it short,” Brunnhilde begins, popping her lips as she lifts her wine to her lips again, eyes locked on Thor. “He’s a bit of a doofus.”

Thor’s burst of booming laughter in infectious and you laugh too, just as Loki, Brunnhilde, and even Heimdall chuckles along gently.

Lady Sif is the only one who doesn’t laugh but merely smiles as she look at Thor as he shakes his head overwhelmed with amusement.

You know what she sees, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes are endearing. The sparkle of his one blue eye. The loveliness of his golden bearded face all stretched into a stunning smile.

“I am not a doofus!” He protests, then clears his throat and taps his fingers against the table as he makes his face as serious as he can manage. “What way is that to speak of your King?”

Brunnhilde throws her head back outrageously tickled by his words.

“You may be my King, but that does not make you any less of a doofus than before you earned your crown.” She throws at him and Thor laughs again, shaking his head as you quietly chuckle with them, loving this exchange and the ease at which they seem to be.

“What about that made you want to stab him?” You ask her, everyone’s gaze drawn to you and Lady Sif’s smile vanishing.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.” Brunnhilde teases. “My condolences. Being married to this buffoon will be a true test of your character.”

Although her words are said as a joke, your heart gives a small lurch as you meet Thor’s gaze again, and this time he holds it, his own face falling a little to only a soft smile as both of you replay the conversation in the hallway once again.

“I’ll just have to try my best.” You tell her, a small shrug of your shoulder. “He seems alright so far. No major red flags. Besides the obvious.”

Thor’s smile is completely gone now, his brow furrowed as he continues to stare at you, his breathing a little deeper. A little more labored.

You’re nervous as you speak, voice shaking a little as your heart pounds and aches.

“What’s that?” Loki asks, also serious suddenly, picking up on the tension between you and Thor.

It might seem like you’re letting it go on too long on purpose, using it to make everyone uncomfortable, but really you just have to find the strength to speak as your nerves begin to get the better of you.

“Well,” You begin, voice still shaking. “I mean, look at him.”

And they all do.

“He’s also been really nice to me.” You admit, because aside from the unanswered question in the hallway, Thor has treated you respectfully, politely, with genuine concern and compassion…so far. “I think the deal was that I’m supposed to marry him and it’s alright if I don’t love him but, how long can I really resist?”

Brunnhilde scoffs, purging the atmosphere for everyone else of what you’re saying allowing them to relax and laugh at your strange way of telling them you find Thor attractive.

“At least your worries about your wife not liking you are assuaged.” Heimdall claps Thor on the shoulder, visibly shaking his body, but Thor’s intense gaze is on you alone.

Swallowing hard, you reach for your wine glass and take a deep drink, so conscious of Thor’s stare.

Dinner goes on just as it began and before long, Thor is back to laughing and chatting while your own attention is given to Loki and Heimdall whenever he remembers something he’s wants to ask.

When all plates are cleaned and glasses sit empty, dinner officially over, Sif turns hard eyes on you.

“So, I hear that you don’t have parents.” The interest is forced. She couldn’t care less about you or your life.

“Yeah,” You nod. “Um, they died a few months after I was born. Plane accident.”

“I’m sorry to hear it.” Heimdall laments kindly.

Beside you, Brunnhilde has her head in her hand, elbow on the table, eyes shut and mouth slightly open.

She’d just been talking so this is new.

“Thank you, but I don’t remember them. My only sorrow comes from never having a family.” You admit. “I grew up in a school—well, really it was an orphanage, but it was run much like a private school with uniforms that the government provided along with a minimal education. I attended until I became a legal adult and my lawyer, came to give me my inheritance.”

“Why weren’t you adopted?” Sif asks, her voice full of well-hidden venom that you can hear only because you know to look for it, her hand is inching towards Thor’s again and while he’s not your husband yet, the urge to stake claim over it is strong.

The way she asks also makes you feel as if she’s waiting to see exactly what is wrong with you. What can she use against you?

You smile, a smirk really, knowing what she’s up to.

You’re not unkind, but you bristle when attacked and Sif is making it easy for you to be defensive.

Searching within yourself for the strength to keep yourself calm, you take a deep breath before you answer.

“I wasn’t a healthy baby. I was sick, all the time. There was even a night my fever became so high that the doctors were sure that I would be left with brain damage. So, they watched me grow, expecting defects, but I got sick less and less the older I got.

“My speech and motor functions were top tier, and my learning capabilities were also fine.”

Everyone is silent, watching you with somber expressions. You’re a little on edge with them paying you such close attention, but this was the point of the dinner. To get to know each other.

“Unfortunately, potential parents were warned about the possible challenges I might face as I grew older, which put many of them off. While they wanted an infant, they didn’t want one that was broken.”

“I’m sorry for their ignorance.” Heimdall offers. “Clearly you grew up to be a lovely woman, but even if you had not, I’m saddened by their lack of compassion.”

You can only smile at him, having come to terms with the facts of your childhood long ago.

“Anyway, that’s why no one adopted me. So, a true family is something I’ve never had. I’m…” You blink, wondering how honest you want to be here. “I think it’s one of the things I’m looking forward to most. After tonight, I’m more convinced than before that this is will be a good environment to build a family. You’re all so nice.”

Loki, Brunnhilde—who’s awake again—and Heimdall are smiling. Lady Sif sits stiffly, her hands pulled onto her lap as she keeps her eyes locked on the empty plate in front of her.

Your heart stutters as you meet Thor’s eyes again. Staring deep into the single blue orb still locked on you.

“As conflicted as my past with the people in this room has been, I promise you, that is the right decision.” Loki assures you, a peaceful smile on his face that somehow comforts any misgivings you’ve been having.

At least about the people you’ll be around daily.

Your conversation with Thor in the hallway is a different matter, and one that you really want to finish.

“Well,” Brunnhilde slaps her hands on the table, rising to her feet with a little sway. “I think that’ enough pleasant conversation for me. I am tired-”

“And drunk.” Loki adds.

“-And that.” She agrees. “I need some sleep. So, Y/N, Your Royal Highness this has truly been a pleasure. I will be by in the morning to see you about wedding arrangements. Not too early though, you know—”

She steps out from in front of her chair, already walking towards the door large double doors.

Heimdall rises too, then Loki, Thor, and Lady Sif.

You stand last, fixing your dress as you do, making sure it isn’t stained. Luckily, it isn’t.

“This has indeed been illuminating.” Heimdall agrees, moving over to you to take your hand and press a chaste kiss to your knuckles. “Your Highness, it has been a true pleasure. I look forward to getting better acquainted with you.”

Loki is smiling, standing by the door but then he turns his eyes on Lady Sif.

“A word, Sif?” She looks at him, freezing beside Thor where she’d already begun to take his arm to pull his attention. “It won’t take long.”

With a sigh, she gives you one look before moving out the door in a huff, Heimdall following. Loki gives Thor a nod, something silent passes between them. With one final nod to you as well, Loki leaves.

“I really am very sorry that Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun could not join us. Unfortunately, the Warrior’s Three are highly sought throughout the galaxies.” Thor says, moving towards you with calm slow steps. “They should be back for the wedding though.”

“I’m excited to meet them. Everyone was so kind.” You observe. “Well, almost.”

Thor looks confused, stopping just at the corner of the table beside you, his fingers nervously tracing the shape of the edge.

“Seriously? You didn’t notice?” You shake your head, somehow finding it funny. “I think Brunnhilde might be right about you being a doofus.”

Thor laughs once, blows a quick raspberry in denial at your conclusion. “Why do you say that?”

“Thor, Lady Sif hates me.” You point out, it’s so obvious to you and was obvious to Loki too at least.

“No.” Thor shakes his head.

“She kept trying to grab your hand! She kept glaring daggers at me.” You sigh. “She’s in love with you.”

“Sif is like a sister.” Thor tells you, as if this negates her feelings as well.

“She’s still in love with you.”

Thor sighs. “I’ll speak with her.”

“Don’t bother. I think Loki’s beating you to it.”

“Walk with me?” He asks, and your heart goes into sudden arrest.

Fingers nice and tingly, you swallow the lump in your throat. “What?”

“I would like it very much if you walked with me for a while. The night is not over yet, and despite the exhaustion of my court, it’s not actually that late yet. The gardens my people have cultivated for the palace are beautiful. I’d love to show them to you.” He offers his hand, waiting patiently for you to take it but you can only gawk at him.

“Isn’t it cold outside?” You ask, on edge.

Thor drops his hand. “Oh, right. Estrid?”

She’s already waiting by the door, auburn hair looking slightly disheveled.

“Ah, Estrid.” Thor smiles, big dopey grin on his face. “Oh, your hair…”

He gestures and she quickly fixes it.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” She gasps.

“No, no. Just looked funny.” He eases her, and she calms instantly, smiling bashfully. “Can you fetch Her Highness a jacket?”

Estrid turns and rushes from the room but returns only seconds later with a long navy cloak. It isn’t a jacket, but it will match your dress nicely.

“That’s not a jacket.” You observe, feeling self-conscious.

Thor takes it from her and holds it open for you. There’s a clasp around the throat that will sit against your collarbone. “It’s a cloak. It’ll keep you just as warm as a jacket.”

You turn for him and he slips it over your shoulders, holding it until you turn to face him then he quickly fastens the clasp.

“Better?” He checks, fixing it around you.

You can’t find your voice to answer. Heart is racing. Damn him. This isn’t going to work if he keeps being sweet.

He offers you his arm and you hesitate, timidly wrapping your hand around the lower part of his large bulky bicep again.

“Wonderful.” He smiles wide. “Estrid, Her Highness will be in later, please prepare her bedroom so that she might go to sleep as soon as we return.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” She curtsies quickly then turns and rushes out to get your room ready.

“She doesn’t have to do that.” You tell him, turning to watch her flee. “I can make my own bed and stuff.”

“It’s her job.” Thor tells you. “Will you take it from her?”

You think about it carefully, and despite the fact that  Thor is a warrior and has travelled around the world sleeping in terrible places with no comforts at times, you understand in this moment that having servants is something he’s used to.

“No.” You realize and make a mental note to let these people do their work without putting up too much of a fight.

Thor leads you off down a side door into another dark wooden hallway with beautiful cobbled floors beneath your feet with a long carpet running its length. No one seems to be walking around in this hallway which makes you think it’s more secluded.

“Did David tell you I like flowers?” You check, wondering how much information Thor has about you.

“No? I didn’t know that though. That makes this even better.” He realizes.

You lapse into silence, hand trembling around his bicep as your mind replays the last two hours, picking apart every moment, every word shared, and every lingering look Thor had given you.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” Thor asks, his voice much lower, quieter.

It’s an intimate volume and it startles you, giving you a little bit of a delay in your response.

You meet his eyes and he’s staring right at you, soft smile stretched across his lips. It’s more a peaceful expression, calming.

And yet, it has the opposite effect on you, and you gasp a little as you catch your breath. Your heart is pounding through your ribcage.

“It was good.” You nod, looking towards the large stone archway up ahead. One of the doors stands open, the Norwegian night beyond.

You can see a splash of beautiful green beyond and can already hear the soft tinkling of flowing water from what is probably a fountain.

“And the conversation?” He asks, tilting his head to one side as he gives it better thought. “Aside from Sif.”

“They were all super nice, Thor.” You smile, honestly grateful to Loki, Brunnhilde, and Heimdall for their warm welcome. “I wish Lady Sif had been more open. She’s been fighting at your side for a long time, right?”

“She has.” Thor nods, as the two of you break through the doorway and you’re greeted with an elegant garden larger than even the circular room you’d first met with Thor in.

Your jaw drops and you stop walking, gaping at the collection of flora and fauna each piece delicately pruned and cared for. There are certainly several small fountains, dark gray with small underwater lights to provide the garden with diffused illumination.

Despite the chilly night, the garden makes you feel warm with flowers of every color. Roses in white and red, lilies with stunning white, carnations in pink, wine, cream, yellow, and purple. Throughout the roses are smaller pink flowers you don’t know but they’re adorable and the fragrance in this garden is intoxicating.

“Wow.” You whisper.

“You like it?” Thor asks, smiling a little wider as he waits for you to take your long look.

“It’s beautiful.” You nod.

“Come.” He pulls you along gently, urging you to walk again.

You follow, your hand sturdier around his arm. “Do you like gardens too?”

Thor nods. “My mother used to cherish her garden. When we arrived, it was the first thing I had commissioned. They were finished building it before they even finished the palace.”

“She passed?” You wonder, looking up at the echo of sadness in his eyes.

“A while ago.” Thor nods. “I miss her counsel. She was always the voice of reason and logic in my life.”

“I’m sorry.” You offer, hoping it’s a comfort.

You reach up with your other hand, wrapping it around his arm too.

He looks down at you, eyes searching, confused? But his smile never wavers. “Thank you.”

The two of you lapse into silence again, you busy looking at every flower you pass in admiration, Thor lost in thought.

“I’m going to miss my herb garden.” You lament with a sigh.

“You had an herb garden?” Thor wonders, turning his attention back to you.

“Just a small one. I only had some rosemary and thyme. I wanted to grow some mint, parsley, basil, and dill but I didn’t get the chance.”

Thor stops walking, gently shakes his arm to make your hand slide down along his forearm. As it falls, you takes hold of it.

You’re startled, but you don’t pull away, your mind devouring the information you can gleam from this moment as quickly as it can.

His hand is warm. No…it’s hot. Like he’s had it shut for a long time. The skin is a little rough, calloused, but not uncomfortable. You can just imagine the battles he must have fought. His hand is so big. Fingers wrapped softly around yours. He gives it a squeeze and you feel it in your core that this isn’t going at all how you planned.

You almost want to run to your room and hide under your blankets with the speed at which you can feel yourself dropping your guard to him.

The plan had been to marry him, never love him, and live your life as best you can and probably take a lover at some point. You should be able to love too.

But it isn’t supposed to be Thor. You’re not supposed to fall for him.

You remind yourself of his refusal to be honest with you. You remind yourself that his heart is already given and accepted. Jane loves him too, even if she won’t marry him to prevent him from marrying someone else.

You can understand why she can’t give up her life to take on this one. It’s a lot to ask of anyone.

It helps you grasp onto reality, to remember the conversation before dinner and his inability to commit to honesty when It comes to Jane.

“I have something to show you.” He tells you and pulls you down the length of the garden until you reach a greenhouse.

Thor releases your hand and throws the doors open before holding his hand out for you to take again.

You do, and he pulls you into the narrow but long space. Each side is lined with planter boxes, each box holds a different herb, including all of the ones you mentioned before, and some you have never seen before.

“What is this?” You gasp, reaching for a particularly strange one in a deep blue, almost black color.

“It’s the Asgardian version of lavender.” He tells you, placing his other hand over the one you’re reaching out for it with. “But it stings a little for humans to touch with bare hands. There are garden glove in the box by the door if you want to cut some for your room later. It smells wonderful. My mother used to keep some on her desk.”

“I can take some?” You gasp, turning to look up at him and he’s standing so damn close, you shrink in surprise.

“Of course.” He smiles at you, “This is your home now. Anything in these gardens is yours to have.”

He’s so fucking nice! You hate him.

You’re too stunned by his proximity to speak, hands twitching under his own. He seems to realize what’s got you tongue-tied because he takes a step and one hand back but keeps hold of the other.

“I wanted to talk with you, it’s why I’ve brought you here.” He pulls you along, and you give the herb garden one final look before he shuts the doors and moves back towards the center of the garden.

There you find several white marble benches around a small manmade pond, surrounded by more flowers.

Thor leads you to one of these benches, then extends a hand towards it so that you’ll sit.

You do, nervous suddenly as he sits beside you, taking his hand back for the first time since he began to show you the garden.

“You’re making me nervous.” You admit, your mouth moving before you can stop it. Anxious is not a good state for you.

“No.” He assures you, shaking his head, full of concern. “No, please don’t be nervous. I only wanted to continue our conversation from before dinner.”

“Oh.” You nod, expecting to be denied the honesty you want.

How will you use his refusal to do it as an excuse to not fall for him if he agrees to it?

“You’re right.” He nods, turning in the seat to face you a little better, your body mirroring his.

“I am?”

“Yes.” He takes a long deep breath. “After everything that was said during dinner, after watching my friends meet with you and get to know you, I realize that you’re right in what you say. I am asking a lot from you. More than I care to admit.”

Your mouth is suddenly dry.

“Did you mean what you said?” He whispers, a trace amount of uncertainty in his deep voice.

“What did I say?” You ask, voice not as quiet but still a little breathless.

“About falling for me?”

“Oh.” Your brain goes fuzzy and your heart is probably going to burst through your chest like in that one horror movie you watched as a kid.

“Truth is, I chose you because you were different.” He nods. “Not, different from regular humans. Most of them are very much like you, which is great. I love humans. But compared to the other ladies that came to meet for this purpose, I…if I’d wanted someone who would turn a blind eye while I and Jane continued to see each other, then I should have chosen one of them.

“They knew what was expected, as did you, but I didn’t consider how the difference in you would affect your own responses.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me anymore?” You ask timidly, feeling a rush of emotions all mixing together, turning into confusion.

You’re almost happy that he doesn’t want you anymore. You won’t have to marry him and deal with Jane and a life of standing by watching him be with someone else while the world thinks you’re together.

Another part of you, the part that’s already out of your control—even though you’ll never admit it—can’t help but feel depressed that he’ll be married to someone else.

“No!” Thor rushes to assure you, sliding over closer so that he can take your hand again, his knee touching yours. “No, that’s not at all what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that I understand what you meant. I know why you were upset. I’m sorry that I did not consider this whole thing more carefully from your perspective.”

You feel a wave of relief and know you’re screwed. It’s already too late.

“But I need you to answer my question.” He says.

Your eyes go wide at the audacity of this man as you laugh because it’s so funny of him to need that of you when he couldn’t return the favor before. “You didn’t answer mine!”

He smiles, chuckling. “Answer mine first.”

As you consider him, blue eye staring at you with no restraint for the way his gaze makes you feel, your mood grows somber, all traces of your laugh gone.

“Yes.” You sigh. “I’ve never been in love before.”

You shrug.

“And it’s not like you’re not…I mean…You know damn well what you look like.” You growl.

Thor laughs, throwing his head back.

“And then you come in with that voice and you’re not rude or…I mean, you were a little mean with the whole asking me to put up with being married and having no love in it. Like, I get that it might be normal for royals or whatever, but I’m not really royal. I haven’t lived in a palace with servants and a crown on my head.

“I grew up in an orphanage with no friends. No one has ever loved me. My parents loved me, I think, but they died and no one has cared about me like that since. Even now, the only person on my side is David, and I know he only stuck around because he felt bad for me. He’s also getting paid by my estate, so…there’s that.

“I’m not asking you to love me. I know that you love someone else, but I was only asking for you to be open with me about it. If you want to meet Jane, fine. Meet her. But do it somewhere that I can’t see. Do it but tell me that’s where you’ll be so that even if rumors fly in my ear that Thor is meeting with his mistress, it won’t hurt as much. It won’t make me feel as stupid, because I already know that’s where you are.”

Thor’s hand over yours grows tighter, his face lamenting for who knows what reason, because you’re not in his head but you can see that he feels bad which is stupid and you hate him for it because it means he cares.

You only just met him but with every passing moment in his presence, you fall more and more. It’s not love yet. You know that. It can’t be a crush because you know him too well. You like him. You’ll admit that.

“To answer your question more clearly,” You take a deep breath, exhaling quickly to wipe away the excess of emotion that surged forward suddenly. “Yes. I meant it. I don’t love you now, but I think I could.”

Thor nods, looking down at your hand, turning it over in his own.

The silence feels endless! He won’t speak, but his thumb keeps caressing your hand and you kinda wanna bite him for it.

“If my mother were here, she’d be disappointed in me. She’d tell me that I should let go of Jane. She met her, and while she liked her but…We are clearly moving along different paths and as much as I love her, she is not the one for me. Not anymore. My mother would definitely think so.

“I think she would have really liked you.” He admits, and his words give you comfort. “She would have called me a fool to pass up such a sweet and level-headed woman.”

“I’m not that level-headed.” You confess. “I’ve got anxiety issues sometimes.”

Thor smiles.

“I think she would have been right.”

Wait, is he saying what you think he’s saying?

“I will talk with Jane tomorrow to…to break things off. It won’t be the first time for us to part ways and I think in the long run it will be better for us both.”

“Thor, you don’t have to-”

“But I do.” He nods, meeting your eyes. “I need to let go of my past to embrace my future. And that’s you and New Asgard. It’s my people.”

“I want this marriage to work.” He continues. “I chose you and I meant that choice. Out of all the women I met, your picture of an ideal marriage was the closest to mine. It would make me happy to live that life with you.”

You’re breathless, chest heaving as you struggle to find a coherent thought.

Thor seems to realize that you’re struggling because he places your hand on your lap, tapping it gently before scooting back a little to give you space.

He’s so fucking massive! How is it possible that this is seriously your life? This God will be your husband. You’re going to have his kids?!

Your cheeks burn, neck burns, ears burn, legs suddenly clenched together as the fear from before runs quickly through your mind.

They’d wanted a maiden and they got one. Will he talk about it with you later? You can’t bear to talk about it now. You’re too embarrassed and overwhelmed by what he’s saying.

“So,” He starts, rising to his feet to tower over you. Then he falls, gliding gently onto one knee before reaching into his pants to pull from his pocket a small brown pouch.

He opens it, turns it over, and into his hand tumbles a shining silver ring.

“I chose this before I knew you liked flowers but now that I know, it makes me glad I picked it.” He smiles, “It just made me think of you when I went searching so, I hope you like it.”

He grabs it with two fingers, pinching the thin band delicately to hold it upright so that you can see the stunning design. A round diamond rests in the middle, shining brilliantly at the center of what looks like a lotus flower made of smaller diamonds filling its leaves.

You hate him because you absolutely love this ring. You love the sight of him on his knee in front of you. You love the way he scoots closer so that he can hold your hand easier as he gently straightens it and presses the ring to the tip of your finger.

“Will you marry me, Y/N? Will you be my Queen?” He asks, and you’re so silent, he grows visibly nervous. “Please?”

You laugh at the hitch in his voice, the plea there.

“Yes, stupid.” You laugh again.

He chuckles as he slips the ring on your finger, then after a moment of hesitation, he hooks his hand behind your neck and pulls you down to meet his lips.

Eyes wide, heart stopped, you freeze as hot lips fry your nervous system.

#king!thor x reader #thor x reader #royal au #arranged marriage au #thor odinson x reader #king!thor x reader fanfic #king!thor x reader fanfiction #king!thor x reader fic #king!thor x you #thor x reader fic #thor x reader fanfic #thor x reader fanfiction #thor x you #marvel au #marvel fanfiction #a wife for thor #a wife for thor pt03

[dolliedarlin]

i m p l i c i t  ⏤katsuki b.

p a i r i n g : bakugou x f.reader 

s u m m a r y : ever since you were young, you were forced to meet with the person dubbed as your finance, Katsuki Bakugou, a Baron’s son who had quite the temper but peaks your interest in every way possible 

l e n g t h : 1.9k

g e n r e : olden days au ; fantasy au ; arranged marriage au ; Bakugou is a tsundere ; and we love him for it ; reader is an amazing bean that can keep up with him ; kirishima is your brother ; best brother ever ; rumours are toxic ; never base your opinions on someone solely on rumours ; you attract a stalker ; it’s not your fault ; he just as a twisted yandere mind ; Katsuki is your hero ; he makes your heart flutter ; and he makes your knees weak ; i really want someone to protect me and say what he said at the end of this 

w a r n i n g s : swearing from our lovable explosion murder king ; acts of stalker/yandere ; sword fighting

a / n : i didn’t plan on posting this but mother nature decided to pay me a visit today so i basically lazed around in my bed groaning in pain and half starving bc it was too painful to get out at times for food. instead i started writing this imagine again that i had began months ago. this is inspired by Ranma 1/2, which is an anime that i loved watching when i was much younger, it’s not well edited because i’m kinda dizzy rn but i hope you enjoy it! 

— first of all, before either you or Katsuki were born, the arrangement for your marriage to each other was already settled by your parents, hence why you were immediately introduced when you were children 

— neither of you knew what marriage or engagement meant but you both associated it with seeing each other

— it wasn’t something Katsuki liked but you didn’t quite mind it, he always gave you really interesting reactions that you quickly came to like

— as the two of you grew up together, you always tried your best to get close to him but Katsuki was adamant at pushing you away and keeping you at arms length at all times

— despite all that, you wanted to catch his attention, which meant that you took interest in all the things that he found interesting too. that included: sword fighting, horse riding, duelling ; spicy foods ; battle tactics ; magic etc 

— Katsuki always tried to ignore you but secretly appreciated how skilled you had become over the years. you were still nothing compared to him but you were able to battle against a majority of qualified knights and still be the last one standing

— he only scoffed at you because your talents were wasted; you’re too kindhearted to ever use your honed skills properly - it irritates him that other women push you to conform to etiquette, tea parties and high society when you were better than that

— you’re better than shallow conversations about the latest fashion, or the art of sipping tea, calligraphy and painting because he knows how much you train and how much effort you put into your education outside of such insignificant things

— Katsuki knows that you can handle yourself better than any other nobleman he knows of, he’s seen you help your father with his business and vigorously train with your dukedom’s knights

— what’s the point of all that effort if you weren’t going to show anything for it?

— because of that Katsuki always acted like he hated having you as his fiancée despite your optimism about him, as well as your patience and understanding of his unique way of expressing himself

— because the two of you are forced to spend a lot of time together by your parents, you’ve has been able to understand Katsuki and his mannerisms better than anyone else as your mother has always taught you to be openminded - she’s never been like the other noble ladies of society, hence why your father married her

— now, you were following in her footsteps. there’s been much gossip about your unladylike behaviour but you didn’t care, all you needed were your parents’ love and the love of Katsuki. he still needed some more time to come around but you’re positive you’ll get to him soon enough

— you’re positive there’s a different gleam in his eyes whenever he looks towards you now. it had always been one of hatred when you were much younger but his expressions frequently soften around you nowadays. 

— no matter how subtle it may be, you always notice

— many rumours circulated about you the first time you had shown your skills openly amongst the knighthood. it had first started with your knights who praised you highly but, as soon as those whisperings reached outside the dukedom, many noble ladies started to gossip about your misdemeanour. 

— surprisingly, those rumours were shut down in under a week and you didn’t know why; usually such good gossip material stayed for months and only faded with the years so it was peculiar to have it die down so quickly 

— what was suspicious was that, as soon as your rumours died down, stories about Katsuki surged forward.

— when you conversed with other people, they would say how horrible they feel for you having to marry such an aggressive and dislikable fiancee. they would then over-exaggerate all the belligerent and misunderstood characteristics of Bakugou, even making up disgusting rumours that painted him to be more villainous than he actually was.

— “how shameful,” you spat with disgust, glowering down at the noble ladies frozen in their seats, “how dare you openly gossip about my fiancee right in front of me, the nerve! you should know better than to act like such children. if you have nothing better to do then i suggest you leave the kirishima estate immediately and never expect to be invited back,” 

— they tried to beg you for forgiveness, seeing as your father held such power in high society, being one of the four noble dukes of the kingdom serving directly under the king as they all had noble blood. 

— nobody expected your father to marry you to a Baron’s son. Katsuki didn’t have a higher title than you but your fathers had gone to war together and remained loyal friends ever since, Baron Bakugou went on to acquire his title of Braon after his service in the war but many people still looked down on him from his commoner origins. to think that such educated ladies of high society would use that as leverage to gossip however they wished. 

— word of your actions on behalf of Bakugou spread quickly and the two of you became a couple that shouldn’t be trifled with.   

— after that day, you always defend Katsuki and never miss the opportunity to express how much you admire him and care for him even if he doesn’t tend to reciprocate it

— you do this when Katsuki’s friends make an appearance, they consisted of your brother, Eijiro, Denki of house Kaminari (son of Marquis Kaminari) and Hanta of house Sero (son of Marquis Sero). 

— they usually don’t visit the estate but this time they decided to utilise the knights training grounds for extra duelling practice and happened to catch you just as you were walking out, having finished your own training

— as soon as introductions and polite greetings were exchanged, came the jokes and jives.

— “I wouldn’t blame you if you eloped with someone else on your wedding day, Lady (Y/N), knowing this guy’s attitude,” Denki snickers as he points his thumb at your fiancé, who growled lowly in return.

— “i wouldn’t dare do something like that because, even if this is an arranged marriage, Katsuki will be the only man for me” Katsuki didn’t expect you to be so forward and couldn’t help the blush that coated his cheeks from your response 

— Denki whistled in a mix of astonishment and amusement, “Katsuki’s a lucky guy!” 

— “he looks really happy to hear you say that too, sis,” Eijiro teased as Hanta grinned from beside him. 

— “shut up! we came here to train so let's train already, you dumbasses!”

— the days go by and life is good; the quicker your wedding day approaches the kinder and gentler Katsuki treats you. it wasn’t until the kindness you practiced with everyone you met, no matter their status, became something more in the twisted mind of an unknown individual that you encountered within city streets, while out shopping

— one act of kindness made the stranger crave for your touch and sought you out in the most deviant method. he sent constant letters multiple times a day and even mailed one with his most intimate item of clothing, not only that but he always stood at the gates of your estate, waiting for it to be opened just to slip in and try to meet you again

— of course, he didn’t get far because of the security brought on by your dukedom’s talented knights stopped him at every devious attempt. each incident was reported directly to your brother, who was training to inherit the duchy as soon as your father retired

— Eijiro was having none of it and devised the best plan of action he could, knowing that his image as the heir of the dukedom needed to be thought of so that his people wouldn’t be against him when he took over his capable father’s place. he resisted the urge for an immediate confrontation to plan with you, about how you wanted to defuse the situation 

— however, as soon as word got to Bakugou, he ran over on foot to confront the man at your estate, just as Eijiro came down with a squadron of knights and you at his side

— lost in his own world, your stalker immediately reached out for you the instant he caught sight of your figure. on his face, he had a twisted smile and manic eyes, his breathing became heavy as if to savour the same air you breathed not too far away from him. it was frighting and chilling to see such an unhinged man. he was so deranged, he didn’t mind the swords and pointed glares directed at him by all that were present and Katsuki, who was fast approaching from behind

— “Get. Away. From. Her!” Katsuki shouted in anger as he drew his sword and slashed at the young man, making you jump back with a gasp.

— “Bakugou!” Kirishima warned as he pulled you into his chest for protection from the clashing of swords

— “Katsuki, be careful!” you cried. confronting someone with such an unstable mind could go horribly wrong and no matter how skilled your fiancee was, you couldn’t help but worry

— Even though this was the first time Katsuki ever showed his feelings for you in such a dramatic gesture, the worry you had for him consumed your joy as his opponent drew out his own sword and started lashing out with worse coordination than your junior knights. 

— what he lacked with technique, however, he made up for in agility as well as his own unpredictability. it made it hard for Katsuki to predict the path of his opponent’s sword so for a time, he was constantly dodging his blade. it didn’t take long, however, for the game of endurance and stamina to come into play and slow down his opponent enough for him to fight back with more accuracy.

— “you revolting rat!” Katsuki growled swinging his sword with might only to grind his teeth when his sword is narrowly dodged. not one to give up, however, he goes in once again and finally lands a hit that forces your stalker to crumble to his knees, “you try and pull that shit with (Y/N) again and I’ll be doing more than just beating you to the ground,” it was an obvious win for the blonde. 

— “And what would that be?” your stalker still had fight in him that came off as more irritating than anything else Bakugou had ever encountered in his life of servitude as a royal knight and baron’s son.

— just to prove his point, whatever it may be, Katsuki goes to stand beside you and pull you into his chest with his large hand at your waist   

— “landing your ugly, disgusting ass in a fucking coffin!” the venom in his voice was evident and it made you shudder, curling up into his chest for comfort, not knowing that the next words he’d shout would have your knees weaker than any training could ever do, “(Y/N) is MY Fiancee! you touch her and I’ll kill you!”

n a v i . | bnha mlist 

#bakugou x reader #bakugou imagine #bakugou fluff #bnha bakugou #bnha olden days au #bnha fantasy au

[discotreque]

Disco 4.03: Choose to Live

I mean, wow. Where to even begin about an episode that gave me almost everything I’ve always wanted from this show but never thought I’d actually get? It’s been three days and I’m still in a mild (but pleasant!) state of shock.

Well—let’s start with a sexy starship, as usual.

And then spoilers:

I don’t think I’ve said yet that I really like the President. I had low expectations because, well, it’s Star Trek—Federation politicians and Starfleet admirals tend to be clueless obstructionists at best, outright villains at worst—so I assumed she’d have either a transparently corrupt ulterior motive, or some bullshit strawman arguments for Michael Burnham to knock down with lazy writing because she’s the protagonist, dammit! (I feel like Kirk and sometimes even Sisko got those punching-bag antagonists a lot.)

I definitely wasn’t expecting her to have valid criticisms of Michael’s established character flaws, or a space-faring, working-class-coded background, or the unconditional respect and support of Admiral Vance. Michael’s arc this season is obviously to overcome those flaws and go from good captain to great captain, and it seems like President Rillak’s contribution to that arc is going to be less “antagonistic obstacle to overcome” and more “firm but more or less compassionate source of hard truths,” not to mention an education in the political-maneuvering side of leadership.

And let’s face it: on the long and impressive list of Michael Burnham’s skills, politics does fall pretty close to the bottom.

 ***

Everything with Tilly so far this season is fascinating to me. It’s not so much an atypical story about someone working on their mental health; it’s just that those stories usually deal with something specific and discrete: Depression™, or Anxiety™, or Trauma™. I don’t see as many stories about knowing something’s wrong, something vague and hard to pin down but extremely real, and needing to figure out what’s wrong before you can even start thinking about how to fix it.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about “get out of your comfort zone” as general advice. For one thing, just because discomfort can lead to growth doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to, and plenty of growth and healing can happen in a comfortable setting—some, in fact, even requires it. For another, I spent 30+ years finding my comfort zone, motherfucker—I’m not leaving without a damn good reason.

Anyway, “here are these characters you love modelling healthy behaviour and relationships” is a really specific kind of fan service—and speaking as that specific kind of fan, I’m slightly baffled but entirely thrilled.

(Still waiting for Tilly to make a touching personal connection with somebody on an away mission who doesn’t end up immediately dead. 😬)

J’vini’s scheme didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I appreciated that it wasn’t a problem to be solved with violence or technobabble (notice they never explained exactly how Tilly sabotaged the engines, nor what Michael did to fix the cryo chambers—or even what was wrong with them in the first place, lol), but good old logic, teamwork, and talking things out.

 ***

Another pleasant surprise this week was how much they gave Book. He had something to contribute (eyewitness evidence of the Dark McGuffin Anomaly), something to pursue (at least a tiny bit of closure about his family), and relationships to build (with both Stamets and, most unexpectedly, President T’Rina)—all with Michael nowhere to be seen, except at the very beginning and very end.

Book having more to do than just be the captain’s boyfriend (which, don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy watching) gives me hope that Gray will also get interesting things to do this season separate from Adira—and again, that relationship is adorable and precious; I just want to see both those kids do more than be adorable and precious together.

I really didn’t need the fake suspense of whether Gray would download into his new body. Like, obviously he was going to wake up, give me a break. Even if this show had the guts to kill off another LGBT character (and it might not, lmao) he wouldn’t just… fizzle out like that. It would have been less insulting to the audience if it were a nearly sure thing, just painfully slow—Adira’s a teenager, after all; they’re going to have a hard time waiting, with or without the manufactured angst, and then we’d still get that lovely darts scene with Culber in the lovely new piano bar set.

Oh yeah, that. I don’t know or care why the ship suddenly has a piano bar—though if I had to guess, I’d guess it was Zora’s idea—I just want to see it in every single episode from now on, because that is a gorgeous set, daaaaamn.

 ***

Speaking of Culber, this show is so devoted to everyone getting their share of emotional support this season that even though he’s officially the ship’s counsellor now, we see him being supported and encouraged in turn by Saru.

I heard Doug Jones say in an interview that he’d love, just once, to play e.g. the protagonist’s dad in a Hallmark movie, dispensing sage holiday wisdom in a sweater vest—and, obviously, no prosthetic makeup. Saru is… definitely not that, lmao, but at least he’s getting to flex that fatherly advice.

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And then that last scene with Michael and Book lying in bed was really beautiful, and reduced me to a blubbering mess. Which you’d think I’d be used to by now.

Brighter times next week? Unlikely. :(

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