#genuinely trying to figure out who people like so I can give them more attention

[ms-demeanor]

Wait, so you said that you can learn to trust others by building friendships, but how does one go about doing that? Wouldn't someone I don't know be creeped out or annoyed if I suddenly walked up and started talking to them?

Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.

It takes a long time to make friends as an adult. People will probably think you're weird if you just walk up and start talking to them as though you are already their friend (people think it's weird when I do this, I try not to do this) but people won't think it's weird if you're someone they've seen a few times who says "hey" and then gradually has more conversations (consisting of more words) with them.

I cheat at forming adult friendships by joining groups where people meet regularly. If you're part of a radio club that meets once a week and you just join up to talk about radios, eventually those will be your radio friends.

If there's a hiking meetup near you and you go regularly, you will eventually have hiking friends.

Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction; if you go camping with your radio friend, that person is probably more friend than acquaintance. If you go to the movies with a hiking friend who likes the same horror movies as you do, that is deepening the friendship.

In, like 2011 Large Bastard decided he wanted more friends to do stuff with so he started a local radio meetup. These people started as strangers who shared an interest. Now they are people who give each other rides after surgery and help each other move and have started businesses together and have gone on many radio-based camping trips and have worked on each other's cars.

Finding a meetup or starting a meetup is genuinely the cheat-code for making friends.

This is also how making friendships at schools works - you're around a group of people very regularly and eventually you get to know them better and you start figuring out who you get along with and you start spending more time with those people.

If you want to do this in the most fast and dramatic way possible, join a band.

In 2020 I wrote something of a primer on how to turn low-stakes interactions with neighbors and acquaintances into more meaningful relationships; check the notes of this post over the next couple days, I'll dig up the link and share it in a reblog.

[fatuismooches]

More Neuvillette thoughts, as requested by people in my inbox.

He is a traditional man, and he wants to court you in the proper way that someone as lovely as you deserve. The only problem is that he isn't actually sure of the way humans do so. Sure, he's seen other people do so, but sometimes it ends up in failure and rejection. And he sure does not want to ever see a dissatisfied look from you directed towards him. So Monsieur Neuvillette will head to the library to borrow a book regarding the principles of courtship. (Everyone is sworn to secrecy if they happen to see. Though the Melusines already know who the lucky person is.) He will genuinely start to worry if you don't show signs of reciprocation or happiness so please indulge him, he's trying his best.

Taking him diving. This doesn't really seem like a Neuvillette thing to do but when he's in love with you I believe he will actually consider your suggestions just to please you even if they seem a bit ridiculous. Why diving specifically you ask? Because he looks like an otter and you also want to show him those cute otters in the ocean to prove it. Even before the romance stage, you are probably Neuvillette's first real friend. No one else has the courage to speak to him as openly as you do. And he does not find it disrespectful, no, he realizes that he quite enjoys it. He doesn't realize how lonely he is without you until a mere day passes without seeing you.

Being besties with Furina. If you manage to catch the attention of the grand Chief Justice, you are sure to get the same treatment from the great Archon herself. You may be nervous at first but if you can deal with Neuvillette you can probably see her confidence isn't all that real and something she uses to hide her fears. Regardless just be her friend because Neuvillette is tired of dealing with her. She confides in and trusts the two of you very much. Furina will also let you in on some secrets of the Chief Justice, don't tell him though.

Expect to be spoiled with riches. I mean he is probably really wealthy and you are his lover so isn't it natural for him to treat you to expensive things? Though if you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Mora that he's spending on you just tell him and he will dial it back a bit (just reassure him that you really do love his gifts because he'll probably be a bit nervous that they're not good enough.)

Taking the Melusines out on dates with you and Neuvillette. Both of you are like parental figures to them. It goes from a table for two or a table for a few. It's really cute to see how they eat with their tiny hands, and see how Neuvillette listens to their stories with the utmost seriousness. They will also ask you the questions Neuvillette wants to ask you so he doesn't have to. Also, gently biting and nomming on his pointy ears. Just do it. He's really confused at first (is this what humans do?) but he won't stop you. Moving onto his horns. They are very smooth but I don't think they're hard. You could move and bend them pretty easily which makes it super hard for the judge to keep a straight face. Give them a little kiss too.

Everyone knows this by now but he is an emotional man who keeps his sadness and solitude to himself. Neuvillette doesn't rely on anyone to cheer him up but as time goes on he realizes even the smallest things you do makes him feel better so nowadays you'll have a visitor outside your house in the pouring rain.

#neuvillette x reader #neuvillette #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #this is completely self indulgent

[kquil]

JAMES POTTER | 02:23 ⏤THE PRETTY NURSE

SUM. : you’re the pretty nurse that james wants to woo but he just got out of surgery

G. : modern au ; muggle au ; nurse reader ; puppy love ; lovestruck james ; mutual attraction ; sirius is being a little tease ; heart monitor gives him away

LENGTH : 0.7k

“Prongs, you-” Sirius cuts himself off, unable to control himself and laughing behind his hand as Remus grinned beside him. Their friend had just gotten out of surgery to fix up his leg after an accident and was on his way to recovery in a hospital bed, hooked up to a monitor and with an IV keeping him hydrated in his arm. He looked pitiful already but his lovestruck expression made him look all the more pathetic.  

“Shut up Pads,” James snapped softly, his eyes never leaving your figure as you milled about the room tending to other recovering patients that he tried not to get too jealous over. He knows you’re a nurse and it’s your job to take care of them but James was utterly besotted by you. 

James can tell that your smile is genuine and that you sincerely enjoy taking care of people. It was also really attractive how intelligent you were and how beautiful you were regardless of your labour intensive work. You handled the equipment with expert hands, tended to patient needs with compassion and care, and administered medication with careful accuracy.

“Look at her…” James whispered under his breath, his gaze never leaving you, “she’s so pretty…”

“Yup, you’ve said that already,” Remus hummed in amusement, “seven times now to be exact,” 

“I think he’s losing it, Moony,” Sirius teased and poked James in the shoulder but was completely ignored. 

Like a silent call, James’ longing stare caught your attention and you were quickly making your way over to stand beside his bed. 

“Is everything okay? Can I get you anything?” you ask, trying to suppress a familiar, flustered heat from dusting your cheeks. Your new patient, James Potter, was very handsome and some of the other nurses who saw him being wheeled into your room of the recovery ward did nothing to disguise their jealousy. Being a nurse was hard work so having a handsome hunk of a man like James around did good to relieve some of your frustrations. All it took was a single glance his way and you felt recharged. 

Whilst tending to your other patients, however, instead of stealing glances at him you felt his stare lingering on you persistently. It was bad enough that such an attractive man was staring you down, it didn’t help that he also had such a longing, puppy-like look in his eyes when he did so. 

When James didn’t answer and only continued to stare at you, you turned to his friends with a questioning look, “he’s good, sorry in advance for his odd behaviour,” the tall brunette comments  with a soft smile. 

“Yeah,” Sirius piped up, drawing your attention, “he’s just feeling a little hot under the collar, aren’t ya’ Jamesie?” 

Feeling a spike of worry, you hurriedly made your way around his bed to have a closer look at him, leaning over his bed and stopping close to his face, “oh dear, are you sure you’re alright?” you stress, worried eyes scanning him for any distressing signs.

beep!beep!beep!beep!beep! 

Alarmed, you snap your gaze towards the Holter monitor and gaped at James’s rapidly rising heartbeat before returning your attention back to the man in question. His cheeks were a deep red, his eyes still fixed on you, wide and glittering under the hospital lights as his pink lips were slightly agape from awe at your close proximity.  

“Don’t be alarmed, love,” Sirius reassures, already giggling under his breath, “I think he’s just caught a terrible case of ‘Puppy Love-itis’,” Sirius couldn’t contain the force of his laughter any longer and threw his head back to laugh boisterously. 

Embarrassed but smiling timidly, you step back and nod before turning away to make more rounds, “I’ll be back with a suitable prescription for you soon, James,” 

James couldn’t believe the amount of humiliation he felt in that moment, his whole world was crumbling around him; throughout your entire interaction all he did was make a fool of himself. How could he possibly ask for your number now? 

All of his worries were all for naught, however, as you soon returned with a written prescription, “I’m sure that over time, your dosage will need to be increased but you can be your own judge there,” was your only comment. 

When James unfolded the small piece of paper in his hands, he couldn’t believe his eyes; you had just given him your number…

beep!beep!beep!beep!beep! 

A/N : inspired by a tiktok...there's so much good material on there, don't judge me!

NAVI.

#𐂂 : TIMESTAMP #james potter x reader #james potter #james potter x you #james potter x yn #hp marauders #hp fanfic #james potter fanfiction #marauders fic #the marauders

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Every time I learn something new about Batman: War Games I lose my mind a little bit more cause just, just fuckin, look okay so here's the thing:

Stephanie Brown tries to implement a contingency plan of Bruce's just after he fires her from being Robin and because of that gets tortured to (almost) death and no one knows she survived.

THIS STORY RUNS IN THE NEWS:

So, you know, anyone who might be paying even half a fucking ounce of attention to news about ROBINS would definitely absolutely notice this!!!

And then very very soon afterwards Jason comes back and specifically targets Black Mask to ruin the criminal empire he tortured Stephanie to get

As a way to torment Bruce about the fact that he doesn't take care of the nastiest criminals and they continue killing people

And how Jason should have been the last to die

and SOMEHOW

these two things are in no way related and Jason has nothing to do with or say about Stephanie Brown, fellow Robin, fellow martyred soldier, fellow child dead due to Bruce related villains.

HOLY DEAD SIDEKICKS BATMAN, DO YOU COMPREHEND THE MAGNITUDE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES HERE????

please walk with me down a timeline in which:

Lost Days Jason at first just tries to go after the Joker and can't because who he's really mad at is Bruce.

Then he sees Who Really Killed Stephanie Brown and the utter horror of another Robin dying on Bruce's watch (not just dying, but tortured to death!) is what convinces him to try to straight up kill Bruce via car bomb

Roman Sionis is no longer merely a tool against Batman, but another figure to demand vengeance be brought upon, another attempt to give Bruce a chance to right his wrongs and do what needs to be done

The confrontation with him and the Joker being all the more tragic due to how obvious Bruce's answer would have to be once Jason knows Bruce isn't going to avenge Stephanie either

Does Jason, once he escapes the rubble after UtRH is over, kill Black Mask anyways? Does he decide to avenge her himself? Or does he think that she too would demand that of Bruce, and find his death by a different hand unsatisfactory?

If he doesn't kill Black Mask, then when Steph is back, I feel confident he approaches her, tries to reach out to the other dead Robin, almost certainly makes the offer now that he can ask her. Does she take him up on it, gaining an ally and slipping into a far darker role? Does she instead refuse, either appealing to forgiveness or far more interestingly refusing both vengeance and forgiveness? How would Jason handle a refusal, which I gut instinct feel is more likely?

If he does kill Black Mask, then when Steph is back Jason drops his corpse at her feet like a loving housecat with a dead lizard and she has to grapple with her feelings about having someone really and truly avenge her!!! Like how DO you react to someone who you have been warned is wildly dangerous and mentally unstable coming up to you and saying, "I'm glad you're back, like me. I'm sorry you're back, like me. I made sure you could rest knowing he was dead, because I know what it feels like."

Like no matter how each character reacted to this happening there would be so much high stakes emotional shit to explore with both of them!! Revenge I feel like is such a pivotal thing for both characters, they mirror each other in so so many ways, they could be really interesting together if DC would just fucking let them!!!

Jason had a criminal father who he missed and wanted to avenge. Stephanie had a criminal father who she wanted vengeance on.

Jason started off as a fairly gentle soul who progressively became more violent and more hopeless as he was exposed to genuine horrors during his time as Robin. Stephanie starts off violent, angry and rash and finds her own courage and hope through her time as a crime fighter despite of the horrors she's been through.

Jason went to Africa and died there after Bruce failed to save him. Stephanie was taken to Africa via a fake death in order to save her from Bruce and the vigilante lifestyle.

I just...

There's just...

There's SO MUCH HERE I am genuinely fucking confused as to how this is not all deliberate?? And it's all just left on the cutting room floor because for no reason apparent to me they all just decided Stephanie and Jason were not gonna interact!

AAGHHHH!

#jason todd #stephanie brown #dc comics #damian's tomfoolery

[strwberri-milk]

Hello! May I request head canons for Kaeya, Lyney, and Heizou (separate)? Semi angst where the reader asks him to help them practice their confession for the person that they love. The reason why they approached him is because he's the smoothest person they know. Once he thinks they're ready, they immediately confess to him. He thinks at first that it's another practice run, but then realizes they were being genuine. Just imagine the roller coaster of emotions for these bois😭. Tnx for ur time!

Kaeya knows he's a pretty good choice for practicing confessions on. He's very good with people and very good with his words so you're sure that if you were able to work with him, you'd be able to figure out the words you needed to say to him.

For a second, Kaeya feels his heart sink when you ask him for help. There's no way you'd be asking him to help you if you had feelings for him he thinks, meaning that this was the end of the road for him.

As you go over and over how to confess your feelings he does his best to give you unbiased pointers but he can't help but skew the way you confess to be something he'd want to hear from you. It's the only way he'll be able to hear you confess to him so he's going to take advantage of the situation.

When you turn around just to confess back to him his heart stops. He doesn't believe you, eye wide as he just stares at you. You sigh, biting your lip as you settle for Kaeya not actually returning your feelings.

You're about to turn and leave when he grabs your wrist, holding you to his chest as he shakes his head teasingly, scoffing at you for coming up with such an ingenious plan to get his attention. He is very happy though and he makes that known with how tight he's holding you.

Lyney doesn't tell you how he feels and is absolutely amazing at hiding how he really feels. You'd never get an inkling of how he actually feels, his magic skills good at not just card tricks.

When you come to ask him for help on how to confess, he decides to say yes. It doesn't seem like it'd be a bad idea, plus he gets to see if he can weasel out of you exactly who it is you're confessing to. He'd been trying for weeks for you to tell him who you liked when you first hinted at it but you were doing a great job at keeping it hidden from him.

He wishes that he could pretend that the confession you were practicing was actually how you felt about him. A part of him wants to just close his eyes and continue pretending that it is about him but right now he tries to remember that you asked him for help.

When you're just about ready to go confess to your "crush" he's about to try to stop and tell you that he's in love with you. Just as he's about to get the words out you end up interrupting him, hand on his chest making him go quiet.

You end up telling him the same things he helped you formulate just a few minutes ago, smiling brightly at him as the gears click together in his brain. He can't help but laugh at how your plan ended up working out perfectly for him, giving you a yes with a tight squeeze of your hand.

Heizou teases you a bit for asking him for help confessing to someone. He makes a few jokes about how you only asked him to help you because you've secretly had a crush the entire time. You immediately shoot it down, wanting to keep your plans a secret as you try to figure out what to tell him.

He doesn't make the process easy for you, pretend fawning and swooning over literally anything that you say. You try to get him to take it more seriously which he does, but not fully. You struggle a bit to fully "confess" to him but finally manage to get a few good runs in.

Heizou himself tries to separate himself from the situation, not wanting to let his personal feelings get in the way of actually giving you some good advice. Despite how he might feel about you, he doesn't want to actually ruin things for you just because of his own feelings.

Once you manage to get through a good confession a few times he gives you his seal of approval to go ahead and confess. He tells you too that you'd better tell him things went well or else you'll have to come back to him to do even more practice.

When you turn the words on him he gives an almost exasperated laugh. You can tell he means well when he starts laughing genuinely, bringing a hand to his face as he rolls his eyes a bit.

He makes a quip about being glad you got a good result after all, planning out your first date as he pulls you with him.

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #heizou x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #lyney x reader

[artful-aries]

Hello, I loved your oblivious reader confession request!!

Would you mind doing the same question but for Pantalone and Ayato?

Please stay hydrated (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

It is a STRUGGLE for me to drink anything let alone water simply bc I am dumb. But thank you for the sentiment!!! I hope you enjoy this

Confessing To An Oblivious Crush (Pantalone, Ayato)

Pantalone

He’s a bit of a flirt when it comes to the right person, he’s always going to give you special looks, grazing touches, and subtle winks, all of which will fly completely over your head

Needless to say, he’s a little bit stunned when you act so casually around him as though he hasn’t been throwing enough money at you to make anyone flustered. You are flustered to a degree, but not in the way that he wants you to be. You just think of him as nice, a sentiment he almost abhors

Pantalone doesn’t think himself as a particularly cruel man by any means, but the last thing he wants you to think of when you think of him is nice. Seductive? That’s his ultimate goal. Reckless? He certainly can be when it comes to things he wants. Sleazy? He’ll take it if it means you actually realize he wants you. But nice? Nice is for your average, mundane man, and he is anything but that

The subtle dance around your obliviousness is fun for the first few weeks, but he begins to grow just a tad bit impatient as time goes on

He briefly considers buying advertisements in all of the newspapers in Teyvat to announce his feelings for you, but he figures that would go over your head too, likely chalking it up to some strange prank of his, as if he were ever the type to play juvenile pranks in the first place

When monetary sentiments fail to catch your attention, Pantalone shifts gears and gets more touchy. He won’t be inappropriate, but he always manages to find a way to have his hand linger on your shoulder, or his chest graze your back as he scoots by you

It’s in this subtlety that he realizes his efforts are futile, and he has to bite back his pride when you ask him why he’s been so clumsy lately

Pantalone will not stop his efforts until you have returned his feelings or rejected him outright; even if you were to reject him, he would likely just double down and try to win you over even more. When he sees something he likes, he won’t stop until he gets it

Eventually, he grows tired of waiting and just calls you into his office one day, borderline cornering you as he stares down at you with a smirk and announces his feelings for you

He won’t let you leave until he at least gets confirmation that you understand exactly what he means. No, he doesn’t just like you as a colleague or friend, his heart burns for you

When you admit that you feel the same, Pantalone feels a sense of accomplishment, feeling like he is one step closer to being the man who has it all

You are certainly his sweetest conquest so far, and he can’t wait to grow even closer to you in order to see just how much this boon is worth

Ayato

He almost prefers the oblivious types, not only for the cat and mouse like game both of you will take part in even though it’s without your knowledge, but also for the genuine honesty that these types of people often display

It provides almost a sense of mental stimulation for him to piece you together like a puzzle, finding out what buttons to press and how in order to get the reactions he relishes in

You also save him the headache if wondering what you’re thinking or what your goals are; it’s painfully obvious that you have no idea that you have attracted the attention of the head of the Kamisato Clan

He is never cruel or unfair, but he’s certainly not without mischievousness as he flirts shamelessly with you

As much as he would love to spend quality time with you, Ayato is extremely busy, so he makes up for this by sending you lots of thoughtful gifts (gifts so nice that you clearly wouldn’t buy them for anyone else other than someone you deeply cared about)

When he does get to spend time with you, near endless words of praise will flow from his lips, some of his compliments purposefully worded as innuendos solely to watch how you blush and squirm

Ayato finds it remarkable that you can get so flustered at his words yet somehow not realize he is being completely serious. But that just adds more layers to this game of his

He flirts and pulls back, repeating this pattern with various intensity to see how you react, but he will stop if this ends up upsetting you somehow

As his feelings grow more serious, he begins to take a more genuine, straightforward approach with his feelings for you. To his amazement, you still act as clueless as ever despite him talking at length about how he thought you would make a good partner for someone (it’s him, he’s someone)

This will end up pulling a genuine laugh out of him, one that would likely leave you confused because you hadn’t said anything particularly funny

When you ask him about it, Ayato will come clean and say that he found it absolutely adorable how oblivious you were to his advancements

If somehow you were still confused as to what he meant, he would gently take your hand and kiss the back of it, looking up at you with smoldering eyes and asking you if that answered your question

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin x reader #reader insert #genshin imagine #genshin impact headcanons #genshin headcanon #pantalone #pantalone x reader #ayato #ayato x reader #kamisato ayato #Kamisato Ayato x reader

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

hey! hc questions for Astarion & ace! Tav (sorry if some of those have already been answered):

- Who picks flowers for the other?

- Who has a hobby only the other knows about?

- How do they hype each other up?

- How do they express their feelings?

- Who's more protective?

- Who gets jealous easier?

thank you for your work! I always get excited when I see you have posted something new about this ship ^^

Who picks flowers for the other?

Tav does it for Astarion. I know there is some dialogue about him not liking flowers, but it’s different when they’re a gift from his love.

Tav never buy them. They just collect a small bundle as their walking. They then arrange them in a vase or spare cup, accompanied by a story; some local legend or tale about the flowers or just something they make up on the spot, Astarion can never be sure. Still he listens attentively as the story is just as much part of the gift as the flowers themselves.

Who has a hobby only the other knows about?

Tav knows about Astarion’s many tries at different hobbies.

Post game Astarion finally has the time to figure out what exactly he likes to do. Yes, there’s reading, but he figures out he genuinely enjoys embroidering and sewing. Making something with his own two hands and having something tangible at the end is extremely satisfying. Plus, it helps him clear his mind of anything besides the task in front of him. He’s since expanded this to jewelry making and knitting. Although he’ll die before he admits the knitting part.

How do they hype each other up?

Compliments. Compliments all around.

Astarion specifically goes on and on about Tav’s immense musical talent. Tav is already fairly secure in their abilities, but having somebody in the audience they know truly loves their work is heartening.

As for Tav, they know Astarion has his vanity and is willing to indulge him, complimenting him on his looks and choice of clothing. And if they throw an “I love you” at the end of it, he won’t say no.

How do they express their feelings?

I’m going to just assume you mean their feelings toward each other since if I went through all the emotions we’d be here all day.

Tav is actually a very physically affectionate person who has been denied it for years. Once they get permission to show their love that way, they don’t stop. Hugs for certain, leaning against him, hand kisses, cuddling, they’re all in. Quality time is next on the list. They don’t care what they’re doing so long as they’re doing it together.

Astarion is more verbal in his affections. He’ll just tell Tav how beautiful, talented, and amazing he finds them. He teases and tries to make them laugh. He can be quite the poet when he puts his mind to it. I’ll also add physical affection to the list. It takes him time, but once he understands he’s safe, he doesn’t want to loses the feeling of having them close.

Who’s more protective?

Astarion.

Not to say Tav isn’t, because they are, but it’s less visceral than Astarion. He spent so much of his life afraid that even when he does get together with Tav, it doesn’t lessen his fear. If anything his more afraid because he has somebody to lose for the first time in centuries. He considers ascending not just to keep himself safe, but to ensure he can protect Tav, forever. He’s never felt this way before about anyone. There’s no telling what he’d be willing to do for them.

Who gets jealous easier?

Hard to say. They both have their moments. I’d say Astarion is more vocal while Tav let’s it build up over time.

If somebody is flirting with Tav at a tavern, he’s by their side the next second with an arm around their waist and a smile that’s all fangs. He can also get real petty if he feels like they’re giving other people too much attention over him.

If somebody flirts with Astarion, Tav doesn’t say anything because they don’t want Astarion thinking he’s trying to control him or “too much”. But it hurts and if it happens too many times they’ll crack and ask if Astarion is getting bored of them. It would’ve be the first time. It’d take a lot for Tav to admit they’re jealous, but once they do, Astarion would have a field day.

They’re both working on getting better about it. It’s not a pretty thing.

#astarion #astarion x tav #astarion x ace!tav #astarion x reader #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #asexual!tav #bard!tav #asexual!reader #astarion ancunin #astarion x evie

[kopilot-pop]

hi, about the yunjin starbucks controversy.

i’m gonna try to be as fair as possible talking about this controversy, but i’ll be honest i’m leaning more on yunjin’s side. i’ve been getting several requests on yunjin and i feel like i need to get this off my chest every time i see her name on my page.

let’s start off with the facts: yunjin was caught drinking starbucks in Korea (in front of the company building.)

I thought she drank it on a post or somethrong but no, it was just a few pixels of a low quality picture fans took. And that’s my first minor problem; she wasn’t on live, it wasn’t a post, it was a few milliseconds of pixels. But I get the ‘performative activism’ controversy, it DOES feel like she’s hiding it.

However, my take is that she just got out from her car, and wanna know a little fun fact? Most snacks and drinks that all idols are seen eating are most likely bought by their managers. And it’s a fact that Koreans aren’t currently boycotting Starbucks as actively as western foreigners are. So my thought the first time I saw the picture was that. The manager probably just bought coffee from whatever shop was closest, and handed it to her.

But I do understand how that can feel like reaching so I did some more research .

The biggest thing I have to so called ‘defend’ Yunjin is that Starbucks Korea is completely separate from International Starbucks (source: ChosunBiz).

In 2021, 67.5% of Starbucks was comepletely bought by E-Mart (a branch of Shinsegae), and the rest 32.5% was bought by a Singaporean investment comapny (GIC).

So oh, Starbucks Korea has no affiliations with the part of Starbucks that sues their worker’s union.

However, I can make the argument that Yunjin could influence others to ignore the boycott and buy Starbucks. Is it true that she has several international fans and alot of impressionable fans? Yes.

But then we have to go back to our first argument; it was a few milliseconds of a low quality video.

And after finding that out, I started to feel like all the people commenting about “starbucks queen💕” and “omg whats your starbucks order?” is the problem.

YOU guys are the one promoting Starbucks at this point. Do you understand?

I’m not saying don’t hold someone accountable, no, but I’m saying the comments aren’t fucking helping.

Don’t get me wrong, I do live in Korea, and I have been actively avoiding purchasing from them because I saw a few posts on twitter referencing it. I based an activity on a twitter post. And wanna know when I figured out WHY I was supposed to boycott exactly?

After I deleted Twitter because of the stress I got from the app.

That’s when I finally found out about the BDS list, found out oh, Puma is on the list, McDonalds is an even bigger problem than Starbucks (directly supplying food to soldiers), HP APPARENTLY SUPPLIES TECH FOR THE ISRAEL GOVERNMENT, and oh wow! Starbucks isn’t even on the list because theres not enough proof that they financially fund Israel.

In conclusion, the people preaching about how Yunjin is a performative activist is such hypocrites themselves

It’s clear that while some of the comments and criticisms are genuine, trying to hold a person accountable, but its also clear that the repeat of the same mocking comments of Yunjin is just performative and for attention and likes.

That’s what pisses me off. People who don’t give a shit about Palestine, and people even if they do support Palestine not even doinng the bare minimum amount of research just having fun mocking (not criticizing) a person when a tiny bit of wrong doing is shown.

Please, go look in the mirror, and i dont like saying this but go touch grass, do your own research, dont base off your whole ideology on a reddit post or a twitter, tumblr post, read different variety of news articles from several companies, and THEN make your decision on a situation. Not only Starbucks, not only on Yunjin, but on several other ones too.

Media literacy. Look it up.

#talk #huh yunjin #yunjin #starbucks #south korea #kpop #lesserafim #le sserafim #free palestine

[eustasskidagenda]

hello im so excited that your ask box is open and youre taking requests! i dont request things often, so this might be a but of a weird concept, and i apologize if its too detailed. however the idea literally wont leave me alone. orz;;

maybe eustass kid has a crush on a somewhat reserved reader whose slow to open up and he hasnt quite realized thats what hes feeling until they stop on an island and meet readers childhood friend. they show a whole new side of themself with said friend by laughing openly, making stupid jokes, being much more physically affectionate. basically reader acts close with an old friend and kid gets jealous about it.

i dont mind if you do a oneshot, drabble, or headcanon, im just curious about your thoughts on this :3 thank you so much and i hope you have a great day!

Hello dear anon! Sure, I'm always happy to write for my pookie. It was fun to write, and it makes me smile a bit because Kid is such a mess, I love this angry tulip. Hope it will match your expectations. ☆

☆Kid with a s/o slow to open up

CW : g/n reader, a bit of cursing but fluff overall

WC : 700

Kid has always been loud. Whenever he's angry, he needs to shoot at someone. What can he say? His heart is filled with emotions, boiling and exploding like a thousand sparks. That's why you're a mystery. Always calm. Not letting others know what's on your mind. What makes you so quiet? He can't tell. 

Just like the moon and the sun, you are polar opposites. And yet, as the sun always chases the moon, he's always looking after you. And he's everything, but not discreet. Asking loudly for almost all of his crew what they think about you and why you are so reserved. 

Sure, he's used to introverted folks. Killer is one of them. But here's the difference: he can second-guess every word, thought, and breath of his best friend. He could probably achieve all of his sentences. And even through the mask, Kid could also guess the exact expression on Killer's face. 

Killer, who is likely aware that Kid has a small crush on you.

Kid is genuinely frustrated. Loudly frustrated, obviously. He needs to feel in control of everything and hates when he doesn’t have a full-understanding. Usually, he fails to notice reserved people because he's taking all the attention. But there's something about you: your slight smiles, the flash in your eyes, the way you're always listening to others but never talk about yourself. He can't tell why, but it keeps his mind alert. 

Perhaps you pose a bit of a challenge. Kid would never give two flying fucks about you if you were easy to see through. He's always looking after you because you're still a mystery. Sure, at the beginning, it was just to try to figure out who you really are. But now, it turned into something bigger. He hasn't noticed it yet, that’s all. Kid sucks with feelings. Feelings are actually something he hates because they make him feel weak. It puts his loved one in danger. Showing your weaknesses to enemies is a foolish move, Kid knows that perfectly.

However, everything is about to change. He decided to stop on that island for the day. For the first time, you asked to avoid robbery or harming anyone around. 

"Ugh, we're pirates, y/n" Kid doesn't want to look like a nice guy. He's a tough, rude pirate. He has a reputation to uphold. For him, the only good way to open a path is by violent means. Kindness? For what? If he's still alive today, it's because he toughened up and decided to never show mercy to anyone. 

"Fine, fine, I won't kill those people." Heavy sighs. But he wants to understand. He needs to understand. And finally, he's about to understand. 

Because suddenly, you're smiling heartily and running towards those scumbag strangers. What. The. Fuck. It's like seeing the sun after an eternity of blizzards and grey clouds. You're a bright light, a true sunshine. A burst of joy. You're joking, laughing, talking, and talking a lot. You never said more than two sentences in front of him, and now you're chatting endlessly with those strangers and hugging all of them. 

He's pissed off. Are those random people with terrible sense of style and ugly make-up better than him? The great Eustass "Captain" Kid? No way. 

"Guys, here's my captain, Kid. Kid, here are my childhood best friends."

Kid's face is a mess of angry scowls and boiling with frustration when they say hello. Why aren't you smiling as warmly when you're with him? Why is his heart pounding so hard, almost painfully in his chest? And damn, is it the cold or are his cheeks completely red? 

Poor Kid is both flushed and flustered. His first reflex is always exploding when he feels something. "Do you have a problem with me?" Barking through gritted teeth. 

He's ruining the happy-shitty mood and he doesn't care. 

So now, try to explain that you don't have a problem with him. Good luck, he's very stubborn. But once he's more or less calmed (because he's still pissed off), he still can't understand why his heart is racing at the sight of your soft, warm smile.

He wants to see that side of you more often. He wants to be part of those privileged people allowed to know the real you.

Yes, maybe he has a crush on you.

#one piece headcanons #one piece x reader #eustass kid x reader #eustass kid headcanons #eustass kid x y/n #eustass kid x you #eustass kid imagine #eustass kid #one piece requests #eustass kidd x reader #eustass x reader #eustass captain kidd #one piece x y/n #one piece x you

[luckycharms1701]

Headcanons on flirting styles for the rise boys? Fave pick-up lines? Do they even use those? How often to they ignore their dad’s advice lol

okay anon-chan. you deserve better than this tbh. but i have been staring at this shit for over 12 hours now. this is as good as it's gonna get right now. sorry.

Raph:

This poor boy. He tries so hard. But for some reason he can’t understand, he only ever gets numbers when he’s not trying to flirt. (It’s because when he’s genuinely himself, he’s super attractive, but when he flirts… well.) He’d be a natural if he didn’t try so, so hard. But then he wouldn’t be himself, so it’s an eternal catch-22 for him.

He becomes super aware of his size when he approaches someone, and tends to hunch in on himself. This can sometimes come across as condescending, especially if whomever he approaches is sensitive about their height. Never ends well.

If you flirt with him, he’s probably going to look over his shoulder to make sure you’re talking to him and not someone else. He’s going to get shy, probably rub the back of his neck, and blush a lot. It’s going to be absolutely adorable.

He wants to listen to what Splinter tells them about flirting. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the same confidence, and it shows. He uses the right words, but they come across wrong because of tone, body language, or vibe.

Raph would never touch a pick-up line. He’s too straightforward. He will pick his moments to set the mood instead. Waits for a particular song to come on in the club. Makes sure to bump into you in the park while you’re admiring the scenery. It definitely helps sometimes, especially when he remembers to be genuine.

Leo:

So. Leo. He thinks he’s so smooth. I hate to say it, but he can be. He’s managed to score his fair share of numbers. But for every four numbers he gets, he leans on the counter, slips, and falls flat on his face. He gets better as he ages though. He uhhhh gets a lot better as he ages. Smooth like butter even.

He has this way of smoldering at you that either makes you swoon or laugh your ass off. There is no in between. A lot of his flirting relies on his body, because he knows he looks good. He is the face man, after all. So he is incredibly careful with his body language. He also gets this burr in his voice that his brothers make fun of him incessantly for, but really, really does it for whomever he approaches.

If you flirt with him, it’s going to surprise him, but only for a moment. Then that smirk will grace his face and he’ll turn on the charm. It’s going to be hard to tell who approached who after a while.

Lives and dies by Splinter’s flirting advice. Leo of all his brothers is in the best position to follow said advice, and he knows it. It works pretty well for him. He is especially good at the ‘lowering glasses and winking’ trick.

Pick-up line king! It takes a lot of trial and error and workshopping. He is a quick study when it comes to people though so he manages to figure out when and what kind of pick-up line to use. Once that happens he is devastatingly effective with them.

Donnie:

Donnie almost never flirts. He has more important things on his mind. He is covered in bitches (gender neutral) anyway. Does not understand. Usually he gets rid of them with his bluntness, but that makes it worse with some of them? Needless to say he doesn’t go out much.

When he does flirt though? He takes a page from Leo’s book. Or tries to. Clearly he must have the body too, or people wouldn’t flock to him. Unfortunately, his sense of drama is different from Leo’s, so the same tactics don’t work. He doesn’t realize that it’s not necessarily his looks that attract people (they definitely help though).

If you flirt with him, prepare to be at it for a long time. You need to be diligent to get anywhere with him. It’s much easier if you’re cute but mean though, that gets his attention really fast.

Donnie doesn’t even know that Splinter gives them flirting advice.

He tried a pick-up line once. Once. He might outlive the restraining order if he stays healthy.

Mikey:

Mikey is a cutie pie youngest child and he knows it. He can and will use it to his advantage. Unfortunately the type of people that tends to attract- well, they’re not the ones he’s hoping for. Can and will do little tricks with his mystic powers to try and impress the flirtee, much to Draxum’s chagrin.

He studies how Leo flirts a lot, and it helps him attract people who are more his type. He uses cutesy nicknames for people, and he finds that helps too. When he can make them look at him differently with a spicy look or comment, that’s when he knows he’s got their number in his pocket.

If you flirt with him, prepare for the cuteness to be turned up to 10. He’s gonna try and emphasize whatever he thinks brought you to him. You will absolutely fluster the fuck out of him if you call him ‘handsome’.

He listens to Splinter sometimes, and he’s tried a few of the tricks with mixed results. He needs to adapt them in order to match his own personality before they do much for him.

He LOVES cheesy pick-up lines, and uses them liberally. There’s no way he’s interested in someone who doesn’t like cheesy pick-up lines. Although, if they protest but hide a smile, he’s going to try and see what he can do to get them to break. He’s a handful.

#tmnt #rise raph #rise leo #rise donnie #rise mikey #talking tag #theory tag #so #i have never flirted with anyone seriously and i tend to run away (literally sometimes!) when someone flirts with me #so again not really the person to ask this #but i did my best #and it's midnight and i can't look at this anymore

[pinkeoni]

TW for child abuse

Been thinking about this moment lately where Lonnie is hammering over the hole in the wall that Joyce axed to try to get to Will—

He’s literally trying to rebuild his home by shutting Will out.

If you pay attention to Lonnie’s dialogue, you’ll notice that he actually does want his family back. Now I’m not trying to give him any credit, this isn’t come from a genuine place of love.

Lonnie tells Jonathan that he wants to see him more. Again, not coming from a genuine place, as Jonathan points out, but I also don’t think he’s lieing.

When Lonnie comes back to the Byers’ residence at the end of ep 4, he immediately starts calling Joyce babe. And to be honest, if Joyce hadn’t kicked him out in ep 5, he probably would have tried to stay.

But if Lonnie does miss his family so much, why leave them? And if so, why not stay in town? Why move out to Indianapolis?

It’s pretty clear that Lonnie hated Will. When Joyce get’s mad at Lonnie in the flashback for not showing up, it was specifically about not bringing Will to the baseball game, not about visiting Jonathan or Joyce.

Now, from a base level, it looks like Lonnie was just them in order to get money out of Will’s death. If they were filing a lawsuit, using the broken family angle to get more sympathy in court, and making sure that he’s included in the payout.

And maybe that’s the only angle. But if you wanna get conspiratorial (like me) then there may be more behind Lonnie’s action then we are being shown.

If Lonnie was just in it for the money, why did he say that he wanted to see Jonathan before he knew that Will was “dead?”

I made a post awhile ago that pointed out some of Lonnie’s fishiness, indicating that he may possibly been working with the lab during his dissapearance.

Think about it, if Lonnie was working with the lab to cover up Will’s dissapearance, then doing a payout through a fake lawsuit would be the perfect cover. If Will died and Lonnie suddenly came into a lot of money, that would look fishy to people. But if Will died, and Lonnie sued the quarry and got settlement money, people wouldn’t bat an eye. If we already know that the body is fake and that the guy who found his body was instructed by the lab, then it wouldn’t be too hard to believe that they could be behind the settlement as well.

When Joyce finds about Lonnie’s plan to sue, we get this shot of Lonnie in the shower—

Now, narratively he had to be out of the room so that Joyce could go through his stuff, but figuratively, he is rinsing himself clean of his crimes. Will is “dead” now, he’s in the ground, and he has the perfect cover. He was can wash his hands of what he’s done.

Let’s take a step further and consider Lonnie’s past abuse of Will. If Lonnie was abusing Will when he was younger, and was nervous about Will remembering and telling, then it would make sense for him to skip town and stop visiting Will. And if Lonnie wanted to get his family back, he would have to get rid of the problem, which to him is Will.

Now, obviously Will is the victim here and not to blame, I’m just speaking from Lonnie’s messed up point of view. Lonnie is the one fault here, not Will, but to Lonnie, Will is the one who in the way of his perfect family.

So now the perfect opportunity arises for Lonnie to not only get his family back, but he gets a big payout whatever terrible thing he did to Will dies with him. It’s perfect.

#stranger things #will byers #byler #<- target audience #lonnie byers #tw lonnie byers #joyce byers #jonathan byers #byers family #tw child abuse #tw csa #evil evil man #imagine not wanting will as a son #couldnt be me #stranger things theory #my theory

[ruggiethethuggie]

SEBEK X GN!READER

WC: 701 tags: one shot, idk comfort ????, sebek zigvolt, gn!reader, mild cussing, teasing (i mean this in a SFW way !!!!!!!!!), they make fun of sebek for being loud >:?, not proofread go figure

a/n: to be honest, i said i was done writing and was going through my docs and found this... i wrote this out of anger (which is kinda funny) because i kept seeing people be mean about sebek awhile ago, and yes, if i was a violent person i would like to hit all of you who say things like this about that tall, mint green haired, greenish yellow eyed, pretentious ding dong of a man, how dare you- he is baby.

All eyes were on you as you stood there clenching your fist, gritting your teeth, and glaring at the other first years in front of you. You had had enough of it. All the times they made jokes about “oh, I wish I had duct tape” or “oh god, here comes loud mouth” every time Sebek would go to give his input on something, Sebek acted as if it didn’t bother him, but you? It bothered you more than you thought it would. “One more word, and I swear by all things vested in me, I will hit you so hard, you’re going to be begging Sam for a magic potion to heal your wounds- external and internal.” Your voice was stern and slightly aggressive so they took you seriously.

“We were just joking,” Deuce said quietly. He could tell by the look on your face that you meant business, you didn’t find their little jokes funny at all. “Sorry, Sebek,” Jack apologized. Jack never partook in the endless jokes and teasing Sebek endured from the other first years, but he was never the person to ask them to stop either. You gave each of the first years a look that you hoped would be engraved into their souls before turning around and going back to your desk. You angrily opened your notebook and started writing, not really sure what you were even trying to write down, but trying to find something to do to occupy your heated mind.

After a few minutes, you could hear the boys go back to having their frivolous conversation, but you looked up as you saw someone standing beside you from the corner of your eye. Your gaze met that of the tall, green-haired Diasomnia student’s. Your eyes wandered the room confused as you sat up at your desk, looking past Sebek to see if the first years put him up to some stupid prank, but none of them were paying either of you any attention anymore. “Yes, Sebek?” you said as you put your pencil down. “I just wanted to tell you thank you,” he responded. “Hmph, you shouldn’t let them be shitty to you all the time,” you scoffed as you went back to writing. Sebek chuckled and took the seat beside you. “Maybe not, but I appreciate you saying something nonetheless. But why’d you feel the need to stand up for me?”

The look in his eyes was genuine, he truly didn’t understand why you felt so offended by their words and actions when they never directly affected you. “Well.. because it’s rude for one. And I don’t care what you say, I know it bothers you.” The look you gave him told him you could see right through his lies he always tried to deny. He smiled softly as he looked down for a second. “You got me, let’s say it does bother me. It’s not that big of a deal to make you say something though.” You narrowed your eyes at him, not that big of a deal? “If it’s even slightly hurtful, then it’s a big deal. You can’t just ignore it. They’ll just keep doing it over and over again. They make me so mad sometimes.” Your gaze changed from Sebek to the other first years across the room, laughing and enjoying each other’s company it seemed.

“I just hate how they treat you, makes me feel all defensive. Like someone is attacking me at the same time.” Sebek shook his head at your words. “The words aren’t directed at you though,” he chuckled again. “You’re a bundle of heated anger right now, aren’t you? Why don’t we go somewhere after class. We can go walk through the botanical gardens? How does that sound?” You rolled your eyes at his words, but going to the garden might make you feel better, or at least you hoped it would. “Fine, Sebek. We can go after class.” You looked over at him, seeing him smiling back at you, and you playfully stuck your tongue out at him. “Stop staring at me, weirdo.” He laughed at your words and pulled out his own notebook to finish writing notes of his own. 

© Green Border | please do not copy and or repost my work as your own, my brain is massive and these are my thoughts.

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst #twst x reader #sebek x reader #sebek zigvolt x reader #sebek zigvolt fluff #sebek zigvolt imagines #sebek zigvolt #twst sebek #twst fluff #twst comfort #sebek comfort

[grangerhater]

UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS

pairing: blaise zabini x gryffindor!reader

synopsis: a snob like Blaise and an introvert like y/n could never be friends, yet the form a bond in which they both learn and grow

platonic

The Great Hall was bustling with students, their voices echoing off the high ceilings as they chatted animatedly over breakfast. Amongst the crowd, Blaise Zabini sat at the Slytherin table, his dark eyes scanning the room with an air of superiority. He held himself with confidence, his posture impeccable, as he engaged in conversation with his equally posh friends.

Meanwhile, tucked away at the far end of the Gryffindor table, sat Y/N, a shy and introverted student. Their eyes were downcast, focusing on their plate of food as they ate in silence. Y/N was content to blend into the background, avoiding attention and unnecessary interactions. They were used to being overlooked, and it suited them just fine.

Blaise caught a glimpse of Y/N sitting alone, their nervousness evident in the way they fidgeted with their silverware. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity about them. Their reserved nature stood in stark contrast to his own outspoken personality. Blaise found himself inexplicably drawn to the mystery that surrounded Y/N.

Determined to satisfy his curiosity, Blaise decided to approach Y/N. He smoothly made his way towards them, his presence commanding attention as he towered over their small figure. Y/N tensed up, feeling a mix of anxiety and disbelief that someone like Blaise Zabini would even acknowledge their existence.

"Hello there," Blaise said, his voice laced with a hint of arrogance. "I couldn't help but notice you sitting here all alone. Mind if I join you?"

Y/N's heart raced, their mind struggling to process the unexpected encounter. They managed to nod, barely audibly, and Blaise took a seat across from them. The silence between them was palpable, each lost in their own thoughts.

Blaise, unaccustomed to the quietude, decided to break the ice. "You know, most people would jump at the chance to have a conversation with me. Yet, here you are, seemingly disinterested in my presence."

Y/N's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. They were well aware of their introverted nature and the difficulty they faced in social situations. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves, especially from someone as confident and popular as Blaise.

"Sorry," Y/N mumbled, their voice barely audible. "I'm just not good with talking to people."

Blaise's eyes softened momentarily, a flicker of understanding crossing his face. "Well, perhaps I can help you with that. Consider it a challenge."

Y/N looked up, their eyes meeting Blaise's intense gaze. They had no idea what he meant by a challenge, but there was something intriguing about the proposition.

"Alright," Y/N whispered, their voice gaining a bit more confidence. "I'm willing to give it a try."

And so, Blaise began a journey of guiding Y/N out of their shell. He took the time to learn about their interests, coaxing them to share their thoughts and opinions. Slowly but surely, Y/N started to open up, their shyness giving way to a newfound sense of self-assurance.

As the weeks went by, Blaise and Y/N formed an unlikely bond. Blaise's snobbish exterior gradually melted away, revealing a kind and patient side that Y/N hadn't expected. Blaise, in turn, discovered the joy of genuine connections rather than superficial ones.

One day, as they sat beneath a large oak tree by the Black Lake, Y/N found the courage to express their gratitude. Looking up at Blaise, who was seated on the grass next to them, they said, "Thank you, Blaise. You've helped me grow so much. I never thought I'd be able to have conversations like this. Before we met, I was so shy and insecure that I could barely talk to anyone. But you never made me feel like I was strange or different in any way. You always accepted me for who I am, and that has made all the difference."

Blaise gave them a soft smile, his eyes crinkling kindly as he looked down at Y/N. "The pleasure is all mine," he said. "You know, Y/N, before we met, I was pretty wrapped up in my own world. Being popular, being the life of the party, always getting my way; that was the only thing that mattered to me. I never really stopped to appreciate the little things in life, what really mattered and made me happy. But being around you has taught me the value of patience and understanding. I've come to realize that there's more to life than just appearances”

As Blaise spoke, Y/N's heart swelled with happiness. They could hardly believe that they had found acceptance from someone like Blaise—one of the most popular and confident students in the whole school. Before meeting him, Y/N had always felt like an outcast, like they didn't belong. But here they were, enjoying a moment of genuine connection with someone who had come to understand them and accept them for who they were.

As the sun set on the Hogwarts grounds, casting a golden glow over the pair, Blaise and Y/N sat in comfortable silence, content in each other's presence. Their journey together had transformed them both, proving that sometimes, the most unlikely friendships could blossom from the unlikeliest of circumstances.

#blaise zabini #blaise zabini x you #blaise zabini x reader #blaise zabini x y/n #blaise zabini headcanons #slytherin #slytherin boys #harry potter #harry potter hc #strangers to friends

[autisticlancemcclain]

prev

———

“See! There it is again! It is going to attack us, we must act immediately!”

Keith wonders how badly it will make everything worse if he feigns a heart attack. He thinks he could be pretty convincing.

“Animals make noises,” Keith says tiredly. “The roars are not getting any closer. How did the previous attacks go? Was there some sort of roar-increase?”

The dignitary hesitates. “Well, no. The first time it happened the beast seemed startled, and then it was angry.”

“Shocking, that,” Lance says, and this time no one fights him.

The longer this debate has been going on, the clearer and clever it has become that Lance was correct.

Before they decided to go after the beast, the team decided it would be best to get as much information from the dignitary, security team, and royal family of the planet as possible. They expected it would take maybe half a varga to go over a couple reports, make a plan, and go after the beast – and hopefully manage to subdue it rather than kill it, to solve the problem on as many fronts and please as many people as possible.

Of course, because the universe finds their endless struggle amusing, it did not go that way. Instead, they’ve been here for the past four vargas at least, trying to get as much information as possible from the scattered reports and eye-witness accounts they could gather, all while half-watching Lance in tense silence (who, to be fair, has mostly stayed in one place and ignored everyone except for making the occasional bitchy comment).

They are getting nowhere.

It turns out the royal family and many community leaders are not nearly as fond as the dignitary and the soldiers of killing the beast. No one can agree on anything, not a plan of attack, not a plan to avoid attack, nothing. Keith has been listening to the same circular arguments ever since he got here, and as the not-black-paladin, he’s expected to contribute, so he has to pay attention. And usually that’s tolerable – it’s not the first time he’s expected to participate in a meeting that has gone on forever and done nothing productive, nor will it be the last – because he’s got Lance next to him, with a running commentary and joke stream that makes the whole thing easier to bear, along with a steady hand on his arm when he gets mad and often even a solution to wrap the whole thing up.

But, obviously, Lance is furious with him and everyone, right now, and is sitting as far away from Keith as he can manage, doodling on his holopad.

It’s miserable.

“I simply feel like there are more options that we should consider,” someone says diplomatically. Since that is literally the ninth time that exact sentence in that exact tone has been said in this meeting, Keith does not get his hopes up. He’s honestly half prepared to die and be buried in this stupid meeting room.

As the room descends into arguing once again, with absolutely zero new conclusions or changes, Keith finally gives up on paying any further attention. There’s nothing he’s missing, there’s nothing he’s contributing, and, he will admit it, doing meetings without Lance on his team is genuinely more than he can handle. He has no idea when he reached this level of codependency – because he can distinctly recall a point in time where doing meetings with Lance so much as in the same room would have them at each other’s throats in seconds – but he is in no place to handle it now. He lets himself drift, staring out the window across the table from him and deliberately thinking of anything except the flash of hurt in Lance’s eyes before it settled into fury, last night during the call.

As he observes the pretty scenery in front of him, rolling hills of yellow grass and an off-blue sky, he notices something strange along the backdrop of a pretty countryside. Along the edge of the far-off forest, there is a dark spot, out of place from its surroundings. He squints his eyes, leaning forward to try and figure out what it is. His posture piques the curiosity of the others at the table, and soon everyone is looking at the spot, watching with growing concern as it seems to get bigger, significantly bigger, and starts even to take shape.

“It has come again,” the dignitary says, hushed. They have genuine fear reflected in their eyes, which softens Keith slightly towards them. Maybe they aren’t just being a stubborn dick.

It takes a second to process, but soon the room descends into chaos, because for all that they have been discussing for hours, no plans have been made. Time is up, though. The beast as come to them, and now they must plan on the fly.

“Ready the guards,” says the queen. “Be vigilant and prepared. I would have appreciated more time, but there is none. We must be prepared to protect ourselves and our people. Last time we managed to scare it off with –”

“Wait!” Pidge shouts, the only one still sitting and facing the window. There is command in her voice, the likes Keith rarely hears from her, and her fingers twitch like they do when she’s calculating something in her head, solving a problem none of them even considered. “Nobody move!”

All the gathered officials in the room stand in tense silence, half watching Pidge and half watching the rapidly approaching beast. As it gets closer, it becomes apparent that it’s not approaching on its own. The beast, which Keith can now see resembles a truly gigantic bear, has a carefully bandaged leg, more than is capable for an animal, and is guided forward but someone sitting on its back, tiny in comparison to its head but visibly determined from even this distance.

“I knew it!” Pidge crows, springing up from her seat and pointing at Lance with manic glee in her eyes. “I fucking knew it! Your posture is way too good!”

Lance stares at her for several moments, eyebrow raised, and then sighs. Keith watches with a dropped jaw as he grows several inches taller, as his hair gets redder and his face gets bushier, until Coran sits in the place where Lance just was.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Shiro mutters, dragging his hand down his face. “I’m going back to the astral plane.”

Coran shrugs. “Lance’s plan simply had more research and direction. Also, I’ve not been out on a mission in too long. I will admit that played a role in my decision.”

“Well, Jesus, Coran, do you think we maybe could have –”

“Hey, guys, not to interrupt, but the giant beast is getting closer, people are aiming fire at it, and my dumbass best friend is currently riding on its back, so,” Hunk says. “Can we maybe worry about that first?”

The seriousness of the situation hits them all pretty quickly, and they adjust their attitudes accordingly. Lance is approaching faster by the second, no longer a shadow in the distance but a distinct figure, waving his hands like a dumbass and either completely oblivious or completely apathetic to the myriad of weapons, poised to fire, pointed in his direction by a horde of soldiers. The team rush outside with the rest of the officials, calling out for people to hold their fire, although it doesn’t do much, and the great beast swerves several times to avoid getting blasted.

“Stop! Stop! Don’t shoot! That’s a paladin!”

“Fire away!” the dignitary shouts over them, fury lighting their features and stubborn set to their jaw. “The insolence of their paladin does not negate the risk the beast poses!”

The paladins and the dignitary, along with several others on their side, glare at each other. The team may not approve of Lance’s methods, and there will be some serious discussion later, but that doesn’t change the fact that their fucking friend is out there being shot at, and they’re not going to stand back and let it happen.

“I swear, if you hurt him –”

“If he wasn’t trying to be hurt he shouldn’t have –”

“Hold on!” Lance shouts, finally close enough to hear. “Everyone – cool it for a sec! Hold on!”

———

next

#one part left i think!!! #whooo!!! #vld #voltron #keith #keith kogane #lance #lance mcclain #klance #pre klance #team as family #lance is a disney princess #lance is good with animals #complicated situations #keith is a good leader #or at least he’s trying to be #my writing #longpost

[sgiandubh]

Hi there. I enjoyed your post about Sam’s brand and it got me thinking. I feel like he’s stuck between trying to do what other people tell him he should to “make it” and trying to do it himself. Other people: you’re hot, show it off, do action movies, date blonde floozies. Himself: I want to be a good person and a decent actor, but what if I’m not? Guess I should work a lot, build a non-acting brand just in case I get fired, but try not to pay too many people to market it, I can do that myself; the liquor has the added benefit of getting his name out there and hopefully giving him another income stream if acting goes to shit. Where this all becomes problematic is that he’s not the person others tell him to be, so he comes off as fake, inconsistent, disingenuous, contradictory. I worry though that he can’t break away from these “advisors” because of whatever hole he and caitriona have themselves in with Starz and their bosses. We may not all agree on what happened in 2016 or why, but it’s obvious something did. The difference between them both since then is stark. The light has dimmed. They’ve aged exponentially. They’re guarded. They’re not the effervescent dynamos they started out as. She looks pissed all the time, like she’ll trot Tony out if necessary, but she won’t look like she enjoys it. She’ll go to awards ceremonies, but she won’t look as gorgeous as she easily could. She won’t be their ingenue. I don’t know, I think they’re stuck and are limited in what they can actually do for themselves, as much as they might like to. I can only hope there is an end in sight for them and they can persevere until then!

PS, I watched She Said last night. Highly recommend for anyone who doesn’t think a network executive could or would force their tent pole stars to deny a relationship.

Dear She Said Anon,

I liked your submission so much, I have read it three times in a row (and damn the late hour!). I have very few things to add to your excellent assessment of what I think is a very complicated situation. The proverbial Scottish parsimony could explain the choice of a minimally budgeted, all hands on deck sales and advertising approach. But we are quickly passing this stage and he should seriously think of hiring true professionals, if he really wants to make a financial lifebelt out of SS.

Yes. There's a price to be paid for all the games they are being served to play (and yes, something terrible happened in January 2016, of which we will probably never have the full details). Both of them are now striving to show us they can (scantily, painfully) exist without the magical Other. She, with that colorless, wrist-grabbing, fist-clenching literally dumb person (strictly meaning that we never hear him). He, with that (forgive me, Father, for I am about to sin) questionable, loud and tacky Oriental consigliere (it is high time I should write that paper on the Persia I know and love, lest you or other Anon think I am racist, or something). You can't figure out more opposite add-ons to Those Two, both serving, I believe, the same purpose: to deflect, at all costs, any attention given to the real state of play.

I haven't watched She Said yet and I welcome and thank you for the suggestion. On a lighter note, I trade for it Call My Agent (I have already mentioned this very, very witty French series, dealing with the life in a Parisian talent agency) - it shouldn't be a problem to find it on Netflix.

Good night, Anon. This one below is me thanking you for your trouble and time writing this wonderful post. Just look at Mitsuko Uchida's genuine Joy while playing Beethoven - same energy as Two People We Know, back in 2014, right?

#Anon

[gravity-barbie]

The Sparrows Having a crush on you HCs

Request @starfishfaerie

Umbrella version

Masterlist

A/N: I didn’t include Christopher cause I hit writers block really quick when I tried to

Marcus Hargreeves

-Honestly Marcus doesn’t even consider that you might reject him

-He is the epitome of smooth, casually flirting with you with enough charm to keep your attention without ever coming across as too forward or creepy

-Though the fact that he’s so relaxed about it can make you question how serious he’s being

-He’s not above trying to impress you with both the fame of being a superhero and holding the coveted number one slot of the sparrows

-He’s respectful enough to want to do the right thing by you but he has no reference for what that would be

-He’s even unsure about making his move, fearing he’d endanger you

Ben Hargreeves

-Ben’s fairly self-confident so he’s not afraid to put himself out there however he does think his feelings for you would interfere with his other goals so doesn’t act on them

-Actually he kind of resents his crush because of that, he’s mad at himself for letting you distract him, and you do distract him

-Still he tries to keep you interested in him, in his own way, doing things like humble-bragging about his accomplishments in crime-fighting

-And whenever you respond with anything remotely ego-stroking it’s just the best feeling in the world

-Though he really tries to keep his guard up around you something about your company relaxes him, you wouldn’t know it thanks to his uptightness but the time he spends with you is the happiest he ever is

-You do occasionally see his softer side but whenever anyone else is around he completely freezes you out, like a switch is flipped

-He’s definitely prone to jealousy, he tries not to give those feelings the time of day but whenever your relationship with a viable romantic partner advances he’s fuming and all his siblings will notice he’s more irritable than usual

Fei Hargreeves

-It takes a while for Fei to start to let you in but it’s soon after that that she -much to her concern- develops a crush on you

-She really tries to fight these feelings, considering them a weakness and a distraction from her duty

-But it’s a rare treat for her to have someone in her life as warm and trustworthy as you and she’s kind of hooked on it

-She takes as many steps as possible to make sure your association with her doesn’t endanger you

-In general she’s fairly protective of you and more than willing to unleash her flock on someone who gives you trouble

-She has a knack for finding excuses to see you without alerting Reginald or her siblings to her interest or talking her way out of any suspicion they do develop

-It takes some time but eventually you get the honour of being one of the only people to get to know her relaxed, fun side and after even more time it becomes her default around you

Alphonso Hargreeves

-Honestly Alphonso would rather not have the feelings for you that he does, he kind of considers them an inconvenience

-He doesn’t drop many hints about his crush, he’s actually kind of scared of you figuring it out

-He tries to give you his signature snark but it’s undeniably less vicious than usual and just turns into you two bantering

-Actually he can’t bare to hurt your feelings, he had on a few occasions before he got to know you better and it still haunts him

-He’s considered telling Jayme about you thousands of times just to get it off his chest and get a fresh perspective but he never goes through with it

-He’s a bit over-protective, getting suspicious of many of the people you come into contact with and when someone gives him a genuine reason to be he has a wonderful time tearing them apart (probably just verbally)

-He can’t stop himself from getting in pissing contests with any person who shows romantic interest in you

Sloane Hargreeves

-Sloane falls hard and is soon acting like a lovesick teenager, doing everything but doodling your name in her notebook

-Part of her is more nervous around you than she is in the tensest of battles and part of her is more carefree than she ever thought she could be

-She’s quite the daydreamer, imagining scenarios of the future you two could have together, or ways to confess her feelings

-She wants to learn anything about you that you’ll tell her

-She’s the only one that would really intend to act on her feelings, she already wanted to leave the academy but after falling for you that desire ramps up to 11

-She tries very hard to keep her family away from you and keep her crush a secret from them, only seeing you discreetly

-You can probably pick up on her crush, she treats you with almost too much kindness (especially from a Hargreeves) and is always brimming with enthusiasm to be around you

Sloane’s reaction to you having a crush on her

Jayme Hargreeves

-Attraction crosses her mind every time she sees you but it takes her a while to commit to the thought

-She tries to suppress her feelings, as since you’re almost definitely weaker than her caring about you makes her feel more vulnerable than she’d like

-She doesn’t talk to you much more than anyone else but what she has said has been able to make you laugh or blush

-She pokes fun at you a fair bit, partially to deflect from her soft spot for you and partially because she likes flustering you

-Alphonso is the only person that really suspects anything, he never directly addresses it (knowing all to well it’s not a safe subject) but he does occasionally subtly tease Jayme with the implication that he knows

-Despite loving her downtime she’d sacrifice it in a heartbeat to hang out with you

-She doesn’t bother trying to figure out if you like her back, partially fearing that you wont but also fearing that you will, because it still wouldn’t mean you could necessarily be together

#the umbrella academy #the sparrow academy #the umbrella academy imagine #the umbrella academy preferences #tua x reader #tua x you #marcus hargreeves x reader #ben hargreeves x reader #fei hargreeves x reader #alphonso hargreeves x reader #sloane hargreeves x reader #jayme hargreeves x reader #sparrow ben x reader