#makes it feel like the goal was 'make them cute and fashionable by Anime Standards' was the primary goal

[pied-piper-pluto]

freiren sounds so up my alley and the one thing that's holding me back from watching it is that I hate the costume designs.... this is not a freiren-exclusive problem i feel that way about most fantasy anime these days it just bothers me with freiren because otherwise i Want to watch it

#i have trouble putting the beef into words but here is an attempt: #the outfits feel too much like something you'd see someone wearing In Real Life and it breaks my immersion #this would be less annoying to me if it felt equal between male and female characters but the boy outfits feel more fantasyish #but it feels more pronounced with the girl characters #makes it feel like the goal was 'make them cute and fashionable by Anime Standards' was the primary goal #and 'character build or worldbuild via costume design' ws at best a distant second #i could abide Aesthetic First costume design if it was an aesthetic i like but i don't like the aesthetic theyre going for #feels overly cluttered with small details that feel very Modern to me #and also it always bugs me when it feels like a show defaults to Thighs Visible on Only the girl character designs #freiren does not seem particularly fanservicey and that almost makes it more grating for me #if it didn't Smack Of Gender it wouldnt bug me #if short shorts are an element of your fantasy setting why not have at least one dude wear em is all im sayin #anyway apologies to any freiren fans who stumble upon this post like i said it sounds good and i want to watch it #and am happy you can enjoy what i cannot #rambles

[coral-melon]

Hi! looks like requests are open, so can I have a matchup for Obey Me please?

I guess I'll go by 🍰. My pronouns are she/her and I'm pansexual

Appearance: I'm a short, dirty-blonde haired woman (161 cm) and a little on the heavier side 🥲. My hair is usually cut to my shoulders. I like to dress in cute and comfortable clothing, and my friends say I have good taste in fashion. Most of my closet gives cottagecore vibes and my favourite colours are green and pink. I'm half French and half Italian if that's gonna affect my matchup

My MBTI + Enneagram is ISFJ 2w1 and my star sign is Aries, but I'd say I'm VASTLY more chill than the stereotype

Personality and Interests: I like to say I'm a kind and cheerful person, and people just feel at ease talking with me. One thing my friends and family especially likes about me is my smile. They just can't help but feel happy when they see it (allegedly). I mentioned that I was on the heavy side, and that really took a toll on my mental health, especially in my childhood. I had to work so hard to rebuild my self esteem and my own health (kids can be so cruel sometimes. goddamn 😭). I'm happy to say that I'm in a much better place now. I work out because it makes me happy, and I eat healthy for the same reason. I still cannot burn off the stubborn fat though 🥲. My insecurities often get the better of me sometimes, but I try to persevere regardless. My main goal in life is to make people smile, so I want to own a bakery in the future. My family is a strong believer in the power of kindness, so I believe that's how I can uphold that belief. I love making food and my love language is making food for others, especially sweets

Likes: Baking, cooking, sweets, sharing the baked goods I made with my friends and loved ones, anime, video games, clothes

Dislikes: Bullies, confrontation, fake friends, dishonesty, cruelty, spicy food

Hello -🍰! It’s a pleasure to meet you and thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself!

Side note: My hopeless romantic ass couldn’t help but wonder over all the possibilities I could write for you; I hope I can make you smile and have a bit of fun while reading this🥰

I match you with…~

❥ I can’t even begin to explain just how head over heels he is about you.

❥ I immediately thought Howl’s moving castle vibes.. he manages to find every part of you beautiful, even when you don’t think you are based on conventional standards.

❥ He fawns over the little things you do; to the point where even other demons are shocked with how often he thinks of you instead of himself.

❥ But your smile and laugh leave him with heart eyes.. His heart just wants to pound right out of his chest. He always lets you know how much he loves it! how he’d wish he could seduce you!

❥ As you’ve said, he also find you to be a total ease to be around. He doesn’t feel pressured to have to pose as the figure he has made himself to be and it’s a refreshing break for him. He can just be himself around you; He feels safe ^^

❥ You being the absolute Angel that you are, you’ve never judged him; but instead see him for who he really is. How could he possibly think of anyone else?

❥ Your shopping dates are always fun and eventful. You’re a total doll and he wants nothing more than to just spoil you with outfits. Anything that will make you shine, so he wants you to gain confidence in yourself! And what better way to do that than making you feel like you could take over the world, baby gurl~? ;)

❥ I’d imagine that both of you have a similar way of eating. He works out too, so you can join each other! He’s work out is nothing compared to Beel’s, but that’s the good thing about it; it gets the job done and is very good for the body and mind. Overall, it’s very energizing👍

❥ But you can be open to him with whatever’s on your mind. He’d never brush away your feelings; rather, he always has them in mind. Your always so cheerful that it worries him sometimes if you don’t tell him somethings up.

❥ He himself does it, he doesn’t want to burden others with negative stuff. So both of you come to an understanding and help each other out if you need to let something out of your system.

❥ If you’re feeling insecure about anything, he’ll do anything and everything in his power to make you feel other wise. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, he’ll be by your side every step of the way.

❥ 1000% supports your dream of opening your own bakery! He always takes pictures of everything you make your him; he doesn’t even care if he’s on a diet, he’ll eat and enjoy every last bite of it. If Beel doesn’t get to it first..

❥ And when you open it? It’ll be one of the most sought out bakery in all of Devildom! Your business if gonna boom and your life is set forever! >:D✨

❥ As I e said before, there’s a lot of times where he catches himself thinking about you rather than himself. He loves you, like, a lot! And everyone knows that. But he wants you to know that. You’re precious~

End

Aaaahhh! I took too damn long to finish this but I hope you see this and end up liking it! I felt butterflies while writing this, I just hope it doesn’t suck 🥲

Take care and have an amazing day/night -🍰! luv ya~ ♡

#-🍰 #obey me #obey me headcanons #obey me matchups #obey me requests

[spectrumed]

2. voice

As a child I could not pronounce the letter R. I once complained to my mother for being so careless as to give me a name that had two R’s in it. Fredrik. Or as I pronounced it back then, “Fledlik.” Cute, right? I was a cute child, all blonde and with big blue eyes. At one point, I got surrounded by a group of older girls who forced me to pronounce my name, even though I really couldn’t. They laughed and laughed, teasing me for my inability to pronounce even my own name correctly. If I ever had a reason to develop a fetish for femdom, I think this would have been it.

Like it or not, in speech, there is no room for individual quirks. No, we’ve all got to learn how to speak properly. Historically, that has led to some pretty heinous attitudes towards regional accents, any tongue that was the standard was seen by default as being less or developed and intelligent. Regional accents were seen as practically unhygienic, the worry being that if people just got to speak as they wished, they might end up potentially thinking dangerous thoughts. While I understand the importance of being understood, it’s clear that the stigma that exists around speech difficulties stems from a place of prejudice. If a person has a lisp, do you really struggle to understand them? And while stammering can be quite debilitating, it should be blatantly obvious that shaming people who stammer, suggesting that they are bereft of intelligence, is not the way to help them. Humans are social animals, and language may be the one thing that distinguishes us as a species, it is natural that proper elocution should be treasured. But some people do struggle with their speech, and that should not cost them any respect or kindness.

As a child, I didn’t speak nearly enough. As an adult I am speaking too much. That’s the problem with you, Fredrik, you’ve never understood that there is a middle ground between two extremes. There is a way you can speak that is neither too quiet, nor too loud. It is how normal people speak. Why can’t you be normal, Fredrik? Are you going to spend this whole blog post talking about how difficult it is for you to simply learn to be like everyone else? Self-pitying yourself, much? Back in my day people pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, if they had something they struggled with, they learned to sort it all out, and they didn’t start complaining about society being all mean to them. You’re just spending too much time inside your own head, go take a swim, take up a hobby that requires you to step outdoors, it will serve you well. Don’t be a freak, Fredrik. Be normal, for once.

On a side note, “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is meant to be understood as an impossible feat. You can’t possibly pull yourself up by your bootstraps, it’s ludicrous to even suggest that such a thing may be feasible. While, yes, there are many things you can do to help yourself, ultimately, you can’t profoundly escape from a sorry situation you’ve found yourself in without some outside help. There is no shame in requiring help. To guilt someone into thinking that if they can’t do it alone, they are weak, is frankly sociopathic. Humans need each other, we take care of each other, we are there for each other. Self-sufficiency is great, but let’s not take it to levels of absurdity by suggesting that needing help from others is anything but normal. No-one succeeds in life without others there to prop them up. Instead of telling someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, you might as well tell them to go and swallow the sun, which is clearly another impossible task.

Most people will never in their lives experience what it is like to go through a neuropsychological evaluation. Turns out that it is not always such a pleasant experience. Though, considering the popularity of pseudo-scientific nonsense like the Myers-Briggs test, I am sure some folks would lie and pretend to love it. Certainly, there is a charm to being there and talking about yourself for several hours near-uninterrupted, but the exhaustion that you will feel at the end of it cannot be understated. Naturally, it does vary between who does it, and why they’re doing it. But if the stated goal is to find out whether you’ve had a neurodevelopmental disorder since you were but a young babe, then of course, there are going to be some pretty long conversations happening about those early days. Lots of stuff you may not have considered or thought about in a very long time will suddenly become very relevant to your current situation. And at the end of it all, you get some papers detailing your fashionable new diagnosis. Your entire life, all written down. Can make you feel rather wistful. And there’s really quite a surprising amount of typos included in the text, and barely any jokes.

Still, as part of my official diagnosis, there is a reference to my speech at being at times “stilted.” Though, the diagnosis does take very good care to mention that I appear intelligent and thoughtful, exhibiting a wide vocabulary and a good sense of the right words to use at the right moment. It’s flattering, for the most part. Yet, it does irk me that I could be perceived as being stilted. I know that at this point, I am being petty, because who cares if I sometimes come across as maybe a little robotic. I’ve got Asperger’s. Of course I am a robot. The closest role model we folks with Asperger’s ever had for the longest time was Star Trek: The Next Generation’s android named Data. God forbid anyone like me ever turned out to be the protagonist of a series, we’re all doomed to play the part of the robot, the alien, or the socially awkward geek. I should just be delighted that I am high-functioning. I know how much worse some have it. I should be grateful and pleased that I come across as mostly normal, mostly neurotypical. But… I really just don’t want anyone to think my speech is stilted. I don’t want to be Data. I want to be Riker.

It is never enough, you’ll never be good enough. If you fake it, they’ll see through it. If you struggle and if you work honestly to appear more normal, they won’t recognise it. As soon as they get an inkling you may be an imposter, looking like them, but having a neurologically deviant brain, they’ll single you out. For you, normalcy is an illusion. To attempt to be normal is to remake yourself only to receive nothing. Sure, you can be disingenuous, pretend you're not yourself, but it’ll never fool them. In the end, you’ll only lose yourself. Maybe I should just own the fact that my speech sometimes comes across as being stilted. Maybe I should own it. Be proud of who I am. But… sometimes I just don’t want to be me.

I want to be ignored. Sometimes, not always. But that goes for everyone. But most of all, I’d like to be able to go unseen whenever I’m not trying to impress anyone. When I’m just off to buy some milk. When I’m sitting on the bus. When I’m walking through the park. I know it is partly paranoia, but I can’t help but feel like I stick out. It’s always been like that with my friends growing up. The metaphor I used with my therapist is that I felt like a thumb. That they, my friends, were the fingers and I was the thumb. Sure, we’re similar. In many ways we’re the same. You could even say that I was crucial to making the social dynamics work. Who doesn’t like the thumb? What would you do without your thumb? But still, I was different. Some people would do anything to be different like that, to feel special. Some folks feel all invisible and forgotten in the crowd, and I’d lie if I told them that I didn’t envy them sometimes. The ability to go all invisible? That seems swell! There’s this question people like to ask as a sort of personality test. If you could choose a superpower, would you rather be able to fly, or would you rather be able to go invisible? The answer is obvious, as far as I’m concerned. Of course I’d love to be able to go invisible. To be able to exist without anyone seeing me. Without anyone judging me. Without ever having to worry if someone is going to treat me as different. For a moment to feel what it is like not to be some big, dumb, stupid, thumb.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not too anguished. Nowadays, I feel like I am in a relatively good place. But I would be lying if I told you that I still don’t get frustrated at the plethora of difficulties I face just trying to blend in. Even with family members, people who are supposed to know you the best, even then I have to go out of my way to behave a certain way, to exist a certain way, because fundamentally, they just don’t seem to get you. Not in that way. They have an image of you that you need to try and match. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them that sometimes you need to be more direct in your communication to truly reach me, I don’t pick up on the many smaller little social cues they may throw my way, it’s still just me being silly and looking for excuses for why I didn’t understand them the first time around. And I am deathly afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings. A very prevalent misconception about autistic individuals is that we don’t care if we’re being rude. That if we are rude, our rudeness can simply be overlooked because, y’know, we’re autistic. While this sort of thing is commonly represented in media that is supposed to depict autistic characters, in real life, things don't quite work like this. Believe it or not, readers, being autistic is not a free pass to act like a dick. Autistic individuals still very much have to modulate our behaviour if we wish to fit in and be accepted. No-one will ever excuse you for being autistic. To be autistic is living with extra hurdles in your way, thinking that it’s anything but a social handicap is romanticising a diagnosis you clearly know very little about.

When I was a kid, I didn’t speak much. As far as I was concerned, I merely spoke whenever I needed to speak. It took until adulthood for me to learn that my parents and teachers were actually concerned about that. I was made to see a specialist, under the guise of learning elocution, but I’ve later come to realise that those meetings were about more than just learning to pronounce the letter R. Like, what does testing my memory have to do with diction? Yes, her job was partly to help my speech develop more in line with the other kids, but she was also there to evaluate whether or not I was intellectually disabled. I have come to learn that I had teachers at the time that were adamant about me going to a different school, more equipped to handle kids like me, but my mother vehemently defended my right to stay in the school I was in. After all, I did have friends, and to anyone who really knew me, they knew that I was a bright child. Sure, I wasn’t as communicative as the other children, but I clearly had no issues processing information, and it’s not like I was disruptive in some other way. But that was also part of the problem. The teachers that thought that I may need specialist schooling were concerned about the fact that I was too placid and too agreeable. They wanted me to express frustration at my lacking pronunciation, to see me get mad at others for not fully understanding me. That amazes me, if anything. The fact that I was a happy kid they took as some indication that I wasn’t quite right.

My mother delights in a memory of me as a kid once slamming my fist on the table and declaring that “now, I am speaking!” May I remind you that I was a cute kid. Sure, it is the sort of behaviour that parents of the old times would have spanked their kids for. Kids in the past were supposed to be quiet. To be seen, but not heard. I wonder if there’d be any kind of hubbub about my early development if I lived back then. I’d probably be seen as the ideal child, all pretty and docile and never too loud. Still, it was a moment my mother cherished, because for once, I really proved that I did have the capacity to speak. Though, I still couldn’t pronounce my R’s. But it was time for Fledlik to speak.

#neurodiversity #neurodivergent #autism spectrum disorder #autism #aspergers #mental health

[darklightsworld]

Hello, I remember you saying some time ago you didn't like how female characters are portrayed in (current) anime because of how annoying and, maybe, misogynistic their archetypes are. Could you maybe elaborate on this point? I feel similar but can't articulate well and always end up feeling like I'm the one being misogynistic whenever this type of subject comes up in conversation x.x Sorry if this comes up as too personal.

Sorry about the late reply, I have been busy with a conference. Also sorry, because my answer is a bit long and all over the place ^^;

This is a difficult question, especially because nowadays people like to think in black and white, and everything is so extreme, like if they don’t like something, then it must be wrong and eliminated, not to mention the policing of every content based to this – which kills diversity and dismisses personal (and gendered) preferences. What I think is really a personal preference and not exactly a general critique of female characters in anime, especially because there are many factors to consider (genre, age and gender or the target audience, cultural background, etc.), and there’s also the audience with its multiple readings.

Personally I dislike most female character types manga and anime has to give, because I’m not really a person for overly feminine and girly things. The Japanese ideal is very cutesy and it’s the standard in both media for men, women and also real life. Not just looks, there is also the behavior side of things, the cutesy, childish, girly ideal, the passivity, helplessness, pretending to be stupid, etc, and I outright hate it when female characters are treated as stupid, clumsy messes. The question is, though, is this ideal really conservative and an embodiment of the toxic patriarchal system? Actually not necessarily. They definitely originate from the oppressive system, but over the decades girls made these ideals their own, and turned them into a weapon to get what they want. Even in real life, fashion is very feminine for me, always with frills, ribbons, flitters, tons of dresses and skirts, and it’s difficult to find plain clothes without any decoration, not to mention all the cuteness in goods and stuff, but as for the behavior of girls and women, the cutesy ideal seems more like a role to be played at a certain age or for certain purposes, like getting things they want and eventually the man. A woman, who didn’t like this ideal herself defined it as “they had to play the wounded deer”. Actually women, who use this role too much and even among women, are usually hated – this is the infamous burikko.

But no matter how they were in their younger years, married women don’t use this role anymore, and they seamlessly slip into a different identity, one that rules the family and the finances with iron fist (I’m stereotyping) – nothing cutesy, helpless or stupid about that. The Japanese themselves are aware of this cutesy role, both men and women, it’s their version of cunning flirtatiousness, it’s just a very different type of flirtatiousness than in the West. For example, there is currently even a tv show enacting certain situations where this cutesy behavior is used to get the man, and the hosts rate how effective the cutesy behavior was. But while I understand intellectually that these are not necessarily misogynistic stereotypes, I have some kind of a visceral hatred for them. The above tv show makes me outright nauseous. It’s a personal preference, and I don’t think I have to like these character types. But I also don’t think they should be erased from Japanese media, and it would be a mistake trying to push my very independent Western values onto such a different culture, so I rather avoid these characters – which is not easy.

So, what does this mean for anime and manga? Both are largely determined by genres (manga more than anime), genres work with clean-cut character types, tropes, traditions and reader expectation, so there is a reason why female (and male) characters are the way they are in different genres. Male-oriented works will obviously have female characters that appeal to men even if the work doesn’t have in your face fanservice shots (though let’s face it, if it’s anime, most of them do). I don’t like these female character types, I don’t think I have to like them, they are clearly not geared toward me, but I also don’t think they shouldn’t be there in a clearly male-oriented media. Sure, there can be discussions about removing overly exploitive situations, harassment and rape or things like that, but I’m not really against letting men have their fun – because I expect to have that same freedom in media geared toward women. There are occasionally unisex anime, but usually they still serve one or the other demographic in a way, and I don’t think it’s possible to create truly unisex anime that everybody will be satisfied with – fanservice for women will always bother men, and fanservice for men will always bother women.

Shōjo manga is a more difficult question, because somewhere in the 70s romance started to focus on imperfect heroines who still got the best guy, because he loved them regardless of their imperfections (“I love you the way you are”), and since then the genre is full of the stupid, clumsy, indecisive, housewife material archetype without any dreams beyond getting the boy (or very old-school women job dreams), which does not appeal to me either, so I usually avoid most romance shōjo manga, especially the high school variant, and even most josei manga, because I don’t care for the adult version of the same with marriage as the end goal *shrug* Actually it’s not even about these things only, like, I disliked Arte too (though not shōjo manga), despite it trying (and failing) to pose as a feminist social commentary, just because the mc way annoying. Fortunately there are a lot of other types of shōjo manga as well, even with more appealing female characters or the best, without female characters (plus the whole BL scene), so it’s not all that bad, at least in manga, not so much in anime. Interestingly, I’m much more compatible with shōjo manga by fujoshi artists. If I like a shōjo manga, usually the artist ends up coming out as a fujoshi after a while by posting BL fanart on her twitter or drawing outright BL manga – it’s been a pattern XD

Anime is more difficult, but I also admit, that my tastes might be extreme. In Japan there are many female fans who love the cute female characters of male-oriented media. Many women like Love Live, for example, because the girls are, I quote, “so cuuuuuute” – while I am fighting nausea… Yeah, Japan is imbued with cute. It’s especially difficult, because I’m usually not willing to watch a series even if there are such female characters in supporting roles or as a second protagonist with male characters I would love to see (Cop Craft was a recent-ish example). And while I avoid female only casts on principle, sometimes there are surprises. For example, the Yashahime anime has terrible writing, but I don’t hate the three main female characters (even if occasionally the anime has some iffy things to say about femininity).

I also mentioned multiple readings. It is important to note that the audience does not necessarily interpret everything the same, especially if there are cultural differences. One of the most famous examples for this is Sailor Moon, which was the incarnation of girl power and emancipation in the West in the 90s, but it has the same “dumb heroine gets the dream guy” trope, and the same conservative message of getting married and giving birth to children as any average shōjo manga, and the same “so cuuuuute” packaging. It really depends on the audience what they get away with.

All in all there are preferences, genre conventions, cultural differences, so the whole thing is quite difficult. But I don’t think you need to be worried about not liking or being uncomfortable with certain character types. And it would be a stretch to consider tastes like mine, for example, misogynistic. Sure, even in real life I make a wide berth around overly girly or feminine women (among others), but it can’t be helped, you can’t like and be friends with everyone, and I guess they wouldn’t like me or wanting to be my friend either. And that’s fine, and I don’t think it’s misogynistic for me to reject certain types of femininity for myself and to interact with, as long as I don’t want to erase or invalidate them, or deem them as inferior – and I don't. Of course, this is the attitude I expect towards myself as well. Live and let live 🖖

#magnoliawaltz

[serendipitybutterfly]

So continuing on the theme of doing cute readings... Some of you asked questions about how the members would be a boyfriends, husbands or in romance / dating in general... So here starts a new series... Beginning with the eldest, Seokjin.

*As always, these general readings are meant to be just that, very general. How a person acts in a relationship will be dependent on many factors and most people are likely to act differently depending on who they're with to some degree or another in any kind of relationship, romantic or not. This is just a light, general overview with a focus on the members core personality traits / tendencies when it comes to romance.

Seokjin in romance (a very general reading) :

When it comes to romantic relationships it seems like Seokjin has very clear expectations for both himself and the other person. He requires trust and honour very greatly. For him it's a matter of whether or not he can hold them to a similarly high standard of conduct as he holds himself. That's the firm basis of a relationship for him.

What I very clearly see is that for him, dating seriously is something that leads to marriage. That's the point of it in his opinion. I do feel like that's something he probably would make very clear to anyone he dates. He's always looking forward into the future... Of what their lives would be like together as a married couple and if they would work well together in that way. He's not someone you'd casually date for a long time in other words or date without intending to eventually get married... I get the sense that once he has decided he really likes someone he's quick to make it official and clear that he dates with a view for the relationship heading towards marriage, joining and fitting in with his family, having kids... Etc...

In a weird way, this might strangely make some people see him as charmingly childish, naive or innocent about romantic relationships... But this isn't really the case at all. Rather, he's extremely cautious. This isn't to say that I think he never dates casually or has romantic dalliances at all (I'm not saying he does that either just by the by!) but that when it comes to actual relationships he generally takes them very seriously and does not enter them lightly.

When he does, he allows his charming romantic side to blossom out of what may previously have seemed a sort of high, almost impermeable, wall behind which he carefully judged his subject of interest. Even within the relationship he may sometimes put up that wall which protects his more vulnerable side. That's simply part of his character... Something he likely perceives as a strength and even a way of protecting the people he loves.

When dating, he is a prince charming type... A perfect, almost old fashioned, gentleman. He knows 'how a man should behave' (there's probably an older man, maybe his father, who he models himself after in this regard). Once truly inlove, he sees it as his role to protect and cherish the one he loves and understands that it requires discipline, attention and a willingness to put aside one's ego to make a relationship work. He sees true love as something sacred, something worth striving for, sacrificing for... And, indeed, perhaps waiting a long time for.

Despite all this seriousness, I will say that a lot of this is actually just beneath the surface. Much of this is more about his inner thoughts on relationships, the things which inform his views, which are quite sensible and traditional... However, in love, he can often play the fool! Doing his best to make his lover laugh and smile with goofy jokes, slapstick, snarky comments... Probably also comically overdramatic expressions of adoration (that bely the true depth of his feelings... He's joking around... But he really means it!). Also, despite those walls, he's actually very soft hearted and sensitive soul... with his love for animals coming up as significant. I'm sensing that seeing him be so very gentle and affectionate with small creatures actually reveals a big facet of his character in relationships... He's very sensitive to the needs of his lover, very gentle and very nurturing.

He might occasionally be pretty stubborn and, in the case of an argument, may often withdraw behind his walls. He's not likely to be the most open about his emotions, especially negative ones, because he believes in being strong and stoic for people in his care. However, his emotions are always deeper and fiercer than they appear and he shows the depth of his love in other ways. He wants to share everything he has with another person, to provide love, strength and security and to be the one they'll trust the most.

Overall... While Seokjin may keep things light and jovial on the surface in dating, it's pretty clear from this reading that he takes relationships very seriously and views them more as a way to test compatibility for marriage than as a goal within themselves.

Hope you enjoyed reading this! The rest of the members will be coming soon! 💜 💜 💜

#Seokjin in Romance #bts tarot reading #Bts members in romance #Tarot reading #tarot card reading #Bts #kim seokjin #Tarot

[yanabortnik]

YANA BORTNIK ( FIVEL STEWART ) is a 17 year old JUNIOR student at Broadripple Academy. SHE is originally from MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN but moved to Broadripple 3 YEARS ago. SHE is AMBITIOUS and DISCIPLINED but can also be CONDESCENDING and CRITICAL.  

BASICS

Name: Yana Mikhailovna Bortnik

Age: 17

Grade: Junior

House: Keough

Cabin Room: Room 3

How long have they been at Broadripple: 3 years

Where are they from originally: Marquette, Michigan

Extra curricular: Soccer, Speech and Debate, SWAT,  and Women of Broadripple,

PINTEREST

CHARACTER AESTHETICS

Frothy matcha lattes, a furrowed brow, bargain bin arts & crafts, the strong smell of incense, palms pressed against the bark of a tree, late night cram sessions, an old scuffed pair of crocs, vanilla yogurt topped with berries, a small collection of crystals, a grass-stained soccer ball, monochromatic outfits, a small plain Kamidana, a backpack stuffed to the brim, a folder filled with school assignments graded with anything less than an A, a smattering of freckles across a nose, nervously bitten nails, a meticulous daily planner, and a furby meme-filled album on an iPhone.

TRAITS

Positive Personality Traits: Responsible, patient, ambitious, resourceful, loyal, organized, and self-disciplined

Neutral Personality Traits: Cautious, realistic, practical, methodical, business-oriented, serious, and suspicious

Negative Personality Traits: Sensitive, know-it-all, expects the worst, nosey, cheap, and rarely satisfied

FACTS

Yana is from Marquette, Michigan—a friendly, scenic, and cold place on the Upper Peninsula. Her mother is originally from Japan and moved to the United States to attend university and she stayed after she met Yana’s father. Yana has an older brother, Mikhail (Misha), who was born in New York, but then a job opportunity cropped up for her father that brought the family halfway across the country and dumped them in Michigan.

Yana’s parents are hardworking, no-nonsense, and both functioning alcoholics. Yana and Misha’s upbringing was, as a result, a little distant and sanitized, and has led Yana to push herself as far and hard as she can in order to feel like she has done something right by them. But mostly, not much she can do catches their attention.

Enter: Broadripple Academy in her google search for “top prestigious boarding schools grades 9-12.” Yana dedicated the entirety of eight grade to cramming for the entrance exam and convinced at least half a dozen of her teachers to send letters of recommendation or to help her with the application. While the Montessori school she attended wasn’t bad per se, it didn’t have the stature a place like Broadripple Academy did. It was a ticket to a great college, to a great future, and maybe like… a hearty pat on the back from her dad or a congratulatory hug from her mom????

She paid all the fees with money she made from babysitting over the previous two years, forged her parents’ signatures (as she was accustomed to), and her parents didn’t find out she had even applied until she got the acceptance letter. Their reaction was, as per usual, lackluster. They condescendingly thought it was cute that she had done all this on her own, bragged to their friends about how they helped her get in, and then in the fall Yana was shipped off.

What motivates Yana is not perfection but success, and it does have the habit of driving her up the wall sometimes but that is just the kind of sacrifice she has to make in order to fulfill a goal. She is very future-oriented in that when she first arrived at Broadripple she had a bit of a I’m Not Here To Make Friends outlook (though undoubtedly made 2-3 really close friends within the first couple months and has assumed her role as Mom Friend yes hello these are wanted connections).

Her dad is an atheist but her mom practices Shinto and used to be a Buddhist. When Yana and Misha were young, she really immersed them in both religions. They sporadically attended Lake Superior Zendo back home until Yana was about twelve and they still perform Shinto prayers at home at a Kamidana.

She is really dedicated to their studies and heavily side-eyes everyone who doesn’t take school seriously. Like, guys don’t you realize how lucky you are to be here!!! 

HEADCANONS

Back home, Yana has a pet ferret named Pasha. If you are a friend of hers, you know everything about him from the little snuffling sounds he makes while he sleeps, his favorite treats, and the “walks” through the park that Yana takes him on when she’s home. He is her baby and she misses him. </3

Yana is quite... economical (i.e. cheap as hell). Her brother made her a tie-dye shirt that says ‘Dollar Tree Prom King 2008′ (an inside joke). She really values independence and money = independence, y’know? It’s just another thing she doesn’t have to worry about bothering her parents for, so she works at a restaurant and babysits almost nonstop whenever she’s home so she has spending money while at school.

Which reminds me that she feels like an awful daughter for literally no valid reason. That’s just what checked out parents do to you, I guess. :/

Though she’s a very serious person the things she finds funny are usually bizarre, nonsensical memes and she particularly loves furby ones, especially the long furby blessed be his name etc etc. 

She has a small crystal collection that she uses for things like concentration, energy, calmness, self love, etc. Does she sincerely believe they do anything? I’m gonna go ahead and give it a 50/50. She does enjoy the ritual of charging them and doing full moon stuff. Who’s down to bask in the moonlight???

When not wearing the school-regulated Oxfords or her standard pair of white sneakers Yana is, in fact, wearing a pair of light blue crocs. They’re comfy, okay!!! Also fashion-wise, she does wear a lot of monochromatic outfits. If you go to her Pinterest page that I linked above you’ll see what I mean. Nothing too weird just like, a Brand.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RETREAT

What do they think about The Retreat? Yana is someone who feels her goals are in danger and/or inconvenienced by the Retreat. She very much wants to be at Broadripple and she’s going to be worrying about her GPA and missed opportunities from not being on campus. It makes her uneasy and she’s anxious to get back tot he dorms.

Do they have any previous experience with camping or other outdoors? She was in the Girl Scouts when she was a kid and attended Girl Scout Camp for a couple weeks for a few summers, but other than that her family’s connection to the outdoors was pretty regimented in religious ceremony a lot of the time. But she did grow up with a lot of people in Michigan who camped and did outdoors-y stuff, so she picked up one small things but nothing that would be very useful at the Retreat.

What does their cabin bunk look like? How will they decorate their space? Yana isn’t a neat freak by any means but she does value organization. She has her crystals laid out on her bedside table (they are usually on her desk back in the dorm), a couple sticks of incense, and her clothes are all neatly folded and put away. She has designated a spot beside her bed for all her school stuff, and then she has a framed photo of herself and her brother propped up nearby (see here). She also has a tote bag of like, cheap crafts supplies to do in her “downtime” as a form of chilling lmao. She had more miscellaneous decorative stuff back in her dorm that she didn’t bring.

Do they believe in the supernatural? To what degree? In a sense, yeah, depending on your definition of what is or isn’t supernatural. Going to take a direct quote here but: “informed by Shinto beliefs around notions of animism — a soul (“reikon”) lives within all existence and phenomena. Everyday things — from objects to plants to mountains — can be defined as ‘kami’ or deities.” So in a sense that she believes in deities, yes. But monsters? Cryptids? Ghosts? Not really.

Are they easily spooked? Actually, yes asdkjn. She’s just very verrrrrry jumpy. It doesn’t take much to startle her honestly.

AND FINALLY,

A very dumb but (hopefully) fun quiz made by your admins, please share what result you got

you will sacrifice yourself for someone else

your one of the purer hearts of broadripple, you may not even know the person you sacrifice yourself for that well but you think its the right thing to do. and maybe it is. but would they do the same thing for you?

genuinely didn’t expect it tbh! but aw

#retreat:intro #alcoholism tw #hmu if u wanna plot i have a few wanted connects for one in my gd life!!!! #i mean it's just 2-3 real good friends and one ex-boyfriend (i have details xoxo) #once*

[bi-bobbysoxxers]

🏀, 📖, 🎸, 🚗, 👤, 📼, 💄, 🔮, 🎁, 💞, 👭, 💘, 🕛, ⛅ for the Gay/Lesbian ask game please?

Alrighty lol xD

🏀🏐 Do you play any sports?

Uh, not anymore unfortunately. When i was in middle school, i played basketball, volleyball, did cheerleading, and was in running club. In highschool, i did cross country in the fall, and i think that's it lol, since i was mostly obsessed with doing theatre lol. I realy liked building the sets and painting, and being on running crew lol. If i ever decided to join a sport, it would be either soccer or beach volleyball, since those seem the most fun. And good cardio too!

📖 Do you write?

Yeah, occasionally lol. I'm not the greatest writer ever, but i'd like to think i'm proud of the work that I've posted. Mostly just Haikyuu and K Project fics. Here's my AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElotheFairy

Eventually i want to write some BSD and She-Ra fics, cause i have some ideas, i'm just pretty lazy when it comes to writing, whoops.

🎸 Are you a musician?

Oh I wishhh. That would be so cool. I used to be able to play the piano, and I'm able to reteach myself the scales and play simple songs if I'm sitting at home, but that's about it lol. I need one of those lil whiteboards that you can stick right above a keyboard so i can just have the scale in front of me and learn cute studio ghibli piano songs lol.

🚗 Can you drive?

Surprisingly, yes. Lol I'm a Midwest American queer, so we gotta either learnt to drive ourselves to the cool places, or date someone who can drive us everywhere xD I'm great driving in my hometown and in my college town, but I still can't drive in super big cities quite yet. That'll have to change soon tho once I move for my apprenticeship!

👤 Favorite LGBT fictional character?

Does Kakashi count xD

I'm sure there are a bunch of good queer characters out there, but deadass, most of the shows I watch, it's merely implied, oof. If we're going with canonly queer, i guess i like Simon from Love, Simon a lot. Oh, and of course, Scorpia from She-Ra lol. I hc her as a nb androg lesbian lol. Oh, and Chloe and Max from Life is Strange, and that one chick from Stranger Things, i guess.

If we're going with just, an implied/possibly coded queerness, I love Oikawa from HQ, i headcanon him as a demiboy who is bi or pan. (I headcanon that most fo the dudes from that anime are bi lmao). Uh, I also love Akutagawa and Odasaku from Bungou Stray dogs. I headcanon that Akutagawa is a trans nb guy, demisexual, and panromantic. I also hc Oda as bi lol. I also love Akagi and Misaki from K project, i hc Misaki as a bi trans guy, lol. And i hc Akagi as cis and bi. For She-Ra, i adore both Bow and Sea Hawk, i think it might be implied that Bow is a trans guy, so i hc him as trans and bi. And for my love, Sea Hawk, i hc him as bigender and bi, who laters gets into a polyamrous relationship with both Bow and Mermista lol. Sorry, I have a lot of implied queer hc's, lol.

📼 80's or 90's?

90's for fashion, hair, and makeup.

80's for great music, cute ppl, and fun design ideas lol.

💄 Do you like makeup?

Uhhh, it's kinda complicated.

I like makeup as a concept of freedom of expression, feminity, a way of transforming yourself into a piece of art, blurring the lines between gender ideals, presentation, makeup for fantasy concepts, etc.

But i also dont't like makeup sometimes because it's def been used as a tool to pressure women into performative feminity, used, as a way to groom young girls, used a sneaky way of breaking down a lot of ppl's self confidence, it encourages highly unrealistic beauty standards (for both women and men), i also hate how motherfucking EXPENSIVE and unsustainable it is.

So as a tool for art, genderfuckery, and self-expression, i love it. But as a msrketing concept mostly driven by male CEOs and years and years of misogny and captialism? Not so much lol. I like wearing makeup for big occasions or for when i feel hyperfeminine some days, but I usually prefer going without it.

🔮 Do you believe in astrology?

Yeah, to a reasonable extent lol. I'm not one of those queer that obsesses over every little detail tho. I'm still def learning about it. I recently lesrned that you can combine astrology, with tarot readings, which can greatly specifiy the readings, for both yourself and other people, so I think i'll try that once I get a tarot deck for my birthday lol.

🎁 Fave holiday?

Well, I could be one of those queers who automatically says Halloween, but the more i think about it, i think i like the fall/halloween season waaayy more. Which makes me think that I actually like Thanksgiving a lot, as just, an American holiday. I don't think we shoukd really celebrate it for it's historical reasons, but i also will never say no to good food, family, friends, and a general warmth and sense of peace during that time of the year :3

💞 Fave thing to do on a first date?

Festivals!!!! I looooovee going to any type of market, festival, etc. with someone. I think it's a great way to explore, start conversations, and learn about someone. Cuz like, the type of art, food, trinkets, and music that draws someone in can you a lot about that person, if you think about it! It's hella cute. And then once you're tired of the crowds, most festivals usually have quiet garden or parks near them that you can escape to for some quiet time and deep conversations, lol.

👭 Do u have a gf? Do you want one?

No, I don't have a girlfriend lol. I have an amazing and very caring boyfriend tho. I have briefly dated women in the past tho. It's been fun, lol. I've always wondered, if i had more past romantic/sexual experiences with women, then maybe i'd possibly identify as a lesbian, but honestly, I'm proud of my journey, and I get very happy when I think about my bigender-ness and bisexuality lol. I don't think I would change that for anything. For whatever reason, i think I just click better with bois and nb ppl rather than with cis girls, i'm not sure why lol. But good for anyone who has a gf right now plz treat her like a kweennnn xD

💘

Do you believe in love at first sight?

No, lol. I used to, back in middle school tho. I def believe in love at second sight, or love at first conversation. Ppl are so damn cute when they talk about things they're passionate about, or even when they just get goofy and rant to you about a crazy story lol.

🕐 How old were you when you realized you weren't straight?

Oh god, lol. I was... *tries to do math* I think 16 or 17? I uhh had accidentally fallen for one of my best friends in high school lol. It turned out okay tho, we're still friends to this day. Thanks for that, friend, I'm so glad i realized that sooner rather than later lol.

⛅ Winter or summer queer?

Oh def, winter, lol. Altho winter depression is real most years, idk, i feel lkke i would rather be anxious and cold, rather than angry and sweating buckets lol. Actually now that I think about it, the summer always makes me a little more moody than winter, cause i always feel like i should doing more, but summer's really a time for waiting and rest, if you think about it. I'm always happier in the winter cause most of the time, i'm slowly moving towards certains goals in my life, and the world just...seems happier and more cozy in the winter season, idk.

Thanks for these asks, dude! I had a lot of fun with them, lol.

Anyone can ask me any of the other q's on the pinned pride game list if you'd like! Happy Pride, BLM!!

#elo speaks #thanks for the ask #ask games #pride #pride asks

[fernwehbookworm]

Woke the F*ck Up- Chapter 14

February 23rd, 2018

The news hit the next day. Lena Luthor was missing. Last seen getting off a flight at National City Airport. No one saw the car she got into or how she left the airport. Pain lanced through Kara's heart. The blurry image Winn managed to 'acquire’ from the NCPD shows Lena still in a beautifully elegant dress from the pictures from the gala in Metropolis. She had no luggage. She must have left the fundraiser and headed straight for National City.

Kara felt like a coward. Cat had tried to convince her to go. To see Lena face to face but Kara couldn't take any more rejection. Lena had never called or even text. That was clear enough for Kara. So Cat went alone, to auction off the original for the CatCo cover that broke the record in sales the first day. Kara promised Cat ten percent commission on every other painting sold. The only reason Kara could think of for Lena to come so suddenly is to see her.

If only she had gone to Metropolis. Then Lena wouldn't be missing. Kara suspected Lillian. How else would the crime boss get to a vigilante whose mother was halfway across the world taking the honeymoon she and Jeremiah never were able to take, whose sister was an FBI agent, and whose friends were vigilantes with her. Plus Lena was her daughter and could probably serve other nefarious purposes as well.

With determination, Kara strode to the hidden panel in the central command table and pressed he palm to the reader. A green light scanned her hand and the panel opened with a small gush of air.

“Whoa, I didn't put that there. Where did that come from?” Winn exclaims, sitting up in his chair, dropping his feet to the floor from where they had been perched by a computer.

“I put it here. I may not be you smart but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Plus Alex has the same model and helped me to install it a while ago.”

Kara begins unloading the contents of the compartment on the table. Winn shoots to his feet and James turns from where he has been studying the layout of the Cadmus base.

“Kara, I thought you didn't like guns.”

“I don't like them. Doesn't mean I don't know how to use them. Alex made sure of that.”

“Kara…” James says disapprovingly.

“Don't fucking start with me James. Lillian has kidnapped Lena and now  that woman has gone too far this time.”

“You have no proof Cadmus has Lena,” James says.

“Lillian knows who I am. Of course she has Lena. This is personal now. She has been trying to take my city, she sure as hell won't take the woman I love.” Kara pauses as the word leaves her lips and knives through her heart.

“Kara, I thought you were past this. I thought that’s what all the therapy was for.” James says. Kara looks at him hard.

“Therapy was so I could handle everything in a healthy fashion. But I do love Lena. How we ended sucked, and it will take time for me to move past it, but I blaze like that leaves its mark. But I will not leave the woman I love in the clutches of her evil mother and a criminal organization.”

Kara begins strapping her collection to her uniform. Two handguns at her hips, a smaller one strapped to her right thigh, mirrored by an array of throwing knives on her left. Smoke and flash-bang grenades are loaded into the pouches at her waist. A shotgun is slung to her back. An ammo belt slings across her body as more ammo weighs down her utility belt.

“Kara I don't like this.”

“Have I not made it clear enough? James, you are only here to make sure you don't kill yourself doing this on your own. Because you threatened to do it on your own. I couldn't look my cousin in his eye if anything happened to you. But you are not my friend. You have done nothing to act like a friend. All you've done since the day I turned you down is mope and try to tell me what to do like some Alpha male who got his favorite toy taken away. Don't forget it was me that saved your ass. I don't fucking want you here. But you are because you are Clark's and Winn's friend for some ungodly reason. I couldn't give two shits what you think. And you can stay behind for all that matters.”

Silence falls after the angry ringing of Kara's words. James walks slowly away and back upstairs to the gym. Kara lets out an exasperated sigh.

When she’s dressed, she calls Alex to start forming a plan with the DEO. This was too big for just herself. Winn begins searching their known Cadmus bases for any new activity.

February 24th, 2018

Lena sits strapped to an uncomfortable chair for hours. Her mother seems convinced that that Power Girl would show up. Lena was much less sure but her throbbing lip from her mother smacking her across the month was enough for her to save her breath and any more unnecessary pain. By Lena’s best guess, a payment of three million dollars would be made to her kidnappers in less than twenty-four hours. Another two would be paid with her safe return. She had read the paperwork when she was made CEO, apparently, it was standard for Luthor’s to have their lives threatened. She could hear boots striking the floor outside the empty sounding room. Men patrolling, and, as near as she could tell, one would cross from one door to the other in the room to check her binding. It was getting colder and the dress left too much of her skin exposed. Chills ran down her spine and goosebumps rose along her arms and legs.

Silence stretches on, only timed by the repetitive hard soled shoes striking concrete. Lena’s eyes grew heavy from lack of sleep and the darkness of her blindfold. She dozed, only coming awake every time a knuckle-dragging, brute tightened her ropes. She thought of Kara in the silence. Leaving her, sleeping with Veronica, then never calling. She hoped Kara could forgive her. Or would at least talk to her. Everything was so messed up, her whole life was messed up from the moment the Luthor’s adopted her. Time ticked by slower and slower until Lena couldn't even tell if it was passing or standing still.

Then it all rushed to start again as the first gunshot rang out. Shouting began, distant and muffled but marching closer. Then a different sound. One above her, someone trying to be quiet but the distinct sound of glass being scratched, then a soft thud right in front of her.

Kara lowers herself from the glass ceiling to the floor. Lena sits blindfolded and alone, tied to the chair. Her lip is split and swollen. Lena’s head jerks up at the soft sound of Kara touching down in the large, empty room. Kara switches on the voice modulator in order to hide her shaking voice.

“Shhh, stay quiet now. I’m here to save you.” Lena stiffens at the almost digital voice.

“Power Girl. You can’t be here. It’s a trap. Go Now.” Lena whispers harshly, leaning away as best she could. Kara ignores her and works her pocket knife under the ropes.

“I won’t leave you here.”

“You will. My mother wants you dead. This city needs you.”

Kara’s hands still on the thick rope that she is almost through.

“I need you alive.” Lena’s head blindly turns to Kara’s voice as she whispers from behind her.

“You don’t even know me.” Snap. The rope breaks and Lena reaches up to remove her blindfold.

“I am not going with you,” Lena says and stubbornly crosses her arms, settling back against the hard chair.

“Ms. Luthor, please allow me to get you to safety.” Kara shouldn’t have been surprised by this but she was a little dumbfounded that anyone would choose to stay in the clutches of a criminal organization.

“The moment I stand from this chair, alarms will sound and this place will be flooded with my mother’s heavily armed lackeys with one goal, to kill you.”

“I knew this was a trap for me. Your mother was using you to get to me, but do you hear that? That is the sound of a government organization who wants to imprison your mother for terrorist crimes infiltrating this base.”

“No.”

Kara squats in front of Lena’s chair.

“Lee, trust me please.”

Lena’s eyes snap up to finally meet Kara’s. All Kara can hear is her heart pounding in her ears as she sees the recognition flood Lena’s features. Each heartbeat feels like it stretches out for hours. Kara watches as Lena carefully lifts her hands to Kara’s face, long elegant fingers pulling off her mask. Kara closes her eyes as she waits. Silence.

Blue eyes meet green and Lena knows.

“Kara…” She whispers, more of an escaping thought than a word said aloud. Kara touches the button by her throat to turn off the voice modulator.

“Now will you come with me?” Kara says softly, she holds out her hand and Lena places the mask in her palm. Kara replaces it before holding her hand out again. Lena looks away, biting her lip in that cute way she does when she is really thinking. Without meeting Kara’s eyes again, she places her hand in Kara’s and allows Kara to pull her up. As soon as Lena’s weight leaves the chair, alarms blare and lights flash. Kara begins pulling the flash bang grenades from her utility belt.

“Close your eyes.”

Lena eyes Kara carefully, like a person approaching a wild animal. Lena closes her eyes as the pounding feet and shouts get closer. Kara swiftly pulls the pins on the two grenades and rolls them towards the doors. She pulls the night-night gun from her belt and covers Lena’s head. Each grenade explodes just as the doors open and angry shouts turn to pain and confusion. As the men scramble to try and see again, Kara begins dropping each one with some sort of gun with accuracy that amazes Lena. She switches one clip out for another and continues to fire. Now the men rounding the corner were just tripping over the bodies of their fallen comrades. But soon some did start getting through, closer and closer as more men and some women burst through the two entrances. Some even began to fire their weapons, Kara somehow always between Lena and the bullets.

“And your plan is?” Lena says from behind Kara.

“In process.”

Kara slips behind Lena, throws her last two flash grenades and quickly attaching her rappelling rope to Lena and hitting the button for automatic retraction. Lena lets out a small squeal as she zips up and out of site. James was waiting for her at the top, once he detached her, he used his own rope to descend, bringing Kara’s back down to her. James used his shield to block for her as Kara reattaches the grappling device and ascends as well, James close behind. The conflict still brews below as DEO agents begin following the Cadmus guards into the room. Kara hulls herself over the edge and onto the roof. She sees Lena standing stiffly, far away from the edge, her back was turned and her fists were clenched.

“Lena?”

“Just get me down from here. I-I hate heights.”

Kara nods, even though Lena can’t see her. James just uses the zip line they set up earlier to escape the boundaries of the warehouse fence. Kara walks up slowly behind the woman.

“I’m going to pick you up now. Keep your eyes closed if you want. It will be over before you know it.”

Lena doesn't say anything so Kara takes it as a sign that it's fine. Lena stiffens at kara’s touch but doesn't pull away. Kara wraps one arm around her waist and guides her to the edge, in one swift movement, Kara is lifting Lena and hooking the grappling handle to the line to descend to street level again. She touches down in the alley between two buildings and expects Lena to pull away immediately, but she takes a deep breath before she does. James nods to Kara from his own bike before kicking it into gear and riding off. Kara nods to her own red and blue one when Lena turns to her. Lena huffs a bit then rolls her eyes but walks toward it, getting on after Kara. It feels all too familiar and all too foreign at the same time.

Even though it doesn't look it, whatever Kara is wearing feels like armor, under Lena’s fingers she can feel dents that remind her too much of when bullets hit a wall. Lena’s mind is racing and it's becoming all too much for her sleep-deprived brain. She decides to focus on the soft purr of the bike beneath her while leaning with Kara on each turn. She occasional catches glimpses the armored man she can only assume is the man dubbed Guardian by the news. The passing yellow street lights begin to lull her into a daze as the stars try to shine down through the haze of city light. No moon tonight, Lena notices idley.

Without warning, Kara makes a sharp turn down a ramp and into an underground garage. It takes a moment for Lena’s eyes to adjust to the bright fluorescent lighting emanating from the center of the dark room. Computers take up a large space on one wall, tech is scattered about with abandon as half-finished projects litter any surface not taken up by various weapons and armor. Other available space is taken up by exercise equipment. In a darkened corner Lena thinks she can make out a bed. Kara cuts the bike and the engine stills. She gets off and offers Lena a hand, Lena ignores it and slides off by herself. She sees the back of a mousy brown head that turns to reveal Winn. Guardian lumes behind him, still masked but practically radiating distrust and anger.

“Why would you bring her here?” The distorted voice of the metal man asks.

“Because she deserves to know. Now take off the helmet James.”

Lena watches the man stiffen and practically growl before removing the helmet and slamming it on the table.

“What the hell, Kara?”

“You really didn’t think she could figure out who you are after knowing who I am and then seeing Winn? Get over yourself.”

“I came back to help you .”

“You came back because you want to be a hero. Don’t pretend it was selfless.”

Lena watched as James angrily turns on his heel and walks away. He enters another room and lets the door swing shut behind him. Lena feels extremely awkward and unsure.

Kara takes a deep breath, Lena watches her shoulders rise and fall. As her argument progressed, she had stepped between Lena and James almost protectively. Kara’s hands are clenched into shaking fists, she takes another breath and slowly uncurls her fingers.

“Sorry about that. James and I have not been seeing eye to eye lately, or ever.” Kara turns to face Lena with a half-hearted smile. She takes back off the mask and sets it on a nearby table. Instead of responding to her, Lena turns to Winn.

“Winn, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you safe too, Lena.” He grins at her but glances at Kara and decides to make himself scarce. He heads to the staircase leading to what Lena assumes is the floor above. Kara opens her mouth but Lena holds up a finger.

“I need a phone.”

“Why?” Kara asks.

“So that my mother does not end up with three million dollars thanks to my life insurance. Phone, now.”

Kara rushes to give Lena hers, then waits as Lena goes through at least ten security checks varying in voice commands and typed in passwords. It all seems elaborate but considering the amount of money on the line it makes sense. Lena eventually hangs up and hands the phone back. Lena avoids Kara’s eyes and sits in what she can only assume is Winn’s chair. Her head throbs from lack of sleep, and food, and much too information. This was all getting too much to process. Lena can feel Kara watching her, but Lena rubs her eyes hard and takes a deep steadying breath.

“You are Power Girl,” Lena states, trying to wrap her head around it.  Kara nods as Lena's green eyes meet hers. It catches Kara's breath in her throat. Lena takes in the woman who held her heart, who stole it away from her chest before she even agreed to a second date. She stands with hunched shoulders, arms crossed, in her red and blue suit. Her blonde hair is braided and the tail is draped forward over her shoulder. Various dents and scrapes speckle the suit, bullet holes. That is why Kara danced around Lena like a tornado, every bullet fired hit Kara instead of Lena, yet here she stands, not even in pain.

“So all those missed flights, all the calls that were sent to voicemail, you were off saving the world.”

“Yeah,” Kara says softly.

“And… and that night. That was my mother, wasn't it? She did that to you. She made you miss your flight. And I…” Lena swallows hard and loses her voice as she pieces together the gaps in everything. Tears spring to Lena's eyes.

“We had finally found a Cadmus base. They were making a bomb. I was calling Alex for back up-”

“Alex?”

“Yes. She works for a secret government organization tasked with taking down Cadmus.” Lena rubs her temples. Her headache is pounding.

“So while I was calling Alex, I saw your mother walk into the room from my vantage point. I just knew she was the head of Cadmus once I saw her. She was going to get away before the strike team could come. I decided James and I could stall that long. But we couldn't. I lost conscience and woke up in a black ops site infirmary a couple days later. By then, I was too late.”

Silence falls heavy on the pair. The darkness of the room seems to be trying to suck out the lights that they sit under. It stretches for minutes. Lena hears Kara take a breath but before she can speak her phone rings.

“Alex?” Kara says into the speaker. A muffled reply.

“You want me to bring her to the DEO?... Yes… Okay…. See you in fifteen.” Kara hangs up.

“They need to debrief you on your kidnapping. Also, Alex wants you to be examined and make sure none of your injuries are life-threatening.”

Lena just nods and stands to follow Kara back to her bike. Lena can take in the sleek design now that there is light. This time Kara takes the time to hand her a spare helmet before hopping on. As soon as Kara grips the handles, the bike purrs to life. Lena is impressed. She may have not been interested in technology these past few years but this looks very high tech. Lena climbs on behind the blonde vigilante and resigns herself to more hours without sleep.

Kara takes more turns than Lena can count and after the first dizzying few, Lena closes her eyes and rests her head against Kara's back. She feels Kara stiffen slightly before relaxing. All too soon Kara pulls into a nondescript garage and is helping Lena off and supporting the sleepy brunette as they walk to the elevator. Everything else is very dreamlike as Lena fights to stay conscious. She is aware of figures in black moving about the most open space as Kara practically carries her to a central command desk.

“Kara!” A familiar voice calls. Lena tries to focus on the fuzzy face and recognizes Alex.

“What the hell happened to her? Why didn't you bring her here first?”

“I think she's just tired. And I wasn't sure if the secret government organization tasked with taking down the Luthor's would want me to bring a Luthor into it.”

Lena struggles to stand fully on her own two feet and focus her eyes. How many days has it been now? Two? Three?

“Agent. I have been drugged, tied up, kept without food and minimal water. Also, I don't know the last time I slept. So, if we could move along with whatever you want to do, by all means.” Lena is impressed with how clear her voice is.

“Come on. I want to examine you, we will get you a change of clothes, some food, and a bed. Once you've slept, my director would like to debrief you personally.” The redhead sounds cold but the idea of food and a bed is too much.

They stick Lena inside of some sort of on-duty room after Alex is sure her injuries are minor. It has a bathroom with a shower, a bed, and a small television. She takes the opportunity to rinse off at least some of the grime from the past couple of days and reemerges to a change of black sweats and black long sleeve shirt, both emblazoned with some sort of eagle logo. Gratefully, she puts those on and throws the ruined dress in the small trash bin. A soft knock and a man also dressed in all black is handing her a tray with a sandwich, chips, and a bottle of apple juice. Lena hardly gets halfway through it all before the bed is calling too loudly. The mattress is lumpy, the sheets scratchy, but her body doesn't care. It had been too long.

February 25th, 2018

In the morning, Lena meets the Director. A very serious man named John Jones. He asks a bunch of questions, most of which Lena has no answer for. She directs him to her CFO, reassuring him that Jess will be open with him in sharing the information he needs. Lena is released and an Agent is assigned to take her to the hotel of her request, A protection detail was also following in the car behind, they would stay with her until her mother was found. She had somehow slipped away in the chaos.

Despite being told she had slept twelve hours, Lena was exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed back in London where she felt safe and loved with the Arias women. She slides her card into the door and when the light turns green she escapes into the room as men take up position outside the door.

“Lena!”Jess exclaims and throws her arms around Lena before she can even let the door swing shut.

“Jess!” Lena tightens her arms around her CFO and soaks up the warmth of someone who has always told her the truth, even when it hurt.

After a few moments Jess seems to recollect herself and tries to pull away but Lena tightens her hold.

“I am so glad to see you,” Lena says softly.

“I was so worried when we got word that you were missing. I thought… and God I hate that I thought it… that maybe you went off the deep end of a bender.”

“Well, that does sound like me. But no. No drugs, not since I moved in with Sam and Ruby.”

Finally, Lena pulls back and lets Jess go. Her former assistant walks further into the room and hands her a change of pajamas that were already laid out next to a change of clothes for the next day. A new phone is charging on the hotel desk. Jess catches Lena eyeing it as Lena buttons up the sleep shirt.

“Don’t worry. I pulled your last backup from right before you left London.”

Lena nods and stifles a yawn. Jess ushers her to the bed and actually tucks her in. Lena is too tired to be embarrassed to care as Jess strokes her hair back before turning off the lamp.

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #singer #Vigilante #au #fanfiction #WTFU

[fandumbstuff]

Favourite Films from 2018

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman  

If this movie had absolutely no story, it would still be worth the price of admission. It's an astounding achievement in animation that brings to life a moving piece of pop art. It does have a story, however, and a particularly affective one. Into the Spider-Verse is a deep dive into the mythology of Spider-Man, taking over 60 years of storytelling and condensing it into a few concentrated attributes. It then introduces us to the variety of characters who share these attributes, and convinces us to care about them. It rises above most superhero films and tells a story that seems simultaneously sensational and incredibly personal. It does not overwhelm us with spectacle, but rather takes the time to offer quiet moments of emotional resonance. And then wows us with the spectacle.

2. If Beale Street Could Talk

Directed by Barry Jenkins

Films should be able to make you feel something. And it is every directors goal to convey an emotion through their visual conception. Barry Jenkins does this better than most of his contemporaries. Much like Moonlight, Beale Street is a film that warms your soul with overwhelming intimacy and sentiment. The beauty in James Laxton’s cinematography- soft lighting in close-ups and graceful camera waltzes through long shots convey a sense of dreamlike wonder. There are darker moments in the film as well, and Jenkins allows us to feel ever moment of injustice, desperation and despair in them. If Beale Street Could Talk is not just a love story, but a story of the most resilient kind of love. 

3. Sorry to Bother You

Directed by Boots Riley

In terms of sheer originality this is the best film of the year. In his directorial debut, Boots Riley tells us a science fiction story that is funny, dark and deeply thought-provoking, in a way that most of Black Mirror dreams it was. Lakeith Stanfield leads with a stellar performance, presenting a frazzled sort of energy that is enough to make you laugh and/or feel pretty unsettled. He’s accompanied by Tessa Thompson’s effortless charm, and Armie Hammer’s effortless dickishness. Add to that some particularly clever voice-over performances and its already a standout film. But it’s the attention to detail from the production design, the make-up, hair, costuming, and music, that make this an incredibly well rounded, wholly enjoyable affair.  

4. Black Panther

Directed by Ryan Coogler

This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s watershed moment. The care and attention that was paid in simply assembling the best team possible to work on this film pays off incredibly. Ryan Coogler and his dream team created a singular creative vision to inspire and entertain fans new and old. Wakanda feels like a living, breathing world, far more impressive than most of its comic book portrayals. Shot and lit by Rachel Morrison, costumed by Ruth E. Carter’s impeccable hand, and pulsing to Ludwig Goransson’s iconic score. And then there are the performances. Fierce moments between Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyongo, poignant exchanges between Chadwick Boseman and John Kani. And impassioned moments between Michael B. Jordan and pretty much everyone. Killmonger is the MCU’s best villain yet, but you already know that. Jordan’s performance is one that simply needs to be appreciated over and over again, his passionate command of Coogler’s screenplay stirs your heart, and may damn well bring some tears to your eyes, as it never fails to do so for me.  

5. Roma

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron wrote, directed, shot, and cut this film himself, and you can certainly believe his passion for this project shines through in all of those aspects. Roma seems like an incredibly personal film, and it’s the mark of any great filmmaker to make your audience empathetic to a personal project. Cuaron’s story is one deeply rooted in Mexican history and culture, but the themes of infidelity, chauvinism and female independence are ones that we can and should engage with. Cuaron’s cinematography is incredibly beautiful in this film. Under his own hand rather than his best pal Emmanuel Lubezki, Cuaron’s signature long takes are moments of deep emotion, allowing us as an audience to simply sit back and soak in the gravity of a scene- its beauty, sadness, and joy.    

6. BlacKkKlansmen

A Spike Lee Joint

The film is upsetting, as it absolutely should be. That being said, this is the first time in a while I’ve seen Spike Lee have fun with a project. Ron Stallworth’s story is an incredible one, but it’s not without its moments of absurd levity. John David Washington and Adam Driver have incredible chemistry together, and they play off of each other as humorously as most buddy copy films. BlacKkKlansmen is a true story though, and ultimately an incredibly important one. How does one man fight racism in its most violent form, and do so with impeccable courage. Stallworth is one of history’s true heroes, but Spike Lee makes sure that we understand why this story is still relevant today, and why it is our responsibility to fight injustice with the same courage that Stallworth did.  

7. Eighth Grade

Directed by Bo Burnham

Its understandable that the most accurate depiction of social media on screen yet comes from someone with a prolific background in social media like Bo Burnham. This is just one detail out of many that he gets so right in his film. He chooses to tell the story of a lead character that would traditionally get no attention in the field of coming-of-age movies. Watching Kayla win an award for “most quiet student” sums up how real and relatable her character is. Elsie Fisher’s performance sells this, and winds up being one of the strongest of the year. With Eighth Grade, Burnham has shown how incredibly in touch he is, and it’s a quality sorely lacking in most standard Hollywood fare.  

8. Isle of Dogs

Directed by Wes Anderson

Obviously charming, as with any Wes Anderson film. Obviously cute, as with anything involving dogs. Throughout his filmography, Anderson has always managed to find the charm in adolescence, whether having children as lead or supporting characters, or telling a story that is young at heart. In Isle of Dogs, his story touches on that same charm. A child’s love for his dog is the main plot point, and his journey is one that touches on our intrinsic reminiscence of childhood adventure. All of this is accompanied by Alexandre Desplat's delightfully memorable score, which is worth listening to all on its own.

9. The Favourite

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

In comparison to Yorgos Lanthimos' other popular film The Lobster, it’s clear he's established a distinct voice in absurd humour. The Favourite is just as absurd, but far more darker. There are moments that are outright hilarious, but they are accompanied by moments of tragic sadness. Watching Olivia Colman's Queen Anne transition from cheerful to melancholic is heartbreaking. Supported by strong performances from Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, and accompanied by assuredly strong production design and cinematography, The Favourite rounds out as one of the years finest films.  

10. The Death of Stalin

Directed by Armando Ianucci

Armando Ianucci has never told a darker story than this one. As with most of his work, The Death of Stalin is uproariously funny. His knack for showing the silliest sides of politicians is at its best here, and the political climate that he deals with is the perfect vehicle for it. We watch these characters scramble for power, and watch them commit horrible atrocities in the process. A lot of it is funny in the darkest of fashions. But by the time we get to the end, we understand just how disturbing the story has been and are left to contemplate how humanity can slip so far into horror, and hope we can learn from it.  

Honorable Mentions

Shoplifters (Directed by Haruomi Hasuno), Paddington 2 (Directed by Paul King), Christopher Robin (Directed by Marc Foster), Halloween (Directed by David Gordon Green), Incredibles 2 (Directed by Brad Bird), Crazy Rich Asians (Directed by John M. Chu), Avengers: Infinity War (Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo), First Man (Directed by Damien Chazelle), A Quiet Place (Directed by John Krasinski) Tag (Directed by Jeff Tomsic)

#fandumb #fandumb reviews #movie review #movie recommendation #review #2018 #2018 film #best of 2018 #film review #film blog #top ten #film list #best films #spiderman into the spiderverse #spiderverse #marvel #stan lee #if beale street could talk #sorry to bother you #black panther #mcu #roma #netflix #blackkklansmen #spike lee #eighth grade #bo burnham #isle of dogs #wes anderson #the favourite

[crafiet]

1-50 OC questionnaire !!

ill use ary

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?anyone else paranoid about people stealing their unpublished work or ideas or name bc me. her name is ary and i found it from a generator [lmao so original] and i thought it was cute. her last name is like pretty standard for fantasy and it inspired me to have everyone elses last names in a similar vibe2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?WELL lmao shes had a lot. prisoner #22876, the wraith, princess ary. ive scrapped all except the prisoner one and u can guess how she got it3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory? she was raised among royals and nobles so she has a lot of good memories with her parents and other kids her age running around doing dumb shit. most of her bad memories happen once she becomes a teenager4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents? she has an overwhelming love for her parents, she idolizes them heavily and is grateful for how much they taught her. a good memory is probably them teaching her how to use magic for the first time and she being unable to control it and almost burning her eyebrows off lmao5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?no siblings6. 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?tbh i havent thought much about their education system as young kids, since its not really relevant and i dont tend to worldbuild stuff that never shows up. however she did attend an academy specifically for her magic caste and she had a fun time up until some shit went down and she deserted. shes pretty competitive and liked versing her friends7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood? she was one of those weird kids who preferred hanging out with her parents over everybody else. so she had one good friend in the academy whos still her friend today, but otherwise she would race home and annoy her mum lol8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? no pets. she has a soft spot for horses though, because she has had so many in her “career”9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals? horses like her, i guess they can sense shes good with them. at one point in the novel she sees some jackals and is afraid of them so shes probably not a dog person10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?she doesnt have anything against kids, but shes not very good with them, shes never been one for baby talk or dumbing herself down. in one draft she takes care of some adolescents and lets cyri take over bc he loves kids lol11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?nahh12. What is their favourite food? uhhhhhhhhhhhhh13. What is their least favourite food?uhHHHHHH14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal?man idk, its not like my characters arent well rounded realistic people but im not gonna know her favourite fucking colour bc it doesnt matter in the story lmao15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?i would say shes ok, she doesnt burn anything but shes not a gourmet chef [despite having lessons as a child]16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it? ohh i used to have an answer for this but she probably doesnt now just bc shes pretty nomadic and usually only has the clothes on her back lmao17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos?cameras dont exist in her world my dudee. but if she lived in modern day which ive thought of, shed be the type to take a bunch of pics of her friends and stuff she likes bc she likes having the memory in a solid form, her actual memory is shit lol18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything elsehmm i suppose shed be a horror fan, and shed love making fun of stupid characters19. What’s their least favourite genres?man idk. romance? shes kinda #2edgy4me20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes?hmm i think shes more a soft music fan, just something idly playing in the background. ex. a bard playing something for the crowd while she kicks back w friends21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?she has a short temper. shes easily triggered with any emotion so shes quick to argue or whatever22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?id like to think shes witty, and she always says stuff to peoples faces bc a bitch has rabies and wants to fight apparently23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?bad memory, shes gone through physical torture and isolation [wew] so. shes better at names, growing up with royals she got to learn a bunch of family names etc24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?a light sleeper. crazy light. and she can sleep anywhere, so she has no problems sleeping on the ground unlike others25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?she pretends to be stoic but when u get to know her her humour’s pretty lame, shell laugh at anything if just to make u feel better26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions? she tends to hide them under an indifferent mask27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?despite being able to hide her emotions, she does succumb to fear a lot and cries openly, but will continue to do whatever shes doing through tears so shes scary in that regard28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?abandonment is a huge one. shes not a fan of predatory animals. shes brave though, and will do whatevers necessary, kinda like unwilling exposure therapy lol29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective? she doesnt like exploiting people so shell never use someones fear against them. for friends, shell protect them and warn them if something like that is gonna happen30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out?lmao she walks or goes horse riding everywhere and is severely malnourished31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing?i just wrote a scene like this!! shes louder in general, laughs more. her guard comes down more and more with every drink. she can hold her liquor pretty well but when shes blacked out shes pretty much useless32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like?she prefers comfort and mobility over everything else. she tends to dress pretty masculine, and never does anything with her hair. does she know what a brush is?33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties?...................ask her lol idk. probably just basic comfy ones34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body?she is 5′9. when shes healthy, she has a willowy figure but more on the boxy side than curvy. she doesnt really attribute much to her body [imagine living life without dysmorphia mfg]35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure? i dont she counts anything as a ‘guilty’ pleasure. she just enjoys what she enjoys, fuck whatever people think36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing?she loves fishing! she used to do it a lot with her dad. i dont think shes a particularly good singer37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?yeah she likes reading. she reads pretty fast and prefers nonfiction. she thinks poetry can get too pretentious lmao38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?#deep but i think she admires kindness and care in others. she wishes she was a better person at times and wants to be able to express how much people meant to her39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging? lmao letters are the only thing in her world. if she lived w us shed probably be all about texting 600 in a row and then calling when u dont reply “what do u mean you cant answer. its called INSTANT messaging for a reason!!”40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?she stays awake through sheer willpower shes a beast41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?shes bi/pan. not really a thing about labels in her world. she loves long hair and soft personalities42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?plot spoilers!!43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?shes not religious. there is a heavy theme of religion in the novel [which i need to write better in the second draft] but she was kinda skeptical as a child and probably lost faith entirely after she went through some harrowing stuff 44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most? winter. she prefers the cold and hates heat45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves? i think people see her as scarier than she is. shes a formidable opponent and does not give a fuck what you say, but her reputation precedes her a little bit, a lot of things she did out of fear or force are seen as ‘badass’ and ‘brave’46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?shes a compulsive liar, and a good one at that. so she tends to show herself differently to almost everyone she meets, but usually its a false potrayal47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event?ugh she haaaaaates formal stuff and parties. she grew up royal and had to suffer through many a dinner and gathering. at this point in her life youd never get her in a dress that impeded her movement. shes ok with dresses but really big poofy ones she refuses to wear48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend? in our world shed be one for a chill house party. show up with a case of beer, sit outside by the barbie, listen to music and talk shit. shes not good at organising so she doesnt tend to host, and if she were dragged by a friend itd probably be to a formal event or with people she didnt know so shed just sulk in the corner49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?she abandoned her material possessions before the story a. bc she was forced and b. they bring back way too many painful memories50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials? food, change of clothes, weapons. thats about it. she tries not to be super nasty and find an inn to shower and stuff but shes also poor af

#writing #this was really helpful actually!!!! #i realise how much of my flaws and traumas i project onto her #love a self-insert/emotional support character #cloudybookash

[mybodyliberation]

Lindex Review - A Plus Size Sustainable and Ethical Option?

It’s a very first world problem and undoubtedly a privilege to be in the point of my life where I can even consider making conscious and ethical choices. I recognise that there are a multitude of people who can’t even entertain the idea because they have been priced out and don’t have the economic access and so I just want to say that if you’re in that position and this conversation is triggering or frustrating – don’t feel like you need to read on.

I’m grateful that I’m in a place in my life that I cannot just have abstract thoughts on how to live more ethically, but actually put it into practice. Full disclosure I’m definitely not in the position to living entirely ethically and sustainably as I’m just not in that financial position, but I’m putting my foot on the ladder and one of the first things I’m trying to approach with my consciousness is my fashion.

I am guilty as charged for using fast fashion and in some ways this review is still very much that because I have financial constraints during a pandemic, as I’m sure we all do, and so this plus size black woman has been on the hunt!

How do you source ethical and sustainable clothing that goes above a size 14? I’ll tell you how, you trawl the internet and I mean you spend hours and hours and hours searching because as usual there are no shortage of straight sizes, but the rest of us are left twiddling our thumbs.

I started looking at a site called “Good On You” which reviews all of the major brands, high street and online, in regards to their ethical practices. They look at the company’s affect on the planet, people and animals.

Enter in Lindex, coming in with “It’s A Start”, getting pretty average ratings, but one of the only brands that even had an average rating and carried my size! According to Good On You, Lindex is part of the better cotton initiative and a quantitative water target goal, but no gas emissions targets. They’re part of the BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative Code) which monitors production and labour abuse risks. Unfortunately they do use some leather, and animal hairs.

 So they’re not perfect and I doubt any of these bigger companies are, but they’re at least transparent in some ways, making an effort to do something, carry my size and have items in my price range. If you’re curious about hearing what the brand says themselves on sustainability, here’s the link to that part of their website. https://about.lindex.com/sustainability/

 Now let’s get to the clothes.

Finally I hear you say, I know, I know, but its important I give some context and information for those of us who are really trying to be in this, because it’s not about trends and new arrivals.

 I was looking to spend less than £100 and I manged to do this. It took about a week for the items to arrive because I opted to do standard delivery. It did arrive in standard plastic packaging which is obviously isn’t very recyclable, so that’s definitely a con to buying online. Though I do know they have stores two stores in London, both in Westfield shopping centres, if you prefer to go in and look once restrictions are further lowered. Though full disclosure I popped into the Stratford Westfield branch last November and really didn’t find anything in my size in store. Speaking of size they go up to a size 26, which isnt super size inclusive but better than a lot of others!

 In the video you’ll see I got a white, somewhat cropped, square neckline blouse. This was reduced in the sale to £17.49, is 100% cotton. Woven with a seersucker finish, elastic in the shoulders and at the end of the sleeves and true to size, I feel like its going to be a big staple item for me this summer. Its cool and you can dress it up or down, and I am obsessed with square/milkmaid necklines at the moment. Item Code: 7956532

 I really feel like women in their 30s are always rocking cute shirts and now I’m In the 30s club, I wanted to follow suit. So I picked up this pin strip yellow cotton shirt, again in the sale, down from £24.99 to £12.49, ya’ll know I am an OG sales lover. Again true to size, and actually even a little oversized, which I appreciate in a shirt, because fitted shirts are just sweaty pit moments for me. The bottom has a curved hem which is actually really helpful for those of us with booty in the back. On the side of the hems there’s tiny little extenders which I think is important because actually feels like an item designed for a bigger body. I was worried about the arms being too tight, as I have big arms and that’s always a challenge with shirts, but it actually wasn’t too bag. It’s a little snug, but enough to make me uncomfortable.  Item Code: 7653126

 I only bought one dress, which is rare for me because my favourite item of clothing is the dress. I will wear them all the time and everywhere, but I’m trying to diversify my wardrobe so that’s why I only picked up this beautiful red patterned short sleeved, v-neck dress. There’s something about it that reminds me of a 1940s country girl visiting the city for the first time, and so I’ll try and serve you that aesthetic. The material is made out of something called LENZING ECOVERO which is apparently a much more sustainable material and makes it perfect for summer because it breathes. Again, I was worried about the arms being a little bit tight, but they were actually fine, and you can always customize by getting rid of the ties. Coming in £24.99 I would say you would probably pay the same for a summer dress on the high street that absolutely wasn’t using any kind of sustainable material. Item Code: 7993489

 Overall I’m happy with the quality of the items and I am excited to have them in rotation in my summer wardrobe knowing that they are much more sustainable materials and that there was a code of conduct in production of them and a duty of care for the makers that produced them.

Would I buy from them again? Yes because at the moment they’re a practical choice for me and my bank account. I won’t be buying things regularly if I don’t need them because I’m also conscious of the amount of waste the fashion industry is complicit in.

I’ll absolutely be continuing my hunt to find much more sustainable and ethical choices and to support smaller business, especially black businesses, doing this, but for now if you’re looking for somewhere to start, Lindex might be it.

#review #reviews #lindex #sustainable #sustainability #sustainable fashion #ethical #ethical production #plus size #fat girls #ethical fashion

[transhumanitynet]

H+ Media Review, Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2045

  Episode 1, No Noise, No Life. review

  Ghost in the shell has long been one of the most visible Transhuman series.  With several series, films, and manga it has become a popular and well-developed universe.  The original Stand Alone Complex series aired from 2002 – 2005 with a much more conventional hand-drawn art style.  It followed a team of para-military law enforcement specialists as they tried to solve an ongoing cyberterrorist threat.  

The new series is set some years later but as of the first episode, we see much of the same team with just one new face.  Most of the same voices have returned as well for the English dub providing additional continuity to the characters.  Part of what makes these characters stable over time is their transhuman elements.  Most of them are mostly or entirely cybernetic especially their leader typically referred to simply as ‘Major’.  Major had her entire body replaced when she was quite young as the only way to save her from a terminal disease and has lived as a cybernetic being ever since.  It is this sense of a soul embedded into a machine from which the series derives its name: Ghost in the Shell.  A variation on the ‘ghost in the machine’ description of philosopher Gilbert Ryle.

The first episode sees the team out in the deserts of the Southwestern United States.  Due to political instability and war the region has collapsed into war-torn factions with various goals.  One, in particular, is bent on a concept referred to as ‘sustainable war’.  While it isn’t entirely clear yet what is meant by that it seems to be philosophy developed around the idea that if done correctly continuous low-level fighting and pillaging can be done perpetually.  

Section 9, the covert team from previous incarnations and our protagonists in this series, are acting as mercenaries to try and bring some order and safety to the area.  They come under attack by a group of raiders in a style reminiscent of Indiana Jones.  This is where the episodes transhumanist elements truly shine.  Not only do we have several cybernetically enhanced professional combatants but their most effective gear in a variety of Artificially Intelligent mini-tank vehicles called ‘Tachikomas’.  

The Tachikomas exhibit a very high level of cognitive capability and are given, and execute commands, much as any other team member would be.  They also act mostly independently with great versatility toward whatever tasks they are given.  In typical Anime fashion, they have a somewhat ‘cute’ personality with an almost childlike expression and worldview.  Many of their reactions suggest they see combat as a game of sorts though one for which they are programmed for deadly excellence.  They also are deeply concerned for the sake of their comrades.  These elements may suggest programming capabilities that have not quite coalesced to produce mature adult human cognitive capabilities.  Especially if training from the ground up it may be that it takes some time to build a fully functioning healthy mind and that computers must go through stages much like those of humans.  Since they have not significantly matured in the intervening years since the previous show, however, it is likely that the technology itself has not yet matured sufficiently to allow for more ‘mature’ minds to be produced.  

During the attack, the team makes of their advanced capabilities as well as more typical combat skills to defeat their adversaries.  One such ability is effectively telepathy.  Despite driving along poor roads in noisy vehicles their communications are crisp and clear because they communicate via direct mind to mind signals.  These are sent much as any computer communicates via a wireless system and can have a significant range.  Not surprisingly it is the preferred form of communication between team members.  It allows for much better coordination during the firefight than would otherwise have been possible.  Additionally, their android bodies and/or limbs are much steadier when firing from a moving vehicle.  This provides a strong edge over their mostly non-tech opponents.  Other elements included enhanced senses and damage resistance also play important roles.  

With such a significant advantage in technology coupled with superior training and experience the team easily defeat their opponents.  So much so that one of the team name ‘Batou’ comments repeatedly about how much enjoyment comes from the job.  Such an attitude is certainly not unknown among elite soldiers but one could easily see how it might be compounded in a person who has been effectively ‘upgraded’ and is in far less danger from combat than would otherwise be the case.  Coupled with greatly extended life and healthspans unhealthy predilections to war and other vices might grow.

All this points strongly to two major elements of near-future military action.  One is that the unmodified soldier will become ever less capable and relevant on the field.  There may still be boots on the ground but they will be the boots of soldiers who have a variety of integrated technologies.  This is effectively the only way that humans will remain competitive given the second major element.  That being the simple fact that machines will probably be much better at combat than a human.  The Tachikomas are built for combat and have a variety of weapons, mobility tools, and built-in combat skills that are unmatched even by the cyborgs in the group.  

Once the team has reached their destination they do a bit of shopping and there is an aside where we see another former team member who is busy raiding an apartment receiving a cryptic call from ‘Aramaki’.  An older man who has always been the teams link and official civilian chief.  There is little to go on as to where this is headed but it is clear setup for future episodes. 

One notable element here is the Dystopian feel of the world.  While some places have managed to flourish and grow much of the world is in shambles.  So it is with this part of the United States.  We can see not just the decrepitude of the windmills along the roadside but the city the team arrives in is also falling apart as people are eking out a living much less comfortable than one might expect for the region in modern times.  This is unfortunate as there is much positive in the show and its focus on the costs and benefits of advanced technologies.  An emphasis more on the positive would be a breath of fresh air in a media environment saturated with bleak futures.

Finally, those back in the desert town that night locate their target.  A staging area for some of the attacks including the one that the team suffered on its way to the town.  They go in and seek to extract an informant.  The active camouflage the team uses is fairly standard for them and seems to be a variety of light scattering given the way it creates a semi-transparent silhouette of the user.  More on that another day.  The episode ends with the team facing down another variety of combat robot systems.  A single one perceived as a significant threat to the mission leaving plenty of interesting Transhumanist themes and more to go over in the future. 

  https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell_Wiki

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

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell:_Stand_Alone_Complex

  * hero image used from https://www.somagnews.com/netflix-shares-anime-series-ghost-shell-sac_2045s-new-trailer/

H+ Media Review, Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045 was originally published on transhumanity.net

#crosspost #transhuman #transhumanitynet #transhumanism #transhumanist #thetranshumanity

[blazerina]

With Any Luck... (Sean x MC)

Author’s Note: This is 100% the brainchild of Mercedes aka @zaddysloan.  She came up with this idea and I just put it “on paper.” So major props and shout out to her. This whole thing would not exist without her encouragement and her brain.  She’s fabulous, wonderful, creative, sincere, freakin’ amazing and I love her dearly. I really hope I did her wonderful idea justice!

P.S. We’ve had so much angst and drama and sadness lately in this fandom, I think it’s the perfect time for some FLUFF. Know what I’m sayin’?

Summary: Before they left The Celestial, Taylor & Sean have the opportunity to experience the first date they never got at Hartfeld.

--

The evening was alive with noises.  In the distance, animals could be heard rustling through the trees.  Bugs were buzzing along the flora and fauna of the jungle as waves lapped constantly against the shore; in and out, in and out, as steady and as calm as the heartbeat she was listening to.

Even though sounds filled the nighttime air, it was quiet and still.  The hammock swayed back and forth in rhythm with the waves. The quiet creak of ropes, as it swung ever so slightly, brought a sense of peace to her. She rested. Her eyes closed, her breathing steadied; she felt safe.  There was so much pressure, so much confusion, so much fighting and drama, it was impossible to ever really feel at ease during the day.  

The weight of the responsibility that she had taken on in La Huerta was unbearable at times. She didn't ask for all this to be placed upon her shoulders. Lately she felt like every decision, every plan, the choice to live or die, was left up to her. Taylor. This little college girl with hardly any real life experience.

It's all up to me. She told herself as her heart and her mind fought each other over her thoughts.  For whatever reason, I've been brought here by the universe. This is no longer a strange coincidence. My soul is one with this island somehow. Not just the island, but the inhabitants as well. The visions. The dreams. The ability to understand and communicate with the Watchers. I didn't know who I was before I came to this island and I still don't know who I am now that I'm here…

“Taylor.” Sean whispered sweetly as he tightened his grasp on her.  His arms surrounded her as she laid on his chest.  

“Taaaaayyyy-loooorrrr….” He sing-songed, running his hand up and down her back, trying to stir her from her thoughts.  

“Are you asleep?” He tried to pull away long enough to look down at her face, to see if her eyes were closed.

“Hey.” She smiled, not opening her eyes.  “I’m awake…just…don’t…want to…move…” She mumbled slightly as she buried her head further into the space between Sean’s chin and shoulder.  

“I can tell you were thinking about something.” He continued to run his fingertips absentmindedly along her spine.  “You were still, but then tensed up fast.  You ok?”

“Mmhmm.” She sighed, wishing she could sleep without thinking about everything. “Did you sleep at all?” Taylor pulled her head up off his chest and looked at him.

“Nah.” Sean answered, frowning.  “It was more important you rested tonight.  Someone has to keep their eyes open out here.” He kissed her forehead and smiled at her.  

It was hard to find time to spend together out on the island. Nighttime was really the only opportunity they had to be alone and away from the eyes of the rest of the group.  Other eyes were most likely on them wherever they went, but they tried to pretend it didn’t bother them.  When they could, they would take a hammock and walk down to the beach. There they would start a fire, find a tree and post up for the night; taking turns sleeping.  

Both of them being the responsible, take-care-of-everyone leaders that they were, felt incredible pressure to make sure their friends survived La Huerta.  Taylor and Sean were going to make sure the entire group made it off the island together, no matter what.  

That sense of loyalty is what initially drew them to one another.  Had it not been for the trip to the island, they most likely would not have met, even at Hartfeld. But in one another they had found a companion; someone who truly understood how the other felt; someone to make them feel safe and secure; which was foreign to them, as they were both usually the ones working to make sure others were okay and well taken care of.

“Thank you for letting me rest.” She exhaled, as she laid down again.  “We probably should head back soon.”

“We have some time. Try to go back to sleep.” Sean urged.  He was worried about her and growing more and more concerned about how she was handling it all.

Taylor couldn’t close her eyes. She knew her brief moment of rest was over.  There would be no chance of sleeping now.  Her mind was on overdrive and she couldn’t slow it down.

“I know this is an incredibly cheesy question…but what are you thinking about?” Sean almost winced as he finished that sentence. “You can talk to me, you know…”

“Do you ever think about what it might be like if we were together in a more normal place?” Taylor asked, unexpectedly. “What if our life right now could all be normal? What if we met under different circumstances, not ones where we were fighting for our lives all the time?”

“Well, first of all, there’s no such thing as normal…” Sean laughed, elbowing her in the side. “But I know what you mean. I think about that a lot too.  But what if we had never met? What if our paths hadn’t crossed in all our years together at Hartfeld? I can’t even imagine that now…my life without you…”

“With any luck, you won’t ever have to.” Taylor rolled over to face him and pressed her chest against his as she kissed him tenderly.  “I know our circumstances aren’t ideal, but it’s all we got.  And we’re going to make the most of this time together.” She smiled, kissing him quickly again and then sitting up as she swung her legs over the side of the hammock.

They began to pack up their makeshift campsite while the sun began to peak out from the horizon.  Sean folded up the hammock and put it in his backpack, as Taylor stomped out the small campfire and slung her backpack over her shoulder.  

“I don’t want to go baaaaaack!” She whined, as she grabbed Sean’s hand.  

“I don’t either.” Sean muttered, staring off into the distance.  They began to walk down the beach hand in hand, when suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

“You know what?” He beamed, the light in his eyes indicating he had an idea. “We’ve never even been on a real first date!”

Taylor grinned.  “It’s cute when you’re excited about something.” They started to walk again, slowly, with their hands swinging back and forth.

“That’s very true,” Taylor continued, “…but it’s not like there’s any way a real first date could happen here.  Besides, we’ve been able to make it okay without dates – don’t you think?” She searched his eyes, hoping he was truly happy with her and the time they had spent together so far.

“I’m gonna make this happen, Tay.  You deserve a real, old-fashioned, traditional first date.  When we get back to the hotel, we’ll work towards finding a way off this god-forsaken place like normal…but then, at 7 pm – I’m picking you up from your room.  It’s a date.”

--

“This is ridiculous.” Taylor said to herself, as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. “Why am I nervous?!” She tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.  After pinching her cheeks and applying a finishing touch of lip gloss, she took one final look at herself and sighed.

She didn’t have anything fancy to wear.  Truthfully, even if they had been home she wouldn’t have had many options, either. Quinn had been nice enough to let her borrow a white sundress with light blue flowers patterned all over it. The spaghetti straps tied in cute little bows at the top of her shoulders.  

For once, she decided to wear her hair up, but it didn’t look finished.  Taylor had never been able to style her hair, so she threw it up quickly in a messy bun with a few stray strands that fell and framed her face.

She knew she could have asked one of the other girls for help, but the only one who’s style she really envied was Michelle…and she felt weird about asking her to help for a date with her old boyfriend.  Thinking about that whole relationship made her nervous.  Michelle hadn’t come up in conversation with Sean as of yet, but she wondered when it would happen, how it would happen and what he would say.  

She tried to physically shake the thoughts of Sean and Michelle out of her head, and stared down at her feet.  Her shoes didn’t quite match the outfit, but flip-flops were at least comfortable and a far cry from the tennis shoes and hiking boots she had become accustomed to wearing every day.  

Sighing heavily one more time, and muttering, “This is as good as it’s going to get.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared out the large glass window, looking out over the island, waiting for Sean to arrive.

**

“Sean. Get your head in the game.” He was shirtless and leaning over the sink in his bathroom, trying to give himself a pep talk.

It had been a while since he had taken anyone out on a first date, and this wasn’t just anyone.  His feelings had come on so fast and so strong for Taylor, that he was all of a sudden nervous.  

He opened up his closet and chose another blue and white shirt, but this one was a checked pattern button down, not his standard polo.  

“The guys have your back. Your team is behind you.” He whispered as he put one arm through the sleeve and then the other.  He quickly finished buttoning his shirt and checked out himself in the mirror one more time.

“You can’t do it all. Rely on these guys to come through for you. Just like coach told me.” He stood up straight and focused on his goal: giving Taylor the best first date ever.

--

Sean knocked at the door at exactly 7:00 pm. He arrived at Taylor’s room at 6:58, but assumed she’d be running a little late, and he didn’t want to rush her.  After checking his phone to make sure it was 7, he knocked lightly, two times and waited for her to answer.  

Taylor smiled when she looked at the clock in her room and saw it was exactly 7 pm when she heard a soft knock on the door. As she opened it, she could barely contain her excitement.  She couldn’t believe they were actually doing this and she was genuinely thrilled to see Sean standing there.

“Oh! It’s you? This is awkward…I was expecting Jake…” she joked, holding the door open.  

“Very funny.” Sean rolled his eyes, chuckling slightly.  “These are for you.”  He handed her a homemade bouquet of pink, purple and blue flowers he picked from the side of the path leading up to the volcano.

“Wow!” Taylor squealed. “Wait – do you think these are still radioactive?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow as she took them from his hands.  

“Grace said she thinks once they’re cut off from their life-source they cease to glow.” He explained, impersonating Grace’s voice.  “Also, just say thank you and stop worrying about everything.  Tonight is about us.  Nothing else.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, while she encircled hers around his neck.  With the flowers still in her hand, she stepped up on her toes and kissed him, trying hard to relax and take in the moment.

Sean pulled away from her, smiling, taking her in.  “You look incredible.”  

“Thank you.” She responded. “So do you!” As she put the flowers in a glass of water, she turned around and held his hand for a moment, before they walked out the door.  

“And thank you for this…all of this…even just being with you, like this, whatever we do, whatever you have planned. I know I’m going to love it.  I’ve actually never been on a real first date before.” Taylor looked up at him, biting her lower lip.

Sean kissed her sweetly, one more time, and led her to the hallway.  “First stop. The restaurant.”

 --

The elevator doors opened and hand in hand, Sean and Taylor made their way to the restaurant. A large table in the corner was set for two, with lit candles.  Glasses of champagne were already poured and waiting for the couple. A piece of paper was folded in half and resting on the table with the word “RESERVED” scrawled in manly handwriting across it.

Sean pulled out Taylor’s chair for her and she took a seat, while Sean sat down himself.  “How is this going to work?” Taylor asked, looking around, noticing no one else was there.

“Well – there’s supposed to be…” Sean was craning his neck looking back towards the kitchen where the faint noise of banging pots and pans could be heard. “Just a minute…” Sean sighed, jogging lightly towards the kitchen.  

A few minutes later, Sean resurfaced and joined Taylor again at the table.  Soon thereafter, Craig, dressed in a black t-shirt arrived at the table with a pencil behind his ear and a spiral notebook in his hands. “Dude – like there’s already champagne and everything on the table, so why did you need me?” he sighed, clearly frustrated.

“Hey Taylor.” He nodded in her direction. “’Sup?”

“Craig – be cool.” Sean instructed.  “Could we have some water?”

“Yeah, but I mean the soda machine is like right there…” Sean glared at Craig and Craig’s eyes grew wide as he nodded and went back to the kitchen.

“Sean!” Taylor giggled. “You’re making him wait on our table?”

“I thought at the time it was a good idea.” He responded, clasping his hands together on the table and staring down at them. “I may be regretting it later.”

As he finished, Craig returned holding two glasses of water.  “For you made-zell and mistoor.” He delivered the waters while practicing his French.  Sean and Taylor stifled a laugh as they looked down at the table.

“Thank you, Craig.” Taylor said, politely. “What are we having tonight?”

Craig made a face, then looked up to the ceiling, thinking very hard. “Hmmmm I can’t really remember, tbh. But I’ll bring it out right away!”

He disappeared again, yelling as he walked into the kitchen.

“Sorry.” Sean mumbled, reaching out for Taylor’s hand.  “Believe it or not, it’s the best I could do.”

“I love it.” Taylor squeezed his hand. “It’s perfect.”

A loud crash came from the kitchen, making Taylor and Sean wince. “Should we check on him?” She asked, worried.

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Sean responded, then a moment later he added, “Actually, I’m not sure…just a sec…”

As Sean entered the kitchen, he found Craig holding onto a chair, while Raj carefully balanced on top of the chair, on one leg, reaching for something on a very high shelf. Raj’s tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he tried to will the bottle of whatever it was, into his hands.

“Al…most…got…it…” He was chanting to himself as he flailed his hand about on the shelf to try to grab the object he wanted.

“You guys okay?” Sean asked.

“We got this, bro! You got this, Raj!” Craig was intensely watching Raj; beads of sweat were forming on his forehead as he focused on his friend.

The kitchen was a mess. Pots and pans were scattered all over the place, food and other ingredients were spread out all over the counter. Sean sighed and pinched the area where his nose and forehead met.

“WOO HOO!” Sean whirled around upon hearing Craig and Raj high-fiving and celebrating.  “Got it, dude!”

Raj was smiling ear to ear as he held some sort of expensive alcohol in his hands.  “This is exactly what I need.” He was clearly very proud of himself.

“Guys.” Sean interjected. “I don’t want to be a downer, but is there actually a meal being prepared in here or…?” He gestured to the messy kitchen.

“You’re gonna love it! It’s my grandmother’s recipe. Take a whiff.” Raj said, inhaling the air around him and wafting with his hands.  “Doesn’t it smell delish?”

“It does smell pretty good. I just wanted to make sure everything was moving along. I have a pretty lady at the table out there that I want to impress tonight.” Sean smiled, heading towards the door.

“I…uh…Sean?” Craig said, nervously jogging after him to catch up.  “I spilled a little, salt…in Raj’s meal…but he fixed it so it should be okay right?” Clearly, he was worried.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Craig.” Sean said, patting him on the shoulder. “Just bring it out soon, alright? We need to move to phase two of the plan, pretty quick.”

--

Sean left the kitchen and returned to the table, where he found Taylor staring out the window, into the ocean. “Hey.” She smiled softly, as Sean took his seat.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Craig returned with two plates of what resembled chicken parmigiana.  

“Your food is here!” He presented the plates and smiled, smugly.

“Can’t forget the drinks!” Raj brought out two drinks in martini glasses that looked a dark purple, almost black color.  

“This one is on the house!” He grinned. “Obviously…” he chuckled at his own joke.

“This is our featured drink tonight. I call it ‘The S-aylor.’ Kind of appropriate given we’re out in the middle of the ocean, don’t you think?”

“Oh! Wow! Uh, thank you, so much…” Taylor took the drink from Raj’s hands, exchanging a quick and somewhat worried look with Sean.

“It’s so dark and exotic looking…” Sean added, trying to find the right words for the situation.

“A toast to the happy couple!” Craig smiled, holding up his hand as if he had a glass himself.

“S-aylor forever!” Raj cheered while taking a bow.  

“Eat up, enjoy and drink up too for that matter!” He was jolly and clearly happy to be sharing his love of hospitality, with his friends.  He walked away from the table, humming to himself and slapping Craig on the back.  

“We did it bro! We did it!” Craig was yelling as if he had just scored a touchdown and tried to jump up into the air for a shoulder bump with Raj, but Raj paused and stared at him in bewilderment.  

“What was that?” He asked, confused at Craig’s behavior.  

“Dude! You left me hanging! You can’t do that…when I jump, you jump too…”

Their conversation faded farther and farther into the distance as Taylor and Sean smiled at one another, then down at their food.  “This looks amazing, Sean.  I’m still just so shocked that you did all this…for me…”

“Taylor.” Sean reached for her hand from across the table.  “You’re worth all of this and more.  And when we get back home, I want to treat you to this, and things like this, nights like this, all the time.” He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

“That will be nice.” She nodded.

“Now, let’s eat! I’m starving.” Sean grabbed his fork and knife, diving into the meal before him.

--

After dinner, Sean and Taylor strolled hand and hand along the beach.  The night was quiet, even for an island crawling with animals, bugs, watchers and humans.  The stars were out and the peaceful hum of the ocean waves made it exceptionally romantic.

“Sean…” Taylor started, leaning into him.  “I really just can’t thank you enough for this incredible night. And the fact that you got our friends to help…it’s all so perfect.  Really…I just can’t even find the words…”her eyes began to fill with tears.  As much as she didn’t want to show emotion, she was too overwhelmed to hold them back.

“C’mere.” Sean pulled her in for a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on top of her head.

Taylor pulled herself together as Sean held her out at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “The night’s been far from perfect.  The meal was SUPER salty and that drink Raj created? The thought was nice but damn, the taste was not.”  He joked as Taylor smiled in agreement.

“But – have no fear. Our night’s not even over yet.  We need to head back to the pool.”

“What?!” She responded, genuinely surprised.  “There’s more?”

--

Sean was grinning as they came up to the pool back at The Celestial.  A white sheet hung against the cement wall that served as the side of the storage building where pool accessories and cleaning supplies were housed.

Two beach chairs were covered with pillows, situated next to each other, with more glasses of Raj’s “S-aylor” drink, and a bowl of popcorn.  An extension cord was running from a laptop to another box, facing the sheet.

“A movie?!” Taylor almost screamed.  “Best night EVER!” She squealed, jumping up and down. “I cannot believe this!” She squeezed Sean’s hand before she ran to the seats that had been set up.

“Excuse me, miss, may I see your ticket?” Diego asked, appearing out of nowhere with a huge smile on his face.

“Diego!” Taylor threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.  “You did all this? For me?!”

“Well, it was Sean’s idea so I can’t take all the credit…but I did pull out all the stops for your movie watching experience.” He straightened his posture and stood proudly.

“Diego told me you LOVE to mix M&Ms with your popcorn, so I sent him on special assignment.” Sean explained, arriving at the chairs and standing behind Taylor.

“I successfully picked all the M&Ms out of my bag of trail mix and raided some snack machines I found on the odd levels of the hotel so you could have your favorite movie treat.” Taylor was speechless as she watched Diego, walk to the bar at the pool and return with a huge metal bowl, full of popcorn with dashes of colored M&Ms mixed in.

“I am so excited for this – so so excited!” She shrieked as she slid off her shoes and fell backwards into the assortment of pillows on the pool chair.  Sean smiled and laughed lightly as he snuggled up next to her. He was happy that she was happy. That was all he had wanted their evening to be.

--

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the pool, Zahra was leaning against a palm tree, sneering at the scene she was watching unfold before her.

“This is stupid.  Like really? Who does this?” She muttered out loud, to no one in particular.  

“Z! Z! Check this out!” Craig came running up to her, jolting her from her thoughts.

“What do you want now?” She sighed, annoyed.

“I can tie a cherry stem into a knot WITH MY TONGUE.” He clapped his hands in excitement. “Here.  Watch this…” As his brow furrowed in concentration, Zahra rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the happy couple.

--

“Diego Theaters proudly presents, our feature film for the evening…” Diego dramatically introduced the movie before pressing play on the laptop and makeshift projector.

“CASTAWAY!”

Taylor and Sean exchanged a look, then looked at Diego, then back to each other before bursting with laughter.

“No way!” Taylor playfully shoved Sean.  “Tell me where in the world you got this – of all the movies – this?!”

Sean couldn’t stop laughing. Taylor loved his smile. It was so bright. His eyes changed color when he was truly happy. She wasn’t even sure she had seen him like this before…after all, she really hadn’t known him that long yet.

“I know – it’s ridiculous, but I brought it with me.  I planned to watch it on the plane…before…well, anyway – it’s sick. It’s twisted. I know it is. But this movie was calling my name and I grabbed it from my collection before I left for the airport.  Plus…I love Tom Hanks.”

“Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is a national treasure.” Diego chimed in as the movie began to play.

“This is incredible. I love this! All of this.” Taylor snuggled in again, sighing happily next to Sean.  

“I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be in the lobby if you need anything – fingers crossed this works.  Lila knew nothing. You’d think since she works here, she’d be some kind of assistance with these things…” Diego started rambling.

“Thanks, D.” Sean waved him off.

“Right.  I’ll really go now.  Taylor – make good choices!” He winked and then playfully ran off.

“This is amazing, Sean. You’re setting the bar VERY HIGH for any future dates, just want you to know that.” She beamed, looking up at him while snuggling into him again.

“I’d do anything for you, Tay.  I know it’s crazy because we just met, but this is different. I can feel it.” He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, trying to breathe in the moment and force it to leave an imprint on his brain.

“I can’t believe we’re really gonna watch this movie.” She playfully tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

“You’re my Wilson.” Sean shrugged. “What can I say?”

--

“You’re my Wilson?” Zahra repeated, still watching from the other side of the pool.  “How…lame…but, I guess the whole thing is kinda sweet.” She smiled a little, then looked over her shoulder at Craig who was coughing.

“How’s that cherry stem treatin’ ya?” She clapped hard on his back while he grasped his throat with both his hands.

“Fine! Fine. I’m fine. I swear I did it a minute ago though….” He defended himself, putting his hands up as if he were under arrest.

“Come on, ya big dummy. Let’s find some food.” She slowly walked back towards the hotel with him as he continued to explain, “I think I’m gonna try it with like a twist tie or something – you know for flexibility…we can find one of those in the kitchen, right?”

--

Back in the pool chairs, Sean and Taylor were truly content, watching the movie and enjoying one another’s company.

“I’ll never have another first date as good as this one.” She admitted, as the movie finished and the credits began to roll on the screen.

“My thoughts exactly.” Sean winked at her, leaning in for a kiss.  Just millimeters away from her lips, he whispered, “With any luck, you’ll never go on another first date with anyone else ever again.”

 THE END.

#endless summer #sean x mc #sean gayle #sean marcus gayle #choices fanfiction #play choices #choices stories you play #blazerina babbles

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How To search out Excellent Halloween Costumes

Halloween is coming soon. Halloween is very popular festival of the 12 months. People are always pre planning of Halloween costumes for Halloween get together. There may be harder to find good Halloween costumes. I will enable you that how to find Halloween costumes retailer and how to pick your desired Halloween costumes. There are numerous of on-line Halloween costumes out there. Just type "Halloween costumes" in Google, yahoo or msn search engine. You are getting major Halloween costumes retailer there. Main on-line Halloween costumes store is divided by division and Classes. Division is divided by grownup costumes, kids costumes, teen costumes, plus size costumes, Halloween decoration & props or costumes accessories. If you would like to select costumes for your child just select kid’s costumes part. Every department is filtered by categories. I am listing here some widespread classes for ex. If you are looking costumes to your child then select superhero costumes category. Kids all the time wish to be superhero for Halloween. If you want to search out costumes for women just choose either humorous Halloween costumes or vampire costumes. There are vast choose accessible for humorous Halloween costumes or vampire costumes. Should you want to wear some cute costumes just go throw fairy costumes or Angel costumes. Ladies at all times want fairy costume for Halloween festival. Pirate costumes are all time favourite costumes for Halloween costumes. You can choose jack sparrow costume, pirate wench costume, Elizabeth swan costume and many extra. You might be searching for frightening costumes for Halloween just choose scary costumes. Scary costumes class has massive different selection obtainable. I specially recommending that just choose applicable size of the costumes. Learn fastidiously of size chart of that particular costume. Read about fashionable pattern of Halloween costumes article. If you are discovering all time favorite Halloween costumes just click here.

Imagination does indeed play an essential half in the success in life that we will achieve so it can be crucial that we enable time for imaginative play and artistic thinking. Things that discourage our kids's imagination embody Tv, films and internet gaming because as eventualities and different worlds have already been created there isn't any want for the baby to be creatively imaginative. Additionally over scheduling of actions together with classes and tutoring could be detrimental as youngsters want the time to be youngsters as nicely. If you beloved this post and you would like to receive extra info with regards to https://www.superheroine-costume.com/lycra-spandex/power-rangers-costume/ kindly stop by our own web site. They should imagine, to create and to let their minds roam free - creating whatever they can imagine with none standards specifying what is feasible or what is just not. Children need time to be youngsters, they need to play, to dream, to get misplaced in their own little worlds unmediated by those whose imagination has begun to get lost in a myriad of everyday actions.

This capability is totally natural for children, as it was once for all of us. The place potential change into involved with their imaginative play and ask questions about the scenes they are creating. Always allow them to take the lead however and never drive them to share something that they will not be snug to share because imagination is something that is completely unique to each particular person. Enable yourself to return to your personal childhood and get pleasure from feeling free from the restrictions we impose on ourselves, given our personal distinctive view of reality. Imagination also offers the chance to create goals and objectives and when we now have done this we will pave a pathway to attaining these objectives. Imagination is step one in the sequence of success. A life with out imagination would be dull, colourless and boring, so take the time to cultivate not only your child's imagination - however your personal as well.

The number of the way in which you'll unlock and stimulate our kids's imagination is de facto only limited by your personal imagination and the games and conditions you possibly can provide you with to engage your children. Attempt the following imagination video games which can be instructed below and superheroine costume benefit from the enjoyable times and unexpected results they may carry. Pick different animals for your children to imitate. Get them to act like these animals with gestures and physique language, noises and actions. Where there are multiple youngsters concerned, get them to make the entire exercise into a parade. Simply sit again and benefit from the laughter, noise and craziness that ensues. Give your child the chance to design or provide you with ideas for what kind of clothes that they want to wear. What sort of special powers would your favorite superhero have? What makes your favorite superhero so great, and why are they better than different superheroes?

Get your children to provide you with their own board recreation along with directions and a algorithm. Give them applicable artwork supplies and find dice and every other mandatory pieces to make their very own concept come to life. Get your youngsters and their buddies the place possible to make up their very own play. If vital counsel subject matter for the play and discover issues like costumes or cardboard containers that they will use. Get them to make tickets and organise seating to watch their play. Maybe if you feel like it give them some money for the tickets and allow them to keep it for his or her efforts in organising and placing on the play. This not solely encourages imagination and exhausting work but exhibits them the right way to be entrepreneurial making their very own cash with artistic concepts. Decide a subject and some characters on your children and ask them to give you a story that entails these characters.