#also a little selfish but I’ve learned that sometimes I have to be

[originallandlockedmariner]

I’m nothing special.

I’m just flawed and weak as the next person. I let my emotions get the best of me at times. I’m not perfect. I read old messages looking for clues. I listen to old playlists of sad songs when I’m sad. I swear too much. Drink too much. I can be selfish and impatient. I’m a sarcastic asshole for alarmingly long periods of the day. I regret choices I’ve made, words I’ve said in anger, people I’ve let down. I’m no role model. Wow, there’s an understatement. But every day I own my shit. I’m accountable and humble. Every day, I try to just be a little bit better than yesterday. Becoming who you are is a life long journey, baby step after setback after stumble after lesson learned. Forever forward. Green and growing as they say.

I wake up and look at those four framed sentences. “Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.” Simple and yet powerful.

Every day, I’m trying to see things differently. Gain perspective. Embrace not taking every single thing personally. Getting cut off in traffic, not personal. Waiting forever in line for coffee, not personal. It is an uphill climb getting comfortable with the concept that nothing others’ do is directly because of you or to upset you. People do what they do because of themselves. That’s it. Even when they treat you awfully or take you for granted, it has more to do with what’s going on with them than you. *insert lecture about Attribution Error.

As for assumptions, I kinda have a PhD in that field. Never met a situation, never had a conversation, never waited for a text, that I couldn’t attach an assumption to. Assumptions are generally born from misunderstanding and a fear of asking questions. Fear of what might be said. We lack courage to inquire so instead we stand back and fill the void with the worst. Draw from our past pain and create a narrative. I’m trying to break that cycle. Ask more questions. Communicate. Be clear and upfront. I can no longer assume others know what I mean or want and then get upset when they don’t act accordingly. It’s unfair to them and only serves to hurt me in the process.

I’m making integrity part of my daily practice. Speaking with integrity. Actions with integrity. And above all, avoiding the trappings of believing my own landslide of bullshit, being my own worst enemy, and justifying every blunder. Be better. Sidestep gossip and small talk. Apologize when you hurt someone. Accept that you’ll be wrong sometimes. Or in my case, a lot. Do what you say you’ll do. Character isn’t built upon what you said you’d do, but what you rolled up your sleeves and actually did.

As for always doing my best, I’m still figuring out what that animal looks like. I strive to be helpful, but sometimes when you’re always available, they take you for granted, not because they are selfish or unkind, but because they think you’ll always stay. Let them miss you for a while. This goes against everything I am but makes sense. I’ve also learned that there is no shame in being broken and anxious and sad. Be whatever you are right now. No need to make excuses or try to minimize the hurt, deny the confusion. You cannot learn about yourself if at first you aren’t frustrated and confused, the hard questions are born from this. You cannot heal without first being damaged. So be broken and anxious and sad. Cope however you need to; as long as you need to, for there is no instruction manual for this, we all make it up as we go along. Day by day and more often, minute by minute. So as for my best, I guess it is just knowing that when I put my head on the pillow, I gave all that I could, was kinder than I needed to be, inspired a few, and made sure the garage door is closed.

I’m nothing special. But I didn’t lose my shit on the drive into work, didn’t assume sporadic texts were anything but a busy day, and a couple people told me that they are grateful for me - so I’m gonna just go ahead and chalk today up as a win.

@originallandlockedmariner

#me #my words

[beautifulgirl223]

Intoxicating

Y'all, I'm in love with him. Like there is not enough text out there that will ever cure my depravity when it comes to how much I think about this man. He's out of character here I'm sure but I wish I could care. This is Rayleigh's character to me and honestly I'm the only one I care about.

About 5.5k words

CW: afab reader, use of she/her pronouns, cunnilingus (fem receiving), slight breeding kink, praise kink

Intoxicating. 

Everything about him made you desperately want more. He was addicting in his actions, his words, and how he treated you. Sometimes you were scared of how intense your feelings for him were.

But little did you know, he had it much worse when it came to you. 

***

She happily waved to the Straw Hats alongside Shakky and Rayleigh as they made their way off of the Archipelago and to the New World. 

“I’m excited to hear what they get up to next. They really know how to liven up the place!” Your eyes stayed on the ship until it was no longer in sight. With a slight smile you sighed. “I’m gonna miss them. Hope I can drink with them again sometime in the future.”

Rayleigh snaked his arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him. “I’m sure you’ll get another chance sometime in the future sweetheart. I have a strong feeling that this won’t be the last time you’ll see them,” he chuckled. Placing a kiss atop your head as you cuddled into him. 

“I’ll miss them, but I’m happy to have you back,” you said, fully turning into his embrace for a hug. 

“What do you mean? After leaving Luffy on Rusukaina I’ve been back here, with you. I would never leave either of you unless I had to sweetheart,” he pulled you away from his chest so he could look down into your eyes, also giving a look over to Shakky.

All she did was shrug. She knew how he was, she didn’t need the reminder. But apparently the new addition to their relationship wasn’t as well-versed on how Rayleigh operated. 

“I knowwww,” you said with an embarrassed tone to your voice. “It’s just…”

He looked at her expectantly without saying anything. His expression speaking for him.

He could tell  by the way your cheeks were heating up that you were struggling to share how you felt. Even though you tried to hide it from him – which you were quickly learning was impossible due to a little thing called Haki (which you only knew about through him)  – he was able to detect how you were feeling based on your body language.

Embarrassed. 

“Of course I’m happy you helped the Straw Hats out. You’re amazing and generous as always Silvers…I just…” you averted his eyes, finding your nails much more interesting at the moment. 

That was until he gently grabbed your chin with his finger and thumb to look him in his eyes, demanding your full attention.

“I know it’s selfish of me…I just missed your attention is all…”

He didn’t say anything else as his mind recalled the last two years. While it’s true that he didn’t stay with Luffy the full two years during his training, even when he came back home, most of his time was spent covertly watching over their ship and waiting for their inevitable return back to the Archipelago. 

His heart hurt at the fact that you were right. He had been neglecting you when he didn’t even mean to. And here you were admitting so sweetly that you missed him. 

Oh. He was going to make up for lost time immediately.

The look in his eyes must have given away his intentions as Shakky looked over at the two of them and rolled her eyes lovingly. “I’m going back to the bar to serve the customers because you know, that’s how I get paid around here. Just don’t break the bed this time Rayleigh” she scoffed as she walked away towards the bar, lighting her next cigarette.

Rayleigh chuckled as he heard an embarrassed whine coming from the woman buried in his chest. Picking you up and following Shakky to the bar with the intention of going straight to their shared bedroom. You wrapped your legs around him so that you didn’t fall now that your feet weren’t on the ground. Not that he would ever let you fall from his arms. 

“You’ve been so patient with me haven’t you baby? I didn’t mean to neglect you sweetheart. Let me make it up to you, yeah?”

***

So maybe you had an idea of what was going to happen when you admitted to wanting his attention back, but you had no idea it was going to be like this. How did Shakky survive so long?

Rayleigh had to relearn what restraint was the moment he finally had you laid out bare on the bed underneath him. It was hard to think of anything else but you when you were looking at him so desperately… so ready for him to take care of you.

He could tell you were needy from the look in your eyes, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take care of his sweet girl’s needs after he’s neglected them for so long.

“You missed me sweet girl?” he asked, ghosting his lips over yours, kissing everywhere but where you wanted him most. His hands wandered across your body as if he were learning you for the first time. You both had done this many times before, yet he was always amazed at how soft your body was in comparison to his. How your skin felt underneath his hands. Every single inch of your body, your soul…just you, was intoxicating.

You whine and pull his lips onto yours in response to his question. His lands leaving a trail of fire everywhere he touched. It was amazing how was able to melt your brain with only gentle caresses, but he did so without fail each time. Whining as he pulled away from the kiss, immediately missing his lips, and he groaned at the noise you made. 

If he looked hard enough, he was sure that deep within your lust filled eyes, he could make out little hearts in them as you stared up at him. Being so patient and waiting once again for him to take care of you. His hand made its way to your neck and squeezed gently. The full power and control you willingly submitted to him made him dizzy. He was going to ruin you.

“I’m sorry I made you wait sweetheart. You’ve been such a good girl being all patient for me haven’t you?” he cooed at you. Quickly nodding your head in agreement. Already drunk off his praise.

“Y-yes, I’ve been good,” you whimpered in response. Waiting on him to continue.

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry I haven’t been giving you the attention you needed. I’m gonna make it up to you okay? My sweet sweet girl deserves a reward for being so good, yeah?” He lightly pinched one of your nipples. Not bothering to hide the shit-eating grin on his face at how your body immediately reacted to his touch. He was addicted to how responsive you were to him. Even if it was involuntary, it let him know that he was doing something right. 

He released your neck as he took his own shirt off. Allowing you a moment to rediscover his body. Taking pride in how you shamelessly eye fucked him. He even let you pull him down for another kiss. Sighing at the skin on skin contact. He didn’t even realize how much his own body missed yours until he was finally over you.

He pulled away from your mouth as he smiled sweetly to you. “What’s the safe word sweetheart,” he tapped the side of your face to make sure you were listening, immediately recognizing the spacey look forming on your face. He couldn’t get started just yet until he knew you would be alright. 

“Haki,” you said with a smile. Being able to find your voice for the first time in the last few minutes. 

“There you go…” he whispered. 

You drive him crazy with the innocent look on your face despite knowing exactly how depraved your mind was in that moment. Knowing how he’s the last one who will get to see you like this brings him a high he will never tire of.

He makes his way down your body all while keeping eye contact with you until he reaches the lower half of your body. He grabs a pillow from the top of the headboard and shoves it underneath your hips. He gently rubs your legs in a comforting manner while he slowly forces them apart. 

He breaks eye contact and mentally curses himself for not tending to you sooner. He wonders how long you went just thinking of him, how often you missed his touch, how often you craved him. 

He groans appreciatively at the sight of you spread out in front of him. Your extreme arousal was evident in the way it flowed from you. Suddenly he was dehydrated and his eyes glossed over as if he found a never ending source of hydration. His hands made their way to the back of your thighs as his patience was starting to thin. He coaxed the back of your thighs before he cupped the back of your knees and pushed them up towards your chest and laid his arm out over your legs to keep you completely open and bent.

You whimpered at his strength and how easily he maneuvered your to his liking. Turned on by the way his strength made you feel small and protected. you didn’t even realize that he had guided your hands to his hair until you felt his fingers run along the slit of your core and teasingly circle your clit. The touch took you by surprise as you gripped at his head between your legs. 

“Who got you this excited sweetheart? Surely it couldn’t have been this old man,” he teased as he continued to toy with you. Smiling at the way your breath hitched at his touch.

“You did, only you Silvers,” you whimpered. your hips jolted when he pressed his finger into you. He blew air onto your core, and he felt himself harden even more at the way your body winked at him. your body’s promise to him of how amazing you would feel wrapped around him. 

While you laid spread out in front of Rayleigh, all you could think about was how easily he could ruin you. He could ask you to go after the One Piece yourself and you would agree in an instant if it meant that he would never stop touching you. you wanted him to please you until you were brainless. Until the only thing you could think about was him. He could take you right now and all you would be able to do is thank him. 

“Please Silvers, I’ve been so good, please just -” he cut you off with a stroke of his tongue from your entrance to your clit. The moan you let out – pornographic and needy.

“Don’t beg,” he states, staring at you. “You never have to beg me for anything sweetheart. Anything you want. It’s yours.”

He pressed his arm harder into your legs to keep you still, and brought his other hand to spread you open for him. Mouth watering at the sight of you and the thought of making you come undone with only his mouth. 

Sure, he sailed with the King of the Pirates, but nothing made him feel more powerful than the way your body reacted to just his mouth. 

They both moaned at the same time. yours at the slight feeling of relief, and his at the taste of you that he missed so much. He licks and sucks everywhere he can get his mouth to, and groans at the feeling of you tugging at his hair. He has to press his arm down a bit more, because your body immediately tries to up the friction, trying to grind yourself into his mouth as much as you can. 

He greedily licked up your arousal as his eyes looked up from between your legs. Smirking at the sight of your already fucked out face. Your eyes blurry from unshed tears as your mouth opened in silence.

“You gotta breathe baby,” he muttered against you.

Releasing the breath you didn’t realize you were holding  “Thank you thank you thank you” you chanted as he continued to ruin you with only his mouth. It was quickly becoming too much too fast. As worked up as you were, you knew you weren't going to last long with how well he was working on unraveling you.

Your body tensed as you felt him insert a finger into you. Her body clamped down on the intrusion, happy to no longer be empty. 

“Gods you’re so tight sweetheart,” he groaned at the feeling of you around his finger. Knowing that you were going to feel even better around him. “Loosen up for me, yeah?” His mouth closed around your clit and sucked. Her body buzzed beneath him. All he could focus on was you. you overwhelmed his senses in the best way possible. 

It only took a few moments before he was inserting another finger into you. you cried out as he began to stretch you out. The tension in your lower body was growing tighter and tighter by the second. Her toes were curling as your breaths became even more labored. 

“S-Silvers! S-slow down. I’m-I’m,” you cut yourself off with a scream as he massaged the spot inside of you that you were never able to reach yourself. 

Rayleigh paid your words no mind as he continued to push you to your finish. While you may have been saying one thing, your body could never lie, and told him exactly what you needed. He knew you were close. And there was no way he wouldn’t give his baby what he knew she needed.

“You gonna make a mess on my face pretty girl? You gonna cum for me, beautiful?” he said as his pace increased. His fingers relentlessly hitting that spot inside of you as he watched you furiously nod your head. He hummed in approval as he continued to lap at your clit. The way he massaged you inside and out made your hips attempt to buck into his face. 

He grows harder at the sound of your voice moments before you came undone. you probably didn’t even realize that your voice started to get high pitched and whiny as you tried to warn him of your inevitable fate. With one last stroke of his tongue, and one last thrust of his fingers you started to scream. 

You looked ethereal as you reached your climax. He groans as you tugs at his hair, but he doesn’t let up. He continues to slam his fingers into her as her walls clenched at his fingers. 

The tension in your body felt like a rubber band that had been pulled so taut that eventually it snapped. Your orgasm crashed on you so strongly that instinctively you tried to move away from the constant pleasure that Rayleigh gave you. His arm pressed into the back of your things prevented you from doing so. The next best thing was to grip his hair as you rode out your climax. you threw your head back in silence as you took in a deep breath and screamed.

Rayleigh continued to work you through your orgasm while listening to the beautiful sounds that fell from your mouth. He grinded himself into the bed at the sound of your voice. It was a mixture of moans and his name. And he knew right then that his name never sounded better than when it was coming from your mouth.

Without relenting, he continued to caress you with his mouth, only slowing up a little when he felt your body relax a bit after that high. Only giving you a moment of rest, knowing that he wasn’t going to stop there. He wanted to force your mind into a state of overstimulated bliss. And he knew exactly how to do that. 

you tried to wiggle out of his grasp and away from his sinful ministrations. you needed a break after having an orgasm that strong, but the pressure on your legs became stronger. you was still rendered immobile and at the mercy of Silvers Rayleigh.

“Silvers, p-please. It’s too much,” you whined. Her mind was fuzzy at best. Still floating somewhere above your body and you couldn’t bring it back down. 

“But I thought you wanted my attention?” he teased from between your legs. He pulled his fingers from you and shoved them in your mouth to keep you quiet. “I know when you’ve had too much sweetheart, and right now, your body is telling me you haven’t had enough.”

This time he took his mouth off your clit to let you have a moment before he forced his tongue into you. A completely different feeling than his fingers, as your body tensed in appreciation. Groaning at the taste of your climax, he dug his tongue as deep as it could go into you. His nose bumping against your clit as he did so. 

“Oh fuck oh fuck fuck fuck…” you chanted at the feel of his tongue in you. He expertly explored every inch of you that he could reach while building you up again. He bobbed his head between your legs as he drank every ounce your body so generously gave. If he could spend the rest of his life in this moment, he thinks he would never leave. Thankful for the fact that you chose him. That you allowed him to be the one who you allowed to please you. He wanted to spend the rest of his life thanking you for that fact.

He took his fingers from your mouth and brought them back down to your core. Now that they were wet with your own saliva, he brought them to your clit, and rubbed it to the same pace as his tongue. Your body the instrument he knew how to play best. 

It didn’t take long at all before another orgasm washed over you. Not as powerful as the first, but just as satisfying. The feeling of being restrained making it that much better. 

You felt as if you could breathe again now that he finally decided that you had enough. He pulled his face away from you and gently released your legs. They flopped back down onto the bed as you were unable to control them. You watched as Rayleigh made his way up your body until he eventually made it to your face.

“You doin alright sweetheart?” he asked with a big smile on his face. You said nothing as you pulled him down for a kiss. You moaned at the taste of yourself on his lips and in his mouth. You tried to win the fight to see who would lead the kiss, but you lost immediately. Happily surrendering to the gentle caresses of Rayleigh. 

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, enjoying being with each other in a moment of peace. But it was only a matter of time before you became needy again. Your hands drifting down to the waistband of his pants. Clumsily fumbling with the fabric between your fingers. 

“Take these off” you mumbled into his mouth as he pulled away to take a breath. He chuckled at your eagerness. 

“Should I? Cause I remember distinctly a few moments ago when you said it was ‘too much’ and how you wanted me to stop,” he teased. His smirk growing bigger at the sight of your lips forming into a pout.

Your fingers finally made their way under the waistband as it was your turn to ignore his words. You shimmed them down, until he finally caved and took the rest of them off himself. Your mouth watered at the sight of him. 

Silvers Rayleigh was an attractive man in his younger years as he sailed with Roger. But how he looked then has nothing on what he looks like now as an older man. Nothing about him said old unless you account for the gray hair atop his head. Even in his old age, he looked as good as he did when he was younger. Even better now. And that even went for what he held between his legs. 

Your mouth watered at the sight of him. Wanting nothing more than to take him into your mouth. It was almost as if he read your mind as he brought your attention back to him. 

“Let me just take care of you, okay sweetheart? We’ve the rest of our lives for you to-” you whined in embarrassment.

“Silverssss don’t say it” he laughed at your bashfulness. 

“Sweetheart…I just had my head between your legs and you just finished screaming to high heavens, and you're embarrassed about how-” You pulled him down to cut him off. You couldn’t help what you were embarrassed by.

He relented with a smile as he kissed you back.

“You ready sweetheart?” he asked. You could sense a little restraint in his voice as he rubbed himself against you. Sliding himself along your center, letting the wet mess he left between your legs transfer onto him as well. 

You eagerly nod, excited to have him properly fuck you. 

“I gotta hear you ask for it,” he teased kissing along the expanse of your neck. “Let me hear you ask me, yeah?”

Knowing you weren’t going to get your way unless you did as he asked, you swallowed the last embarrassment you had in your body. There was no way you were going to cheat yourself out of this after so long just because some things made you embarrassed. You already knew he was going to make you feel amazing, so you just had to give in.

“Yes. I’m ready, please fuck me,” you asked quietly as you wrapped your legs around him in an attempt to bring him closer.

Grabbing your hips to pull you closer, he pushed himself into you. Groaning at how you felt. Moving slowly until he completely bottomed out, his hips touching yours. His breathing turned a bit heavy as he waited for you to adjust to him. 

It really must have been a while due to how you both reacted. No matter how many times the two of you had slept together, somehow it always felt like the first. 

Intoxicating.

You felt full as you grabbed at his back to pull him in. His muscles stiff beneath your fingers as you grasp at his shoulders for purchase. 

He slowly pulls all the way out to force himself back in. 

“Still so tight for me princess,” he groans as he begins to thrust into you, “gonna be good and let me use you hmm?”

“Yes yes yes please use me,” you don’t care how pathetic you sound. You were finally getting what you craved for so long. You were needy and you knew he was going to take care of you. 

He folds her legs once more so that your knees are bent near your chest while your feet dangle by his ear. He uses his body weight to slam into you, driving you up the bed. He ruts desperately into you, addicted to how you feel squeezing around him. 

His thrusts are rough and punishing and the tip of him kisses the back of you, kissing your cervix each time he bullied his way into you.

Your eyes quickly glazed over once again and the nonstop pressure of him knocking into your spot. The constant bombardment of him forcing himself into you too much for you to take at once, yet you needed more. 

Resting your ankles onto his shoulders, he leaned forward to capture you in another kiss. Trying to hold himself out longer. How you were looking at him combined with the sinful noises falling out of your mouth with how tight, wet, and hot you felt around him, he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Pleasepleasepleaseplease don’t stop please please,” you breathily chanted in his ear. You were close to your third orgasm of the night and needed him to give you everything. 

He brought one hand and grabbed at your neck, while the other slid down your body and began to rub hasty circles onto your clit.

“Gonna be a good girl and cum on me? I wanna see you lose yourself again pretty girl,” he praised as he worked you to your end. His pace never faltered as he leaned over and put more of his weight onto your body.

Intoxicating. That’s all Rayleigh could think of as he fucked you deeply into the mattress. The sound of your skin slapping against him made him groan at the filthy thought. He wanted to make sure you never felt forgotten again, and with the way you were babbling nothing but his name, it was safe to say that he achieved his goal. That and how adorable you looked losing yourself over his dick.  Over him. “...only you Silvers…” your previous words coming back to the forefront of his mind. You were going to make him lose his mind.

You let him use your body, scratching at his back as he forcefully brings you closer and closer to a praecipe. 

Maybe it was because you were overstimulated. Maybe it was because it had been so long since the two of you slept together. Or maybe it was because of how he played your body perfectly…something about this orgasm felt different.  You placed your hands on his hips trying to slow him down. “Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck w-wait s-slow d-down Silvers!” You squeal. The back of your thighs tensing against his chest. You felt as if your body was trying to leave you.

He only held you a little tighter response. He’s got you right where he wanted you.Your body may try and leave you, but he would make sure it stayed exactly where he wanted it to in his hold.

He was going to be the death of you…but you craved him all the same.

You tried to hold out. You were about to make a mess and it didn’t seem like he cared. To be completely honest, it kinda felt like he knew that and continued his brutal pace anyway. His hips move in an almost primal way. It was as if he was digging the orgasm from deep within you.

“Just let go for me sweetheart…I got you, I promise,” he whispered in your ear.

Turns out, that was the final straw as you finally let yourself fall over into bliss. Rayleigh continued to fuck you through it all while praising you. Holding your body to the mattress so you didn’t ruin your own orgasm.

“There she goesssss, come on baby,” he grunted, bullying his way into your contracting walls. He wanted you to milk him dry. The way you were squeezing him made his pace falter. “You’re being so good f ‘me hmm?”

This time you did actually forget how to breathe as your mouth was open in a silent scream. Your nails scratched at his back as your third orgasm washed over you almost painfully. It took you by surprise how strongly it came. It was so earth shattering that you actually started to cry. 

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…” he groans at your words. At how you thank him for how he makes you feel, when he should be the one thanking you. He moans when he feels how wet you’ve gotten, realizing that he’s made you squirt. It wasn’t his intention this time, but he’s saved this information for the next time he’s got you trapped underneath him. 

“What a messy baby hmm?”

His heart swells as he looks down at you. A heavenly sight that he feels lucky enough to have gotten the chance to see. Let alone be the reason he could even have the view. 

“Where do you want me,” he growls into your ear, “tell me where you want me baby?” he asks kissing behind your ear, removing his hands from your neck and clit. Moving them to rest on both sides of your head. 

“Want you inside,” she cries, “I wanna be full of you Silvers.”

In that moment Rayleigh would do anything you asked him to. If you wanted him to build you a ship and sail you to the New World, he’d do it without an ounce of shame and with a smile on his face. Anything for his baby girl.

“That’s my girl. Let me take care of you baby…” trapping your legs between the two of you, and used you to chase his own end. With only a couple more thrusts he bottomed out completely and finished deep inside with your name as a whisper on his breath. You feel amazing as you take everything he has to offer as he lightly thrusts into you. Finishing with a deep groan into your ear. He quietly keeps you flushed to him as he rocks into you, his way of silently worshiping you and your body. His way of thanking you for trusting him. The silence not needing to be filled as the unspoken words say enough. 

He lowers himself closer to your front, as your legs slowly let go of his abdomen. He places lazy kisses along your neck as the both of you try to catch your breath. You two sit in silence for a moment before he slowly pulls himself from you. He covers himself as he quickly leaves the room to grab you a glass of water. 

He comes back with a warm rag along with a glass of water. He sets the water down on the bedside table and gently begins to clean you up. His movements slow and calculated, being careful to not wipe too harshly in fear of overstimulating you anymore. When he cleans you up to his liking, he tosses the rag into the hamper in the corner of the room and guides you to sit up in bed.

“Drink some water for me princess,” he coos. You blush as the older man dotes on you and you do as he says, sitting up and taking small sips of the water. All you wanted to do was lay and cuddle with him, as your preferred method of aftercare, but you knew that he was just doing what he needed to before he indulged.

After you drank what he felt was enough, he took the glass from you, took a large sip himself and set the glass back on the table. He laid back into bed and pulled you onto his front so that you could lay your head on his chest. 

“How are you feeling sweetheart? You back with me?” He rubbed your back and brought the blankets up to cover your body as he stroked your hair. He knew that after a passionate session, you typically needed coaxing to come back to reality. It was his favorite way of taking care of you. Having you lay here completely vulnerable while you placed your complete trust in him made his heart soar. He would never dream of taking advantage of what the two of you have built.

You answered him with a hum, snuggling more into his chest, chasing after the warmth his body provided. Your eyes started closing to the feel of his hands rubbing soothing patterns on you.

“I’m…perfect,” you manage to say after finding your voice. Your voice was a bit scratchy, but you laid there wholeheartedly happy and satisfied. Knowing he wouldn’t be happy until he heard your voice. 

“You did so well for me princess. Was it okay? Did I go too hard on you?” He asked a bit worriedly. While you never said your safe word, he couldn’t help but be a little worried after each session. Wanting to make sure that he only ever made you feel good. 

“You were perfect Silvers. Honestly, I’d like it if you were a little more rough with me. Not that rough everytime, but…ya know,” she said as she traced her finger up and down his abs. Sex with Rayleigh most of the time was soft and slow. And while you didn’t have a problem with it (Rayleigh made sure you were satisfied each time), being manhandled is something that you wish would happen a bit more often. It melts your heart that this strong man treats you with the fragility and tenderness of ceramic, but you like to be broke once in a while.

“Strongly noted,” he chuckled as he placed a kiss on top of your head. “Shakky will be happy I didn’t break the bed this time.”

“Yeah well, with how you had me folded, I’m surprised I didn’t break,” she giggled. 

“Well if you want me to break you then you only need to ask,” he teased as one of his hands snaked down to your ass and gave it a slight squeeze. 

“Strongly noted.”

***

Literally foaming at the mouth I love him so much we're actually married. Shakky and I tease him all the time

#one piece x reader #one piece #rayleigh x reader #one piece rayleigh #a little shakky x reader but not a lot tbh #rayleigh x shakky #dark king rayleigh

[optimisticstudentangel]

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Side characters with a talented MC (for each character other fields) ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Diavolo and singer

When the exchange program just started, you didn't dare to show your talents and abilities. And besides, you were busy with other things like trying to survive and settle in hell.

But some time passed and an event was held in the Devildom, in which everyone could participate. And you decided to enroll there, for fun.

Standing in the middle of the stage, facing the gazes of a thousand demons, you sang your favorite song.

You were already quite famous in your country. You were invited to different parties, and you wrote your own songs, which was in demand.

After you sang, you received a message from Diavolo, where he praised you and asked you to come to his office after the event was over.

- MC, dear, I didn't know you had such a beautiful voice. You were so great that you outshone the other participants with your talent," you laughed awkwardly and thanked the demon prince.

- Well, don't be shy, everything I said is true. You know, MC... this may sound a little selfish on my part, but could you come to the castle to sing your songs? – you were surprised at this request and did not know what to answer.

- I'll pay you. If you want, I will help you become a popular singer in the Devildom," Diavolo still insisted, wanting to get a positive answer from you. "Although to be honest, I would like you to be my personal singer, I think I won't be able to share you with other fans" - the demon smiled at you, hoping that you would agree.

And you decided to really agree with Diavolo. It's an honor to sing to the future king of hell himself.

Barbatos and the figure skater

In his spare time, the butler watches various figure skating championships. When he first saw you in the exchange program, your face seemed familiar to him.

The demon began to wonder where he could meet you. But not finding an answer, he decided to ignore the question that worried him for the time being. On a free evening, he was watching the figure skating competition again and suddenly, he saw your face. Everything began to converge.

Barbatos was immediately interested in you, because he also likes skating. He also participated in competitions a couple of times, so he could offer you to try to participate in the Devildom Championship.

- MC, the figure skating season will start soon. Would you like to try yourself in it?

- Oh, you know that I can skate a little?

- Hahahah, a little? You're downplaying your capabilities. I've seen a lot of videos with you and to say that "you can skate a little" would be underestimated. You can also participate in the competition in pairs, if you have a desire, we can participate together – Barbatos suggested.

- Anyway, MC, I wanted to tell you that you are doing beautifully, and you are very elegant while skating. It's hard to take my eyes off you. I watched all your performances and I wanted to be there to support you. Therefore, I ask you to perform again so that I can see everything with my own eyes and enjoy the moment.

Luke and the famous pastry chef

One day, Luke invited you to taste his pie, to which you gladly agreed. You praised the young boy, to which he very proudly said that he could teach you.

- Oh really? I'll be glad to learn something from you," you replied to Luke. You agreed to meet for the weekend, Luke was looking forward to this moment to show off his abilities, which he has honed over the centuries.

And indeed he was very talented, you were sure of it. However, the boy was in a hurry and sometimes forgot to add some ingredients. Maybe he was a little worried because he wanted you to have a good impression of him. Still, many people do not take him seriously, and you are completely different. Very kind and understanding.

- Luke, let me do this part myself, here you need to beat the cream for a long time, otherwise it won't turn out the way it should, - you suggested. You have been quietly correcting it more than once, to which the boy reacted a little embarrassed.

- Damn, I invited you to teach you how to make my favorite cake. And it turned out the opposite. You're good at this, aren't you? angel asked.

- Well, you could say that. I have a channel dedicated to confectionery, and in general I have been doing this since childhood.

- Waaa, - the boy drawled in surprise. On the one hand, he was very glad that he had a friend who could bake, and on the other hand, he felt ashamed that he did not know this.

- Why didn't you say so earlier?! Show me your channel, I will subscribe urgently!

"Hahaha, ok, ok. And you know, we can sometimes shoot videos together and review new recipes," you suggested to the boy. His eyes sparkled, and he agreed with a smile.

Simeon and the Poet

Angel has read a lot of authors for all his centuries, and only some of them he can consider his favorites. He likes classics more, but he is not averse to reading something new.

He discovered a new author. The author was not particularly well known, but they published one collection with all their poems. Simeon found something native in the work of this human. He reread all these poems over and over again, immersing himself completely in the feelings that appeared when reading the poems.

One day you saw the cover of a book you know and was a little taken aback. Has it really reached here, too, you asked yourself. Simeon noticed how you looked at him, or rather at the book he was rereading.

- A familiar author? angel asked.

"Yeah," you replied with a nervous laugh.

He was surprised at your unnatural reaction and asked: "Are you the author of these poems?". You blushed even more, which was already an obvious answer. The angel smiled.

- I really liked your work. While reading, I felt a lot of emotions, I lived them all thanks to you. Thank you for writing such a work - you didn't expect such warm words. And you certainly didn't expect Simeon to appreciate your poems. Your secret emotions were buried in your creativity. And it was all important to you.

- Please, let's meet for a cup of tea to discuss your poems? Simeon asked. "I want to know what kind of person you are, and how this is reflected in your work"

Solomon and the Sculptor

When you first met the sorcerer decided to ask about you and your hobbies. You didn't realize how you shared all the information about yourself with him. He slowly but surely pulled everything out of you, while he did it so easily and simply.

- So you're a sculptor? Sounds interesting. I will be glad to see some of your works," the sly human stretched out with a smile.

- I have only photos of my works, yet the sculptures are remained in the human world. But you can keep me company when I create something out of clay," you offered out of politeness.

- Oh really? With pleasure. Do you already have any ideas of what you want to do? – he leaned closer to you, this gesture made you a little uncomfortable, and you moved back a step.

- Hmm... nope. However, I am ready to do anything, just not to forget about my skills.

"Then I can be your model," the sorcerer said, grinning. "But you know, I have been portrayed many times, both in portraits and as statues. Each of these talented people tried to capture me in their own way, focusing on my character, my origin and how my people spoke about me. But I am sure your work will not compare with all these works and will surpass them. Besides, I wonder what will come of it. So I hope you won't mind?"

#obey me #obey me side characters #obey me fanfic #obey me scenarios #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me luke #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #diavolo x reader #barbatos x reader #simeon x reader #solomon x reader

[oldphone-whodis]

I need to talk to someone about moonwater but I’m like terrified of interacting with people when it’s not anonymous

But Remus is my favorite character ever I love him with all my heart and I absolutely believe that he and Regulus could I’ve been together because their vibe just match like

Grumpy boyfriends hanging out in the library or destroying horcruxes together like whatever you have about them I want it

That's absolutely understandable! It can be so scary to talk to people when you don't know what they feel about what you're going to say. I have to remind myself sometimes that those people I see posting stuff that I like aren't just famous untouchable celebrities; those are my peers. We're actually all friends in Book Club together!

Remus is a very interesting character, and I can totally see why you like him! I like him too. Regulus is one of my favorites personally.

I love the Grumpy boyfriends hanging out in the library. They so are.

They just do their own things in companionable silence.

Maybe Remus gets some sleep in at the library because he's just always exhausted between full moons, hanging out his friends, going to classes, reviewing class material, and writing any number of essays they assign. Not to mention the time he just doesn't have for any personal hobbies. And I'm sure his body is constantly in pain even outside the full moon because bodies kind of suck sometimes and he's definitely got aching bones and sore muscles.

Regulus definitely helps his boyfriend out by doing some of his essays and such for him. And it allows him to become familiar with the future material since Remus is in the year above him, so by the time the next year comes around, Regulus will already have a guideline and a light familiarity that will make the material in class come easier to him. So it's really a win-win for him. His boyfriend gets to catch a break and he gets a headstart in his studies.

Maybe Remus worries that Regulus feels obligated to do his work for him though. And I think maybe for a little bit it puts a strain on their relationship. Remus will stop sleeping in the library so he can do his work or just not go altogether. And then Regulus will be worried that Remus isn't sleeping and it's obviously taking a toll on him.

They probably have a few uncomfortable tense silences where neither of them can focus because they're both concerned and stressed out.

Until finally they talk it out.

And Regulus hadn't even realized that Remus was concerned about Regulus, and he's very touched by the thoughtfulness. It's unfamiliar to him, and it's just another reason why he's glad he has Remus.

And Remus didn't realize that Regulus was using homework as like a study guide for future classes and was more concerned about Remus's physical wellbeing. It's definitely a big weight off his shoulders to know that he's not being a burden.

Regulus would probably have to have a talk later with Remus about his awful prioritization skills.

×

Now as for Horcrux hunting together.

First this means that Regulus becomes a Death Eater because the events leading up to him discovering the Horcruxes requires him to allow the Dark Lord to borrow Kreature.

So I think their relationship becomes very strained. From what I understand, Remus tends to avoid his problems and downplay how things happened and probably has a bit of learned helplessness.

So Remus is uncomfortable with the path Regulus has gone down by becoming a Death Eater, but he really doesn't know how to bring it up and talk about it. And he still loves Regulus, but he hates the things he's doing. So maybe Remus avoids Regulus, keeps his distance. And any time Regulus asks, Remus is like oh no! Don't worry! I'm just super busy and stuff.

And Regulus of course isn't stupid. He knows Remus is avoiding him. He knows Remus is uncomfortable. He loves Remus, and he's absolutely selfish. But he also doesn't want Remus to be uncomfortable around him. So he probably breaks things off for Remus's sake. Because he knows he won't. That self-sacrificial idiot (affectionate, bittersweet)

And maybe they have an argument at that moment. Where everything comes free. And they go back and forth and can't even come to an agreement. And they leave. And it hurts to disagree on something so fundamental.

But when the Dark Lord asks for Kreature months or years later, and Kreature comes back shaking, sobbing, clinging, in tears, Regulus finds out what happened with Kreature.

And Regulus is going through it. Everything he thought he knew about the Dark Lord and his beliefs just got shattered. And Kreature — his best friend — got seriously hurt because of his narrow mind.

And he has to go to Remus with poor distressed Kreature cradled in his arms. And Regulus apologizes. Because Remus was right. And Regulus had been too stubborn to be swayed. And he had to learn the hard way, by having someone he cared about deeply being hurt. And he wishes he'd just listened to Remus.

And Remus thanks him. Says he's glad he came around. That he's sorry Kreature was hurt in the process. And how can he help.

And so they start their investigation.

First researching that locket. Finding out it is Slytherin's Locket. And then trying to figure out why the Dark Lord is hiding Slytherin's Locket in some horrible potion on an island in a cave. It's just all so convoluted for something that's highly valued sure but otherwise would be better just put on display somewhere.

And eventually they find out about the horrific existence that is a Horcrux. And Regulus finds a new level of disrespect he has for this Dark Lord. The Dark Lord's main focus is just to not die. What's the point of not dying if you don't also live though?

And while researching and investigating the whole issue together, they're actually looking out for each other. Making sure to take breaks. To eat and drink water. And to sleep. And they both sleep so much better than either have in ages wrapped in each other's arms.

And Remus still has his responsibilities with the Order that he's taking care of with the werewolves. And then coming home hurting and exhausted.

And Regulus just takes care of any injuries Remus may have (I love you).

And he draws nice warm baths for him (I love you).

And he gives him massages (I love you).

And he makes him cups of hot chocolate (I love you).

And Remus holds Regulus tightly and reminds him of who he is when he forgets because "Who am I without the Dark Lord?" "Yourself." (I love you.)

And he gives him chocolate and breathes with him and prods for Regulus to share what's on his mind when he becomes so filled with dread that he thinks he's going to die. (I love you.)

And Remus writes encouraging words and draws silly doodles on sticky notes and just sticks them everywhere because they make Regulus smile. (I love you.)

Regulus writes a melodramatic little note to put in their fake locket. And Remus assures him that he's not dying anytime soon on his watch. And that the Dark Lord would be after they retrieve and destroy the real one. And did they really need to tell the Dark Lord what they're doing. Regulus assures him that yes, the Dark Lord needs to know that Regulus is pissed at him and that he will not tolerate this sort of disrespectful behavior.

And then they're in the Cave. And Regulus insists he drink the potion. That this is his mess that he dragged Remus into. And Remus corrects him that it's their mess that he chose to be a part of.

Regulus still drinks the potion. And it's hell. And he knew it would be hell but it's so much worse than he thought.

He sees his mother and his father. And he sees Sirius. He sees the Dark Lord. And some of his old friends that he'd lost contact with. And some other Death Eaters. And he sees Remus.

But the real Remus is right beside him, holding onto him. And coaxing him into drinking just a little more, just one more little sip, just a little more.

And he cries. And he begs because he doesn't want to drink anymore. He doesn't think there's anything quite as awful as this. How can he drink and drink and drink something that makes him thirstier and thirstier? And he wants to drink it less and less with each scoop poured down his throat.

And Remus swaps the Lockets and Regulus is insane with thirst and hell visions and tries to take just a little sip from the lake.

Sickly hands claw at his skin from within, trying to pull Regulus into the lake. And Remus jumps in after him.

If Remus was good at anything, it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. And of course, he knows what Inferi are and that they're weak to fire. Remus manages to get them out of there alive.

(and I'm not going to pretend to know how they'd figure out there's more. maybe at that point, they'd need to bring it up with Dumbledore and the Order. But there you go, Anon!)

#anonymous #ask #moonwater #moonseeker #regulus x remus #dead gay wizards #marauders era #i really didnt mean for this to get so long hahahsh #long post

[koco-coko]

Ikevamp OC: Tchaikovsky

(If Ikevamp can genderbend Jeanne D'Arc, I can genderbend Tchaikovsky.)

The Porcelain Composer

Sensitive x Docile

Full name: Pyetrovna Ilyich Tchaikovsky 

Nickname: Tchai

Nationality: Russian

Current place of living: Vlad’s Castle

Past Occupation: Composer

Birthday: May 7th

Likes: Flowers, Ballet, Snow 

Dislikes: Alcohol, Pessimism, Intense Emotions

Background: Like a spring flower standing against a winter storm, Tchaikovsky always keeps an optimistic air about her, no matter what the weather brings. Rain or shine, Tchai plays her violin and dances to her own melody, hoping to bring a smile to every face she sees.

All she wants is for everyone in the world to be happy, to be understanding, to love one another… Even if it comes at the expense of her mind and body. It’s a small price to pay.

“If my music can make one person smile– just one– then I think I’ve made the world just a bit better, don’t you agree? Maybe that's a bit selfish of me...”

Relationships

Mozart: A mutual respect for each other and their dedication to music. As a child, Tchai's cried at a concert recreating Mozart's symphonies and said concert inspired them to become a composer. He finds her passion for music quite amusing sometimes, seeing as she always has her violin in her hands and has a habit of breaking into song whenever it hits her. They share the music room when she stays over and play together a lot, though many times Mozart has caught her on the floor of the music room when her tremors flare-up. He usually has to force her to take a break from her songs. 

Vincent: If you put these two in a room together and peaked in, it would be like staring at the sun. They’re too pure and bright! They share an adoration of flowers and end up agreeing on many things. They go to flower shops together to look for inspiration. Theo does not like this, especially considering her… “cat” (aka a beast from hell the size of a human child). 

Vlad: The one who revived Tchaikovsky after learning of her intense desire to make the world a better place for all. Her heart is pure and not a single bad thought goes through her head– the perfect example of what Vlad wants from humanity. Vlad can be protective of her because of this and her disability, but they are also very good friends. They can often be seen gardening and playing duets together.

Faust: Acquaintances and nothing more. They don’t interact with each other often. At most, she goes to Faust when she’s having tremor flare-ups or needs a muscle-relaxer. Otherwise, she tries not to get in the way of his dubiously ethical experiments. She slightly confident he won’t hurt her specifically, considering he deems her too fragile for any meaningful experiments, but she still doesn’t trust him that much.

Charles: Combined, they create a single brain cell. When their hyperactivity syncs up, it can either be the brightest, sunniest day or it can mean chaos for all parties involved. Tchai loves to go visit children with him and perform for them, dancing and laughing the entire time. Other times, they will simply sit with each other and wallow in misery together. They always play off each other’s emotional states when they’re near each other. 

Pet, Svetlana: A snow-white Maine Coon, she’s almost the size of Tchai herself. Vlad adopted Svetlana when she was a tiny kitty, intending the cat to be a gift for Tchai when she was having a depressive episode. Tchai instantly fell in love with the cat and despite her size, still treats her like a small lap cat. She loves this cat with all her heart, cuddling her whenever she’s around and keeping her well-groomed and clean as possible. Svetlana is extremely friendly and prides herself on her cleanliness. When Tchai can’t take the noise or has flare-ups, she spends time with her favorite little kitty-cat. 

Physical Characteristics

Addictions: This girl will drink iced tea (preferably sweet) even if it kills her. She’s trying to stay away from alcohol in her new life.

Eye color: Lavender

Hair color: Pastel pink

Skin color: Pale as snow

Disabilities: Tchaikovsky has central nervous system issues. Large sounds and intense vibrations trigger intense tremors. Ironic, considering how intensely she loves music. Her tremors can grow intense enough to the point she can’t even stand without assistance, but she’ll strum her violin on the floor if she must.

Height: 5”4’ or 162 cm

Hobbies: Aside from playing her violin, Tchai collects flowers and presses them into a journal in her spare time. Vlad and her exchange flower crowns on occasion.

Clothing style: Tchai wears light, flowy dresses and ballet shoes. She likes having freedom of movement due to her bursts of inspiration.

Health issues: Other than her tremors, Tchai deals with bipolar depression. She uses music as her escape and tends to hide these feelings, staying as optimistic and kind as possible. She will spend some days locked in her room, unable to do anything, and a few days later she’s filled with energy and life.

Mental Characteristics

Fears: Tchai has an irrational fear of birds. If one gets near, she starts screaming and trying to cover her violin as if it were her own baby, thinking that the birds might pluck the strings out.

Self-confidence: Very low. Tchai does not see herself as worthy to be here or to help Vlad with his goal, but she’s trying her best.

Rational or emotional: Emotional

How could you upset this character: Almost anything can upset Tchai. She was called the “porcelain child” for a reason– she’s highly sensitive. Not just due to her nervous system issues, but her emotional state as well. She is a crybaby through and through. Any intense situations, good or bad, will have her sobbing.

Sleep habits: Erratic. Sometimes, she only wants to sleep. Other times, she’s so busy composing she won’t sleep for days and Vlad has to use his powers to get her to bed.

Emotional strengths: Tchai always looks on the positive side of things, shining with positive light wherever she goes.

Emotional weaknesses: Any strong emotions means tears will appear. A little kid complimented her skills? Sobbing. Someone pushes her aside and laughs? Crying. Her cat brings a dead squirrel? Wailing in pride.

Introvert or extrovert: Introvert

What would they change about themselves: She wishes she wasn’t such a crybaby.

What motivates them: The thought of bringing purity and love to the entire world, making pain no more and letting happiness reign. She hopes her music will inspire people to enjoy life and encourage others to be kinder to each other.

What scares them: Disappointing her friends/family and causing trouble for anyone.

What makes them happy: Music and flowers.

Give or take: Give

Nice or rude: Nice

Pet peeves: She hates unnecessary rudeness. 

Guilty pleasures: When nobody is around, Tchai will perform entire ballets by herself, dancing and playing violin simultaneously. 

Picrew:

#koco talks ikevamp #ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp oc #ikevamp oc: tchai #OC

[joons]

Anime and Kindness

@sweetsassymusic sent this message to me. 

I’m currently trying to sort my feelings on a troubling anime I watched that I both loved and hated. It’s an anime I think you’ve seen (and possibly disliked?) if I remember right, so I was wondering if you had any thoughts that might help me put it in perspective.

The anime is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. (Big spoilers ahead.)

The show is filled with good-hearted girls who want to fight for justice, help others, and make the world a better place. But the more they try to do this, the more they’re punished for it. More importantly, the ways they are punished for it make it seem like a purposeful thing. Like the show is saying they deserve punishment for trying to do good, that trying to help people is selfish or stupid, and they need to grow out of that desire. Meanwhile, characters who exploit others and care only for themselves are faring much better.

It’s not an accident either. Real statements I’ve seen by the creators, active fans and prominent reviewers state that, “The characters are naïve enough to believe that every magical girl should use their power to help people” and “The girls’ strong sense of justice is their downfall” and “Being more honest than everyone else also makes the girls weaker than everyone else. They don’t think properly about right and wrong.” and that the show forces viewers “to question whether there is really such a thing as a selfless act, and that kindness can lead to greater tragedy.“

It would be one thing if it were urging viewers to be kind in a “smart” way (i.e. be kind but protect yourself, don’t trust everyone, learn to say no to people, etc.). But sometimes it feels like this show is condemning kindness as a whole, because no matter how “smart” the girls on the show try to be with their kindness, things still get worse for them. Like having ideals at all is too idealistic, and you need to repent of it all or you’re destined to fail.

There’s even a cosmic rule Kyubeh talks about where the universe balances itself through an equal measure of kindness and cruelty, so if you try to add more kindness to the world, you will eventually be forced to add more cruelty as well so the universe can re-balance. So, because the world needs balance, too much kindness is a bad thing, and cruelty is good because it’s a balancing factor?

On the surface, it seems like the writers want people to give up on the idea of kindness as a goal, and instead think of it as a nice little thing you do occasionally (as long as it’s not too big a kindness!) as you focus on the real everyday goal of ensuring your survival. But if this was what they really intended, they wouldn’t have ended the anime like they did: with Homura doubling down on the need to fight for justice in the world because it’s a world for which Madoka was willing to sacrifice herself, so it must be worth it to keep fighting. But why fight for justice when doing so is “naive”, imbalances the world, leads to further cruelty that might otherwise not happen, and is ultimately in vain? The show condemns the girls for their ideals. It also condemns them when they abandon those ideals. And it doesn’t seem to offer a third path. What is it suggesting people do?

Part of me wants to just dismiss the show as weird, wrong and overly cynical of the world. But at the same time, the show is so well-done, the events laid out so realistically. It felt honest, like this really is what would happen to these girls if this situation was real. And there’s been so many times in real life that I or others I know have been in that situation, where we’re trying to help people or make the world better, and we’re being “smart” about it, and it still blows up so bad that maybe we shouldn’t have bothered. The people we tried to help are worse off, we’re worse off. It’s clear we’re supposed to learn something from this. But what?

I have actually not seen this anime, but I have friends who had complicated feelings about it. The main thing I know about it is how brutal it is, how it totally upends the usually glittery, safe world of magical girls. It’s difficult to take it out of its context as a response to that genre; it’s critiquing whatever “power fantasy” drives most magical girl stories that don’t deal with violence, PTSD, or body horror/transformation like this series does. There are probably some cultural barriers that hit differently for audiences not already steeped in some of those narratives. I can see how the grimdark, torturous storyline feels as though it is punishing a genre that is intentionally feminine and positive, as if those stories ever claimed to be able to solve all the problems of the world. It can feel like knocking down a strawman, or using the wrong genre as a tool to talk about unrelated themes.

In writing this post, though, I came across two quotes from the head writer, Gen Urobuchi, that I think will shed light on the intention of the series. While I have not seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I am very familiar with Urobuchi’s other signature series, Psycho-Pass, a cyberpunk dystopian anime. Both series are meditations on power, free will, and morality.

The first quote is an interview Urobuchi gave with the publication Asahi Shimbun.

Madoka Magica is an original story. Where did the idea come from?

I received a request to write a bloody story where magical girls appear, and then drop out one by one. I paid attention to the aspects that are troubling or overlooked in the traditional magical girl genre. I’ve been thinking that magical girls who have acquired superhuman abilities will find themselves removed from the world, which would cause contradictions and reactions.

Magical girls, who are full of hope and who strive to save the people, soon suffer from hatred and jealousy, which turn them into the enemy witches. The change from good to evil left an emotional impact.

For example, Al-Qaeda brought down the Twin Towers due to their self-righteousness. Justice for some people is an evil for others. Good intentions, kindness, and hope will not necessarily make people happy. (X)

The second is a Blaise Pascal quote that Urobuchi uses in the opening scenes of Psycho-Pass.

Justice is subject to dispute. Might is easily recognized and is not disputed. So we cannot give might to justice.

Both of these are bleak. The Al-Qaeda reference probably misidentifies the issue (Al-Qaeda has never pretended to be “kind”!) and just generally doesn’t work as an analogy. But he seems to be saying that possessing power separates you from the world in an irrevocable way. The only limits on what you can do are self-imposed principles, or possibly a karmic rebalancing that always brings you down to earth again. These themes often come up in superhero stories, which can either be framed in positive, aspirational terms (“with great power comes great responsibility”) or as deconstructions (“if God is all-powerful, he cannot be all-good, and if God is all-good, he cannot be all-powerful” — Lex Luthor, quoting Hume and Epicurus, on Superman). I am very drawn to those stories on how we can do good without having perfect knowledge of what good is. When Urobuchi places these questions into a magical girl anime, he purposefully decides to uncouple the idea of “hope” and “justice” with personal happiness. In most stories, characters are rewarded for choosing to do the right thing; we assume that any selfless act naturally makes you more at peace with yourself (with good reason, I think). But Urobuchi is preoccupied with the question of how we can separate goodness from good feelings. Do we know the difference? How would separating these concepts alter our moral choices? Is personal happiness what matters, or would we still do “good” even if we were never rewarded for it? 

This paper suggests Puella Magi Madoka Magica should also be read in fairytale terms (making an ill-advised deal with a creature whose intent you can’t sense). In that case, the message is against making decisions without weighing the implications, and to make that point, it has to move these characters into an environment where there are no failsafes against their actions. Even if they think they’re doing the right thing, even if it is the right thing, that does not mean the world or the cruel people around them will reward them for it, narratively, materially, spiritually. PMMM takes magical girls seriously, coding them as soldiers in a war they believe is justified. It then uses their journey to talk about how our beliefs about our own goodness can blind us to unintended consequences. It is difficult to balance the idea of goodness against our imperfect understanding of it, but knowing a bit about Urobuchi, I think that is what he intends.

It could also be that PMMM interrogates kindness specifically because it goes unquestioned in other magical girl animes. By using magical girls as the thematic vehicle, “kindness” becomes weighted as perhaps one of the socially accepted reasons why girls in this genre might admit to wanting power. Their good intentions cloak what could be (not necessarily is) a more ambitious, selfish (or self-actualizing) desire to ensure their actions have meaning. And when you’re caught between what you say you want and what you really need deep down, that creates the necessary conditions for someone to take advantage and give you powers you don’t understand, as happens in PMMM. It’s the rush to bargain parts of themselves away that could be truly troubling. 

I think what PMMM wants to know – as other deconstructed superhero stories have – is how we can wield power without constantly questioning ourselves. Is doing kindness worth it, even knowing that cruelty will always grow too? This is something that superheroes need to have an answer for, and by the end of PMMM, one character thinks that the answer is YES. Maybe that’s foolish, but there’s something gritty and inspiring about a lone figure trying to stand against a cruel world, a world that will never give them any recognition for what they’re doing and may very well kill them. Berserk does something really similar; the main character is probably crazy, is fighting a hopeless quest, but he has devoted himself to becoming a weapon against utter chaos and meaninglessness. It costs him his humanity, in many ways, but that’s one way of creating an ubermensch, a magical girl, a folk hero. It’s as if these series press all the life out of their characters and say, “Now, NOW, you are worthy of that power and that respect, when you are no longer in the equation at all.” It’s probably based more in the still nirvana of Eastern philosophies and religion, the complete erosion of the self. Again, there’s something like … awe-inspiring about that, even if it ends in disaster for them. It commands respect because there are no alternate reasons they could be doing this anymore. They are martyrs to an ideal that doesn’t even make sense in a world where kindness and cruelty are always one-upping each other. There doesn’t seem to be a point. But the characters who stare it down and do it anyway are interesting. It makes us consider a new way of doing things ourselves, to strive to face down the world’s problems and wrestle with our own preconceptions about it. And if these hero figures give up or adjust their tactics, then that’s important too, because they humble themselves enough to recognize that some of their very good actions can be disastrous for others. Without complete omnipotence, they can never know what the downstream effects of saving one person over another will be, so a big dose of humility is something they have to have to handle the weight of those choices.

PMMM also explores this through upsetting imagery and explicit gore. Horror can be a genre that punishes deviant behavior in characters (teen sexuality often being a target for horror film serial killers), but it can also be a way of exploring motivations that seem in tension with one another. The brutality might be a way of showing the anxiety we - and maybe girls in particular - have about whether we are doing the right thing for the right reason. It might not be literally true, but we feel that we have to test it. Maybe the answer of “I want to keep helping people” even after going through such horrible violence means more than it did for this character at the beginning. The character accepts that she is not doing it for personal glory or vanity or for fun. She may get no tangible reward out of it, but she still believes it’s worth doing. It might not be pointed “punishment” the narrative is doing, but rather a generalized kind of suffering, something that strips away all possible naivete, which gives the character an almost iron will that proves they are worthy of the power. From the Urobuchi quote tying his themes to terrorism, it also seems like the series is showing a straightforward modernist skepticism against metanarratives where your values come pre-wrapped for you. There are strands of thought that see all received morality - like religion, tradition, “gut instinct” - skeptically like this, believing it always leads to blind obedience, fanaticism or selfish righteousness. I don’t agree with that necessarily, but I do find that there’s a worthwhile place for stories that try to see whether a hero or a certain type of moral system is recognizable after taking it apart and testing it intensely. It can be reaffirming once you’ve put it back together, or, if it’s more of a grim, uncomfortable narrative, it can raise questions that can help us better articulate what our non-negotiables are.

In Psycho-Pass, the characters, who are mostly police officers, are constantly forced to compromise their beliefs, and they have to navigate their roles in an oppressive, dystopian system that often seems to overwrite free will, where people are imprisoned whenever their emotions are “clouded” or heightened, which the system believes makes them more likely to commit crimes. Some of the characters come to the conclusion that the system might be “for the best,” or that it’s a necessary evil for the time being. It’s deliberately uncomfortable, but I don’t find it nihilistic. It explores the world from multiple perspectives, so there’s not one correct response that the narrative supports. Every episode basically raises an increasingly complex moral quandary for the human characters to deal with, while the central computer system that runs the country makes the final decision for them. So it asks things like, who are the victims in a world that judges your likelihood of committing a crime based on how upset you are? Is it ever a kindness to put someone out of their misery? Is murder worth it if it helps humanity regain its agency? By doing the unthinkable, are we actually allowing ourselves to think? It explores these questions by evoking and discussing famous philosophers and writers at length. The characters with the purest, most rigid morals tend to not do well in the system because they see it as grotesque and alienating, and they either wind up killed or exiled or unwillingly subsumed into it, losing parts of their identity. The most successful characters are the ones who can adapt and use cold calculus to fight the system into deadlock, or the ones who just go along to get along. In this world, “doing good” is constantly being diluted into a utilitarian calculation, and the series says so much about censorship and complicity without feeling like it’s saying there’s no point to trying to solve these problems. The fight is always an option. The characters’ sense of justice is their own, even if they cannot execute it, even if they are frustrated by their own doubts and the implacable force they’re up against. It’s a great series, and I kind of want to check out PMMM now that I know it’s the same guy. I think in general he approaches his work as someone who doesn’t have the answers. Some people won’t like narratives that just generate constant questions and seemingly offer no solution, but maybe that is better than being given the wrong answer. It wants you to fight to find the answer through experience.

I doubt Urobuchi is saying “never tweet” or “never care.” Even giving into nihilism is too didactic, too simple, for someone questioning everything. He just wants to probe things until they seem not very appealing, and then ask if you still want it. And even if we reject that as a false choice/dichotomy, it still helps us articulate that and helps us accept that our choices do have consequences we can’t always see. And to be at least humble and open about that. Very modernist. 

Anyway, you might like Psycho-Pass because it never pretends it’s going to be anything other than a grimdark cyberpunk story, so it’s less of a bait and switch. Another “dark” magical girl anime is Princess Tutu, which takes you to the brink of tragedy and allows the hope to shine all the brighter because of it. I love Princess Tutu so, so much, it’s sort of meta about the art of stories and whether life will ever be as perfect as our imagination can be, and while it can be harrowing, it’s absolutely a kind series that gives so much power and weight to emotions and stories and healing and being seen and ahhhhh. It sounds like it does much more to reconstruct itself and align with the genre’s true themes than PMMM does. And in general I prefer those kinds of stories; I think movies like The Last Jedi or Batman v. Superman did this wonderfully, but some people don’t want to be taken on that deconstructive journey in the first place, especially if they don’t know where it will land by the end, especially if it’s a genre or a world they already love because it already makes a positive case for the thing and doesn’t need to endlessly question and doubt itself. Anyway, without seeing PMMM I can only guess at what it’s attempting to do. I’d have to experience it myself to see if it’s successful or not, but I think it will almost change the viewing experience if you know going in that it’s going to do this. 

#submission

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Ok ok this one’s going on anon because I feel a bit ✨silly✨ about it- but its so cathartic to see someone who’s metas/thoughts/fics I really respect shut down some of the bad Stede takes so hard. After eps 6/7 there were SO many worst faith takes going around and it made me so sad :,). (It’s crazy to see some circulating still. October feels like it was YEARS ago, my god!! January has aged me.)

Now I know I’m biased- I’ve never seen myself in a character like I do with this Stede. I’ve definitely got a, “If Stede can make it, so can I.” thing going on. But also as a character I love that he’s allowed to be so complex- that this show lets him, (and everyone) genuinely fuck up!! I love that he’s weird, and he’s not loved despite that but because of it! I love that he’s kind and soft and also a bitch!! I love that he has such a hard time accepting himself and still carries so much love for the people around him!! I love that he’s silly and clever!!

There are so many ways this show is sort of a, “yes, and-“ exercise but for people, if that makes sense?? Like for Stede- yes this guy is ridiculous. He’s silly and sometimes selfish, AND he’s so earnest! He’s genuinely kind, and he’s someone who creates an environment where the crew can find a way to live in a world that barely lets them survive. He learns and grows- but nothing about him needs to be sanded down, just looked at differently by people who get it. Then he gets to kinda…fill his own shoes, I think. And the whole time he is so loved. Even when he doesn’t realize it! MAN. I just think he’s neat

Aaaaaaah and that ended up being a whole huge word salad. All that to say!! You’re someone I’m relieved to see pop up in the random waves of, “Stede is terrible, actually” posts that happen sometimes. Specifically thank for you the- “The sex was good and they were both so super into it” metas/analysis. It was a minefield out here for a minute. (The missing scene fic you wrote for Ed/Stede right before they have sex is STUNNING by the way. Bookmarked it not even halfway through reading it- thank you for writing that!!)

Akdhsk I’m so sorry this is long- got a little too excited lol. Thank you for being here!! You’re awesome and I hope good things come your way 🖤

Aw, man, thank you! I'm so glad that my metas and fics are hitting on something for folks.

And yes, I agree. One of the strengths of Stede is that he really isn't perfect. He's deeply flawed and he's also kind and loving and really just wants to be loved and appreciated for who he is.

Thanks! This made me very happy. :)

#reply #ofmd #stede bonnet

[theproloser34]

Aight, so with Spider-Man 2 coming out on PS5 soonish, I’m gonna rant about a discourse that’s been happening on twitter (and maybe tumblr, haven’t seen it yet) about black hair in video games. This all comes from the new hairstyle they gave Miles Morales in the game

Now, it ain’t a bad hairstyle. I think it fits him quite well. But people online quickly noticed that this haircut is part of a trend currently with black video game characters. It seems to be the go-to hairstyle for some

Now, it’s easy to see why this hairstyle because super popular lately. It’s because of one dude, Micheal B Jordan in Blank Panther. Like dude rocked it and looked so hot doing so. Damn near almost had me getting that hairstyle too.

But I wanna defend the big use of this hairstyle for two main reasons. First, it works well from a character design perspective. Since it is such a newer, trendy haircut, you can get a sense of the character being more fashionable, more trendy, you can tell they care how they look and how they carry themselves. It also works for younger characters to give a difference on how the culture has changed with hairstyles (if there happens to be another black character that has an older hairstyle)

Now for Miles specifically, it works because it is digging into the old trope of “character grows out hair as they grow into themselves.” Miles in the first game rocked the Super Smash Bros Afro, which I mean… nerdy kid, a little insecure, doesn’t really know how/even want to clean up himself. Like I get it, been there myself

In Spider-Man Morales, he actually cleans up a little. Gets a nice fade going to signify his new responsibility. So now a year later, starting to grow the baby dreads just makes sense

Now the other more selfish reason why I’m defending this hairstyle trend is… JUST LET GAME DESIGNERS LEARN HOW TO ADD ONE MORE HAIRSTYLE TO THE THEY CURRENTLY GIVE BLACK MEN. Like this discourse forgets that for as long as I’ve been alive, most games got 2-4 of the same hairstyles for black people. A fade, cornrows, Rasta dreads, and then Afro which sometimes if’s just at a stupid length. So, imma let them add one more and overuse it, because I just need something new.

Plus I haven’t seen this cut yet in a character creator. Most character creators only got like 2. The Sims 4 got like 6 with all the dlc. Baldur’s Gate 3, even with how great it is, only had like 3-4 black men styles. In Japanese games, I might be lucky to get two. Monster Hunter Rise practically only has the stupidly large Afro. Like, that’s just not ok. Video games still have a long way to go for black character customization. So I’m happy if we at least start getting a new trendy one in games more often. Cause at least it’s still a start.

To end this rant, I’ll leave y’all with an RdcWorld clip that just contains my feelings

#video games #miles morales #spider man 2 ps5 #black hair #rant post #character design #like I just want 6 in character creation #is that too much to ask? #why yes I want Jheri curls in my game #give me the hightop and the braids too #Youtube

[silentprincess17]

A Trail of Letters

Written for @raysoftwilight as part of the Loftwing Letters Fandom event by @zelinkcommunity :) I hope you like it!

Fic Summary:

Link realises he needs someone to vent out his feelings too. And no one will really understand apart from Zelda, but she's... rather occupied at the moment with the Calamity.

So he writes to her.

Better formatting on AO3!

Dear Zelda,

Today I figured out weapons break. Why I’m telling you this, I’m not sure. I guess maybe because everyone has gone to bed at the tavern and I’m still awake. But it’s not like you can tell a random stranger this fact anyway. 

Maybe it’s more to do with the fact that I remembered something, when my bokoblin bat broke. It was a flash. A metal coloured stick. It was… rusted, hurt, chipped away. Much like my memory actually. 

You’re the only name from the past I know of. And you’re the one that called for me. Whose voice woke me up. You’re like my companion, strangely, even if I can’t see you. 

So I guess this is me saying I’ll be writing to you some more. 

Hopefully, I'll be able to match up the patchworks in my memory. I’ll be able to help you soon, Princess. Just… gotta get myself together a little first. 

Dear Zelda,

The sky went red today. The air felt charred, thick with poison. It hurt to breathe. 

Is this what you’ve been facing? 

Is this your daily reality? Is this what you see, hear, feel in that castle? 

I saw the same colours surround you when I activated the tower.

I saw it. I saw it all surround you. Your light pierced through but –

It was horrible. It hurt me so much and it was only for a minute. I can’t imagine 100 years of such… such vileness. I’ll be there soon. I’ll be there soon I promise.

Dear Zelda, 

Purah is now in the body of a 6 year old! I thought I was going to see a grandma like Impa. Instead, she was… a child. I guess I don’t remember her from the past anyway, but I thought this fact might startle you. She’s helping me with the slate. I thought… I thought it was best I fix it first, so that I can capture the memories you left for me whilst I sort out the Divine Beasts.

The last thing I want is to fail again. And this way, I hope to learn of… whatever mistakes Past Link made. 

Dear Zelda,

Today I found the Zora. I actually was on my way here anyway, but it turns out Prince Sidon also needed help, so two birds with one stone right?

The rest of the Zora… are strange. They seem to hold something against me. I’m not sure why they hate me. Everyone makes these… sarcastic comments. Do the Zora not believe in memory loss? But why? Maybe it’s more that they don’t believe me. Was what I’d done so horrible that they can’t trust me at all? 

Sometimes I wish you were here with me. I wish I could talk to you more. But I know that’s being selfish. Especially if you’ve got to face… that thing. 

Don’t think I’ve forgotten!! I won’t forget again I promise. 

I’ll get to talking with the King tomorrow. Maybe that’ll help clarify what all the fuss is about. 

Dear Zelda,

Goddesses I was very callous in my last letter. I… oh. This is going to sound horrible but I didn’t remember Mipha at all. And… she was going to propose? PROPOSE??? And I FORGOT? Who forgets their fiancée??? That’s just as bad as forgetting you in the castle. I – 

I guess. I. Oh. I know I’m supposed to have thought through before writing this but I mean, I’m just going to – I thought – I mean – was it so outlandish to think – 

Nevermind.

I’m not entirely sure how to process this. I guess… I’ll go to Ruta tomorrow and see… see this out. 

Dear Zelda,

I met Mipha’s spirit today. She glowed, just like the King. I defeated the… blight that had entrapped her for 100 years. She is happy now, and she is free. At long last. 

I… still don’t really know how to process it all, but I did find her diary and that helped explain some of it, and Bazz filled in some of the remaining detail. 

It is strange, this mix of not knowing what I felt, really, in the face of it all. She never gave me the armour, and from her diary it seems we were best friends who… grew apart. The sword changed things I suppose but how? Why? Did it… affect things with other people in my life? 

Will all the champions fade away like Mipha? 

Will you, Zelda?

I’m not sure what I would do if you disappeared too. I… No. I refuse. 

Dear Zelda, 

It’s been three blood moons since I last wrote to you. 3 months have whistled past so fast. I have met Revali (a slight prick in my humble opinion) and Daruk’s spirits now. I’ve set them free. 

Revali is an interesting figure. He… just wanted to prove himself, and I… I must have stood against his entire purpose of working towards something yourself.  The sword chose me at 12. What had 12-year-old me even accomplished for it to do so? 

And that led me to realising that actually, my life before the age of 12, is a huge unknown. Did I have parents? A sibling? How did they die? Did I have other friends like Daruk? I must have had some friends in the Army right? 

I know the memories you left me are significant. I understand now that you also disliked the sword. And it’s easy to see why. I hope things changed between us. And… maybe when I meet you, we’ll be able to track down if I had any family… 

I’m almost there, Zelda. Please hold on a little longer for me. 

Dear Zelda, 

I’m leaving the desert now with a… much clearer mind. I feel like I have a better grip on my memories. On what happened between us. I’m going to now track down the last few memories I have yet to find, Pikango has promised to help. And then… One final trip to the Deku Tree to reclaim the Master Sword… if it’ll have me that is. 

I’m sorry for making you wait one more month. Just… the final push now. 

Dear Zelda, 

The Master Sword has not stopped glowing blue since I’ve entered the Castle. I’m sorry in advance for reading your diary. I’m hiding here for the night because I can barricade the door. I… recovered the last memory on your balcony. I’ve got them all in order now, the memories, and I can finally watch them all as a… film of my life. Our lives. 

The sword helped too. It filled in a lot of gaps, gaps I never would have guessed otherwise. 

I loved you then, Zelda. I chose you over the world. Over everything and everyone. And… and I think, I think you felt the same. 

Somehow, I… I knew. I knew from the moment I heard your voice. From the moment you woke me up. 

Goddesses, I’m so… excited isn’t the right word. Relieved? On edge? Thrilled? To see you again. To hear your voice. To finally finish the fight that our lives have stopped for. 

I want to hold your hand. I want to hug you. I want… I want to rediscover Hyrule with you. I want to show you the shrines. I want to show you how much the Silent Princess has thrived. 

I want, most of all, to see you smile. Free, unburdened, relieved of your duty. 

I’m here, Zelda. 

I’m here at last. 

Love, 

Link 

#zelink #legend of zelda #botw #breath of the wild #zelda #link #zelink fanfiction #botw zelink #silent writes #zelink fanfic

[charmedreincarnation]

Ok so I have something to confess and ask. I just hope you don't judge me and also don't make me feel like my opinions are wrong because sometimes some people do that. And I mean it respectfully. ☺️

I will be asking other bloggers this question to see what they think too.

CONFESSION

So I view Narcissistic people a little differently. Some people think they are demons and don't deserve anything. I on the other hand think that Narcissists are basically people who are desperately trying to protect that inner child who was neglected, abused, is insecure, etc. Narcissists are people who SUBCONSCIOUSLY choose a different coping strategy and personality because of their own traumas.

There are different ways trauma affects people and there are different ways their SUBCONSCIOUS learns to deal with their trauma. I don't think they consciously chose to be a bad person, but that their inner kid was so deeply hurt that they subconsciously chose the Narcissistic Personality without realising and now they become so blinded by their pain they fail to see the right and wrong.

They were NOT BORN EVIL. So I want to change someone who could POSSIBLY be a Narcissist and I want to change their entire past, their hurt and pain and have a possible romantic relationship with them. Keep in mind I have never actually met them, just that there could be a possibility of them being a Narcissist. I just came here to tell you that since others look at Narcissists in a different way I kept feeling so guilty to want something like this. To want to be selfish. I kept feeling like I wasn't supposed to do it not because I think it's bad but because OTHER people think it would be bad.

QUESTION

Have you ever gotten a success story where someone changed their abusive or toxic parents or ANYONE else?

1. I disagree to a vast extent but luckily it’s okay bc you’re still free to have your opinions and do what makes you happy

2. Yes I have revised my toxic family mom and dad. And I’ve seen others do the same with partners, friends, family etc. eveything is possible 🫶💗

#law of assumption #manifesation #void state #manifesting #reality shifting

[crystal-moon-101]

Been currently in a TMNT mood, since I've been watching the 2003 series, and rewatching episodes and clips from the 2012 series. And seeing how Rize handled their designs, I really wanted to make my own designs for them, along with playing with concepts of what I would do if I had to make my own series, hence why I call this universe "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Underground". I got a lot of fun ideas for this series, and I hope to draw some of the other characters, but lot with most of my projects, I may not have to time to fully expand on it, so feel free to ask questions! I'll also share details about my versions of the turtles, both design elements and personality stuff. Also as a side note, each of them are hybrid turtles. They were all originally common snapping turtles, but were mixed with another turtle each. I also wanted to play more with the mutant element idea with them, hence why they have tails, webbed hands, beaks and so on. Think it would be more fun that way. -Leonardo Hamato- Leo is a hybrid of a common snapping turtle and a black-knobbed map turtle. I gave him a dark, saturated colour palette because I felt that suited him well, playing into how he takes the ninja stuff the most serious, and to showcase his bold and mature nature. It's also why he wears the black cloth on his arms and legs. Because of the map turtle in him, he has a spiked spine down his shell, though he has a very noticeable and massive scar on his shell, as a result of a situation that happens when they were all still kids. His bandana I kept similar to previous series of the turtles, keeping it classic. The best way to describe Leo is that he is a complete mother hen, the kind of person who gets up at 5 AM to get his family prepped for the day. He took on the eldest brother role with pride, and wants to do what's best for his brothers, taking care of them and protecting them whenever he can. This has lead to him being wise, mature and responsible, but also struggle to ever say no, and forgets to have "me time" and self-care. His lack of selfishness has caused him to get caught up in many problems, but no matter the problems he goes through, he will always be the big brother to the others, even if he has to learn that sometimes selfishness is okay. He also completely oblivious to certain social cues, especially romance. You could imagine Karai's annoyance when Leo did not understand the concept of flirting for a good while. -Raphael Hamato- Raph is a hybrid of a common snapping turtle and a alligator snapping turtle (He got the double snap in him lol). A lot of his design was inspired by Rize, and a little bit of hulk, cause I just think it's fitting for his character (Along with elements from Slash in 2012). I lean towards swamp like colours, since that's the environment most alligator snapping turtles are found in. His shell, when viewed from behind, has four spiked I imagine look sort of like a opened fanged mouth, playing into the beast nature behind him. He also has the longest tail, which he mostly drags around due to it's weight. I gave him the full cover bandana that is tattered, as it's the most fitting for him. Like most of his counterparts, he is indeed a hothead, and loves violence. Because of his large size, and double snapping turtle genes, he just enjoys being rough with his fighting style, being a wall to get through when challenging him. He's got a lot of classic older brother habits, like holding the others in headlocks or even leaving the door open when leaving their rooms. He's always the first to run into danger, as he knows very well he is a tank, and can take most hits for his brothers. Also a big fan of wrestling. But he is also an animal person, with a soft side to him, especially for his family. He may get loud or brutally honest towards them, but when he knows they need him, he'll cut the act and help. Or at least, his style of help. -Donatello Hamato- Donnie is a hybrid of a common snapping turtle and a diamondback terrapin. Because the turtle he is a hybrid of has very pasty white skin, I ended up giving him very light and pale colours to reflect this, along with the spirals on his shell. His gear, including his bostaff, has some minor modifications to them, along with him having goggles, cause I like the goggles quirk. Made him very tall and lanky, though not as tall as Raph. For his bandana it's similar to Leo's, back as thinner back ribbons that end in a square shape, rather than a pointed tip. He has a dry wit, laconic kind of way of speaking. A true know it all, who acts like he doesn't have time for stupid things. He has a very logical mindset, and likes to invent, learn and gain new knowledge wherever he can, often the one to go to when you need a problem solved. Despite his sarcastic nature, he does mean well, and is always willing to lend a help or fix things for others, as he grew up being the one who repaired things like damaged skins or the fridge. Though because of his logical nature, he's poor when it comes to the concept of emotions, and has a tenacity to over complicate things. He also likes joining in on debates, but tries to stay reasonable with his offers and suggestions. -Michelangelo Hamato- Mikey is a hybrid of a common snapping turtle and a Spotted Turtle. His colours were a little harder to figure out, but I eventually settled on a palette that references some of the older TMNT designs, with the deep pure green and bright colours. He is the shortest of his brothers, and a little more rounded than him. With his smaller height, he's the best at being quick and agile, being hard to catch. I gave him spots since he is based on a turtle with spots in the name, and he has a very rounded shell. With his bandana, I had to keep the short bow look, as it's too cute to not have, along with giving him a little scarf of sorts. Being the baby of the team, Mikey is considered the heart of his brothers. He may not be the brightest with things such as science or logic, but he is the most emotional understanding of his brothers, able to read people with an empathic mind. He's good at connecting with people, and loves to brighten people's days. He also needs to constantly be doing something, needing to focus his mind on something, and will always want to be involved. Though admittedly he has some pretty lazy moments, known to do things like ask for someone to pass the remote when it's barely out of reach of him. He's also the kind of person to suddenly ask very strange questions out of the blue, his mind always wandering as he fidgets with his nunchucks. But if someone ever needs cheering up, he'll be there, being the kind little turtle he is.

#TMNT #teenage mutant ninja turtles #Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Underground #TMNT AU #Character Designs #Creature Designs #Mutant #Turtles #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #My Art

[ecargmura]

Dog Signal Episode 20 Review + Final Thoughts - His Most Important Family In The World

The finale of Dog Signal is here and I am crying. Not only am I shedding tears from the emotional moments, but also from the fact the show ended. I did not expect this super obscure anime to become an instant top 10 anime of all time for me, but it did. I’m amazed.

Miyu reflects on his behavior towards Singe. He tells Niwa that he hated how his mother treated him in his childhood, yet he did the same thing with his dog. He also tells him that he worked hard for his family, but given that he was the breadwinner of his family, he felt like he had no purpose for existing until he met Singe. I feel really bad for Miyu because he was a victim of parentification. It also makes me hate his mom a lot too. Like, the audacity of her going to Proud Dog and attempting to bribe and demand Niwa into raising Miyu’s salary so that he could bring some home. What’s crazy is that this actually does happen in real life, especially in Asian culture. Sometimes, there are parents out there that will go to their adult child’s workplace and demand to give them a raise or better treatment. While some do it for their child’s benefit, some do it for their own selfish intentions. I’m glad that Niwa didn’t back down and chased her out with his bluntness. He may be cold and blunt, but at least he’s doing a good job of trying to get Miyu to stand on his own two feet and not coddle him all the time. He’s like a strict older brother towards him. Ritsuka says it best with how he’s always doing things for others, but never himself—as if he always puts himself last in order to appease others.

The fact that Miyu realizes his mistakes and goes to see Singe was super emotional (You can watch the clip by clicking the link). He believed he betrayed Singe, but when Niwa showed him that his dog is waiting for him, he rushed out and reunited with him. The way the opening song started playing during that moment made me cry. I am a huge sucker for dog stories and this is no exception. The way Singe still loves Miyu despite making him upset with his sudden change in behavior shows how unconditional a dog’s love is. I love that Singe is the reason why Miyu feels like he has purpose now. He starts from zero as he decides to become a dog training student once again. The ending seems to state that he’s both a dog trainer and a student. It’s nice that some clients like Eguchi, Miyake and Kadota want Miyu to still be an intern dog trainer as they think he’s a valuable asset. He is! If not for Miyu, Niwa wouldn’t get customers. Miyu is very important to Proud Dog!

The post-credit ending was super sweet. Since the manga is still on-going, the author Saya Miyauchi said on her Twitter that she wrote an anime-original ending, which is this. I do like seeing most of the Proud Dog clients gathering to go to the dog park accompanied by Ritsuka and Ema. We also see Shikishima and her dog Shizu passing by as well as Oyamada with Ribbon at the vet with Dr. Kubo. It’s so nice to see everyone having a fun time with their dogs. There’s also a little boy who’s interested in dogs but never touched one. I think he’s a manga character who appears later on, but I think the author inserted him into this ending for the heck of it. Hey, more dog lovers means more cuteness.

Final Thoughts

It’s unfortunate that this anime ended in 20 episodes, but it was the best thing I’ve watched in a long time. Like I said, it’s seriously a Top 10 anime of all time for me. Perhaps I’m just biased due to me being a dog lover.

The story is really good as it’s a simple one about bonding with an abandoned dog, but it’s also learning more about why dogs behave this way and why it’s mainly the owners’ fault for doing so. It’s very educational as it explains about dog behavior and actions very thoroughly. Since Miyauchi was originally a dog groomer before becoming a manga author, I can tell her knowledge for dog training is genuine. She even went out of her way to write her story in a way that the dogs actually behave like dogs and not personified versions usually seen in fictional media.

The characters are great. Miyu is a great protagonist as he is the inexperienced guy learning from the expert Niwa. He learns about all sorts of issues dogs can have when with problematic owners. Despite that, they have their own personalities and don’t feel too one-note. Ritsuka and Dr. Kubo are also good characters in their own right as they care about dogs and have unique personalities. All the clients and their dogs are very interesting because they all have names and different personalities as well as different dog breeds. I think that each issue each client brings is super interesting as it’s not always the same issue.

I think the opening and endings were adorable as heck. The dogs in the ending are actually the author’s. Her smaller poodle passed away last year, unfortunately, but she still has her standard poodle. They show up often on her social media account. The songs are addicting. I quite like listening to the opening whenever it starts!

The voice acting was superb! They got a cast of amazing voice actors from the main cast to the guest cast! I loved Suzumura’s performance in Episode 7 where he was going off on Fujiwara. Kensho Ono as Miyu was perfect as he did a great job of doing the boisterous side and the sweet sides. Yuko Kaida as Ritsuka was amazing, especially during Episode 17. I personally enjoyed KENN’s performance as Dr. Kubo because his debut episode made his character so kooky that it was hilarious. I do have to applaud the voice actors for the dogs! Anna Mugiho and Kenichiro Matsuda did amazing jobs as Singe and Ourson and other dogs in the show! I love that they actually make dog noises and not use the onomatopoeia words.

I think the biggest issue of this anime is the animation. Studio Fugaku is a relatively new studio and Dog Signal is one of their first anime adaptations. Some scenes in some episodes look rather off-putting, but I feel like it’s more budget issues? Despite the gripes, they did a good job with animating the dogs and the characters’ expressions.

Overall, this anime is super underrated and if I am able to grab a hold of the manga, I’ll buy the manga too. I think that anyone who likes dogs should give this a chance as it’s a lot better than you’d expect. It’s definitely a 9/10 anime for me.

#dog signal #Miyu samura #singe #Shinichiro niwa #ourson #Ritsuka Izumi #Suzunosuke Kubo #review #anime #anime review #ecargmura #arum journal #final thoughts

[jooeeydee]

I don't understand those Arrow fic writers who take away any form of personal accountability for their actions from their favorite character and blame their own choices on others, mainly Oliver.

It is such a cheap route to take and shows how little they understand Oliver's character. Everyone who calls him a selfish jerk and that he didn't or doesn't learn from his mistakes obviously hasn’t watched the show, or refused to look at Oliver as a traumatized man with a serious case of untreated PTSD.

They are also entirely ignorant to the fact that every time he took a step forward he was pushed back at least two, sometimes by his enemies but most times by the people who were supposedly his friends and family. He received zero help, understanding or compassion from the people closest to him and no one did anything to try and help him. If they had truly cared, they would have learnt about PTSD and tried to convince him to actually get professional help instead of having insane expectations and getting angry at him if he fails to fulfill those.

Blaming someone with this extreme amount of trauma for not behaving the way a "normal" person would, is not just ignorant but downright disgusting.

Did Oliver make bad choices that made situations even worse? For sure. Could some of them have been prevented had he made different choices? Probably.

But to ignore the reasons why he made those choices and simply saying he was a selfish jerk who only cared about himself is not fair to him.

Oliver was always trying to help people, protect the people he loved from the harsh reality of just how cruel and painful a place the world is. And most of all he tried to protect them from himself and the person he had turned into after his five years away. There was no one on the show who thought less of Oliver than Oliver himself. He saw himself as a monster. He took the blame for everything that went wrong in everyone's life and never defended himself even if he wasn't the one to blame or responsible for their pain. He truly felt he didn’t deserve happiness. So, add a serious case of depression to the rest of his psychological issues.

Talk about victim blaming! Seriously, this is like one of the most extreme cases I’ve ever seen on TV. 

Even on the show everyone always blamed Oliver for everything. How about they step in his shoes for a moment and make the difficult choices? And then deal with the consequences of their choices and don't just blame Oliver. I mean if he was there made a choice they didn't like it was his fault. If he wasn't there and they made a choice that backfired it was his fault for "not being there". Jeez talk about damned if you do dammed if you don't.

Whereas Laurel, Felicity and Thea are being looked at as the innocent and blameless victims that were forced into their bad decisions by Oliver… simply existing I think… Both Laurel and Felicity were totally, shy and meek and easily manipulated and gullible women that just sat there and let a man walk all over them and abuse them… right… have those people even watched the show? Not going into the emotional manipulation and abuse the women used on Oliver here, cause the post would get way too long. But claiming Oliver is to blame for everything that went wrong in Laurel and Felicity’s lives also takes away from the women and the characters they were. If a man has the power to shape a woman’s life entirely, it means the woman has absolutely no power of her own and no free will, which means you just turned them into useless bimbos, instead of the strong, independent women that they actually were on the show.

Women aren’t perfect, they make mistakes too, and men aren’t to blame for their mistakes or the choices they made. No one forced them to be with Oliver or stay in his life, they chose that. Oliver never claimed to be a good choice for them, far from it he tried to get them to leave him alone. They refused. Don’t blame him for their choices.

And also, Sara would never call Oliver, the man who was willing to die for her several times, who killed a man so she didn't have to, who risked everything to try and save a friend, a selfish jerk. Whoever believes Sara would think so little of Oliver obviously hasn't watched the show.

Sorry for my rant but things like that just piss me off and leave me in a state of disbelieve.

#arrow rant #defending oliver queen #oliver queen support #stop making oliver the bad guy #not everything is oliver's fault #this is victim blaming #oliver queen #green arrow #arrow #this just makes me so mad #personal accountability is a thing you know

[dujour13]

Caught in a blizzard or cookies for Siavash?

Thank you so much for the ask 🥰 Sorry it took so long. January, you know what I mean.

---

“What have you learned from your people watching?”

“People like cats.”

“Also cookies. Here.”

She took the cookie in both hands like a sacred host. “Thank you.”

He watched her eat it delicately with her sharp, white teeth. “What do you think?”

“I’ve eaten many fine feasts, but this—this makes my heart want to jump like your pet jerboa.” She wiped crumbs from her ruby lips and smiled.

Arueshalae had practically twisted herself in knots with embarrassment when she came up to the Citadel to ask Siavash if he had time to talk. They met at the Half Measure, and found themselves a secluded corner while Aivu “helped” Fye at the bar. It was early evening, before the rush. Still, a couple of crusaders spotted them and came over to salute the Knight-Commander, and he shook their hands warmly even as they cast uneasy glances at his companion. He thought he overheard one of them saying he ought to be wary as they went back to their table, and relished the day she would prove them wrong. He wanted to believe in her.

“People like you,” she said when they were gone. “You’re full of hope and inspiration, like an azata…” Pain flashed across her features so briefly it might have been a trick of the light. “But there’s also something sad, when you think no one’s watching.”

“You’re good at reading people.”

She flinched and looked away. “My demonic nature.”

He started to lay a hand on her arm but drew back, giving her a warm smile instead. “You know, maybe some of the talents from your demonic nature could be used for good. If a succubus senses people’s fears and desires, maybe she can see how to help them.”

“It won’t be easy to… sort the wheat from the cheese? But maybe you’re right. I should learn to use my gifts to help people.” She looked him straight in the eyes with her intense, crimson gaze. “For example, you just deflected.”

Now it was his turn to flinch. Part of him warned that this was really foolish, but another part wanted to confide in her, in all her seemingly guileless curiosity. Which was exactly what a succubus would want him to do. And even if not, even if she was being honest about wanting to change, she could lose control at any moment. Yet how could he help her if he didn’t extend his trust? “All right. Yes, I’m a little lonely sometimes.”

“You’re surrounded by friends. Why do you feel alone?”

“Maybe I think I deserve to be alone.” He fidgeted with the paper cookie wrapping on the table between them. “Not to let people get too close, because I tend to let them down. Maybe I’m not all that different from you. Well—not quite as extreme. But maybe I’m also struggling against part of my nature.”

“You’re not letting people down in the Crusade.”

“Not yet,” he smiled wistfully. “I’ve hurt people before by not keeping my promises. I want to do better.”

“I never thought I could have anything in common with someone like you. It makes me feel so much more hopeful.”

“We’re not as different as you think.”

“Maybe it’s silly and selfish, but sometimes I think Desna sent you to me. When I first saw you in a vision you looked like an azata, beautiful and glowing, and then you freed me from prison. It’s as if She sent you to free me from the prison of being a demon.”

“No, Arue, you have to free yourself. I’ll be here to listen and feed you cookies, but that’s not a door I can unlock for you.”

“You’re right, of course, but eating cookies with you does make me feel stronger. Like maybe I can want to be with you without wanting to… to destroy you. I’ve watched mortals just be happy together, with no violence in their eyes, and someday I want to feel that too. But you’ve been in love before. Tell me what it’s like.”

“Love is a wonderful feeling. It’s like the sun is shining even in the middle of winter. Your beloved’s smile is like the sun in your heart: it lights up everything, fills everything with warmth and joy. And you want desperately to give them the world, to make them happy.”

She leaned forward as she listened, her eyes wide and her lips parted in a wondering smile.

“With time it mellows, so you don’t feel as if you’re walking on clouds all the time, but love grows deep roots. You still have moments of sunshine, but it’s more like your heart has learned to drink from it and grow strong and bloom. When you’re with your beloved you feel whole. At home.”

He was aware his voice wavered as he spoke. Thinking of Kristov didn’t stab him in the heart like it used to, but the old ache was still there. He stopped to gather himself and realized only at that moment what had happened.

Arueshalae’s face had ever so gradually changed while he was speaking, her jaw growing squarer, her brow heavier, a slight hint of stubble on her chin.

“Arue!”

She gasped, instantly melting back to her feminine form. As he watched, helpless with shock, she shoved violently away from the table, leapt up and ducked out of the tavern, leaving him to shakily finish off his wine, fold the paper over the rest of the cookies, and throw his cloak on.

Part of him was aware of the danger. His heart pounded like a rabbit’s that had barely gone to ground in time. But mostly, he wondered if he’d foolishly just undone years of her hard work, so wrapped up in his own musings he hadn’t noticed until it was too late what effect it was having on her. Maybe feeding people cookies and listening to their troubles was all part of what Kristov called his “act.”

He faked a friendly smile for Fye and the crusaders as he left.

Maybe it’s right that people should run when they start getting too close, he thought wistfully as he walked up the dark streets toward the Citadel. She wasn’t the first.

Still… as the Sword of Valor came into view, bright in the dusk with its graceful tree growing even here in the heart of the Worldwound, he drew a deep breath and fished a cookie out of his pocket. There was always hope. When he found her again, he knew already what he would tell her: there’s a little bit of the Abyss in all of us. We have to learn to overpower it. But also to forgive ourselves.

#thanks for the ask!! #serenbach86 #pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #arueshalae #my writing #fanfic

[punkpandapatrixk]

Lion's Gate Special for 🐞🐍⛲🐝ALL SIGNS

With the elements/signs of the zodiac, you can freely use your Sun, Moon, Rising/Ascendant, or even your Stellium (❗️)

[Back to Masterlist]

We’re past Leo season now😅and you may have known that I wasn’t having an easy transformational period👻but I’ve got to redeem myself, so instead of doing a season overview reading, I’m presenting this Lion’s Gate Special. May this reading open you up to the blessings and prosperity that come with this massively transformational era—yeah, era; not just year.

Many of us are going through multiple cycles of spiritual purge, upgrades and transformations as the consciousness of Mankind is being elevated to a higher understanding of light, love and abundance. Gotta let those stale definitions of working hard and living humbly out the window, honey. SLIVING IS THE NEW CURRENCY OF LIVING!🫀

It’s Leo energy—it’s still with you—so don’t be afraid of being a bitch, dramatic or extra if that’s what’s necessary to get your money (liberation from physical limitations & societal restrictions). Are you ambitchious enough to get your way in the world? If you ain’t that, you’re gonna get stepped by everyone. Then, what are you gonna do about that? Cry like a little bitch?

Pssst… All bonus content open for Public. Happy Lion’s Gate~✨

Paradigm Reset for 🐞Fire Signs

🐏Aries – XIII Death

Whoop whoop! Look who’s the only one who’s got a Major Arcana? Go die, bitch—to allllll stale notions that are causing you stress and a sense of limitation. Like, any belief or activity or attachment to duty that are making you feel like your real identity, creativity, divinity must take a backseat. Die to all of that. Give birth to an upgraded version of yourself—you know, like Gandalf the Grey needed to die and got reborn as the all-powerful and wiser Gandalf the White? Yeah, before you could sparkle like that the grey dude in rags needed to die first, aight? Don’t be afraid of losing anything, if anything, you need to lose those things cause they’re only chaining you to a mediocre lifestyle. A mediocre Life. A simple existence. Whatchu born a Fire Sign for if you gonna die a nobody? Kill that nobody now yourself and run towards your Destiny as something larger than Life, bitch. Life is your bitch.

🦁Leo – 3 of Pentacles

Okay this is funny because this is like saying: ‘Bitch, learn to be humble and listen to what others have to say before you repulse their opinions!’😂Cuz you gotta learn how to work with others if you wanna live a more enjoyable Life. I guess that’s about the gist. This card is trying to point out your penchant for thinking that you’re better than everyone else because most of the time, you’re not. Unless you’ve matured enough to take in a lot of your environment, for the most part you’re just a narcissistic selfish asshole in rehab. Gotta take care of that small mindset so you become a match to your fabulous lion’s mane, hon. Gotta learn to take care of your self-esteem because the real deal healthy self-esteem comes from real skills, talents and contribution to your community. You’re Leo, of course you wanna be acknowledged for your contribution! So get learning by listening to what everyone else has to say about their perspectives, priorities, and methods!

🎠Sagittarius – Knight of Cups

Despite being a Fire Sign, you’re actually super down to earth and practical—in the way you think. Yeah, not your persona at all, but your anima is wise beyond your years. In this manner, you vibe similarly to Capricorn. But bitch, you’re so attached to observing just your physical reality sometimes you forget to seek guidance from the stars. You also forget the romantic and dreamy nature that comes with being Human. Bro! Living ain’t just about determining what’s right and wrong on a minute-to-minute basis, OK? Let yourself live, for fuck’s sake. Others may see you as a reckless daredevil, but if they got to dive into your head for a day, they’d know just what level of analytical anxiety—is that even a thing?—you’re suffering from because you’re damn afraid of things going wrong! Chile babe. What can go wrong if you’ve got the right attitude? ATTITUDE. That’s the key. Are you boss or what? Command the universal forces to work in your favour.

Lion’s Gate Prosperity Transmutation🔻❤️🦁

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Paradigm Reset for 🐍Earth Signs

🐂Taurus – Page of Swords

Wow look at that—esp if you look at the image of the card—your paradigm reset is all about mustering the courage to get out of your coward zone. Yup, coward zone; not comfort zone. Comfort zone is good, it’s what we all strive to be. But cowardice is an entirely different concept. We’ve all accepted this notion of Taurus being bullishly stubborn and to be honest with you, because I hate Taurus energy anyway, I’d say go do whatever you like, but if that prevents you from growing up mentally, spiritually, even intellectually, then you can go and fuck yourself. Nobody likes a bullishly selfish and stupid person. The infamous Taurus stubbornness is really the stupid type because it gives the individual self-justification for the way they’re sabotaging their own character development. Aries is famously stubborn, too, but they’re flexible and can alternate lines real quickly when they’ve been awakened to what’s better. Underdeveloped Taurus, especially women, are literally the bitterest fuckos on the Planet. Are you OK with being that? I know you don’t care anyway so fuck me for trying🙄

🧘🏻‍♀️Virgo – 6 of Cups Rx

Virgo peeps are those who grow up real quickly. It’s the sense of responsibility, as well as the desire to care for others that cause this. Sometimes, you miss your old self, wondering when you became a grownup. Sometimes, when you’re quite sober, you even wonder why you’ve had to act grownup so much when you’re actually still so young! All things considered. And you’re left wondering if things could get any easier for you because you’re often exhausted from just thinking and boy o boy those responsibilities. Well, here’s a secret: you’re the master of your own Reality, so if you decide today that things must change to become easier, things can and will get easier. Easier said than done though. Because at the end of the day, your subconscious beliefs rule some 90% of your reality-creation. So what to do? Me being me, I’d suggest subliminals that can change your mindset to favour an easy existence, but if it ain’t your thing… Well, you’re fucked coz there’ll be no end to your analysis-paralysis trying to figure this out😂

🐐Capricorn – Page of Wands Rx

OK, sucker, listen up, and I don’t care if you’re gonna be able to open your eyes or what: your mega enterprising ideas are strangling your creative ambitions. Does that ring a bell? You’re smart and you’re the farthest thing from lazy, but you’re also a pathetic people pleaser. You want to be seen as responsible and capable by everyone else, and you have the capacity to work really hard to provide for others. But that’s a fucking lie, you’re not altruistic, you’re only working hard to provide for others because you’re a coward who doesn’t believe you could establish your own kingdom of passionate, creative living. If you’re gonna work hard at all, why not use all of that Life Force on your own actual dreams and passions? Oh, of course, you don’t know what they are; you never thought that because you haven’t explored the possibilities!

Lion’s Gate Prosperity Transmutation🔻💚🦁

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Paradigm Reset for ⛲Air Signs

👯Gemini – 8 of Wands Rx

Chile, babe. First of all, you’ve got to chill. You know you tend to be hasty when making decisions, but that’s mostly because you’re high-strung like a chipmunk. You’re dead afraid of missing out on opportunities, but also, you’re afraid of being seen as boring by others. That’s kinda stupid, all things considered. Why make decisions based on other people’s view of your personality? Where’s your integrity? Second of all, when deciding on your own Life Path, the decision has to be yours, authentically and honourably. And please stop lying so much; think before you say anything out of your ass. Because as much as you’ve told white lies just to please/appease others, at the end of the day, people aren’t so stupid and when they’ve seen how unreliable your words are, you’ll only rack up more disrespect from them. And those of you who are pathological liars, please just shut up and stop ruining other people’s lives.

⚖️Libra – 9 of Wands Rx

Can you ever say ‘no’, like, in a genuine way? No? What’s the matter with you? You aren’t responsible for creating heaven on earth for other people! What about yourself?! Do you think others show you the kind of care you’ve given them? You’re like everybody’s good luck charm, but when you need some care, nobody steps up to give you the comfort you need. BUT, this isn’t entirely other people’s fault, either. Most other people are indeed preoccupied with creating their own heaven on earth, that’s why most of the time, most people can’t extend the kind of help or attention you’re craving. Perhaps you need to learn to give all of that to yourself first, how about that? Like, give 70% to yourself and the rest for others; not the other way around. You’d be surprised with just how many people you’re gonna lose if you maintain this ATTITUDE. But you’ll end up a lot happier that way because… let’s continue in the bonus content.

🏺Aquarius – 7 of Cups Rx

I don’t know what you’ve been doing recently, but if you’re reading this, you’re totally on the brink of manifesting something real big. Something important to your spiritual and emotional health. Something that brings clarity to all other areas of your Life. And here’s the thing: you manifested this because you’re finally clear about what’s truly important in your Life; and you’ve remained devoted to manifesting only that desired result. That’s super and I congratulate you on whatever big changes you’ve manifested!🥳If you’re only vaguely resonating with this, because you know you haven’t put in the work, the reading still applies in a different way. You’re being asked to make a final decision and then stick to it until you make manifest that desired result. Time to quit being wishy washy, choose a fucking priority and put in some work into getting the gears moving. Grow some spine and whatever empire you’re building, you’ve got this!🦾

Lion’s Gate Prosperity Transmutation🔻💙🦁

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Paradigm Reset for 🐝Water Signs

🦀Cancer – 3 of Cups Rx

Honey, you sure your friendships aren’t fake? Your friends, family, co-workers, whatever… if interacting with them drains your spiritual energy, especially because you aren’t allowed the space to be authentic, you sure you alright? Get out of that environment! Immediately! Expediently! If not physically just yet, at least interpersonally🌸You gotta protect your own energy because I think you’re often drained from trying to fit in so much. All that focus and energy wasted on trying to behave or look like someone you’re not. Then, when you’re in the company of no one else but yourself, you don’t even know anymore your true identity. This could lead you to a really bitter life ahead, so consider yourself warned🦩Trust this: there are healthy, respectful friendships out there in the world. And you’re totally capable of accessing that pool of consciousness if you stop giving yourself away to the entertainment of fake bitches!🦑

🦂Scorpio – 3 of Wands

Well, what can I say? Scorpios are enterprising peeps who know how to navigate the challenges of the world with S A S S🦚You have both the patience and the tenacity to endure the world’s darkness, and then you get going with whatever you wanna achieve in this world. You don’t even care what others have to say. I don't think I need to tell you how to reset your own paradigm because that shit already comes naturally to you🍂Perhaps I need only commend you on such amazing traits?🦂If there’s anything else to say, since your oracle is the Priestess of Purity, all I can say is that you must always remember the kindness that comes with being you. No matter what you’ve seen in this world and how that makes you feel, always remember that you’re not darkness itself just because you’re comfortable navigating it. Scorpios are actually the Light in the dark. Not many astrologers give you enough credit for that☄️

🎏Pisces – 7 of Pentacles

I always say: ‘If you a Pisces but you ain’t a bitch, what are you doing with your Life?!’ You’re just so fucking sensitive and quite literally, literally the zodiac’s biggest coward. You’re your own biggest saboteur because you think it’s bad to be bad. NO! The world’s bad. So you gotta be strong enough to persist and have your way in the world, even if that risks getting yourself called a bitch by others. At least you know why you’re persisting and you know you ain’t in the wrong. So when people accuse you of bad things you ain’t responsible for, you go up to them and tell ‘em straight in their face: you can go and fuck yourself. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk🦈Now go put on some nice makeup and feel like that bad bitch and take pictures😎You know my point is that you should stop being a pushover hahah If you only defend yourself when you’re near a point of breaking, that ain’t pretty because you’re showing those bastards that they’ve upset you. You don’t wanna let them have their way with your emotions like that, bitch.

Lion’s Gate Prosperity Transmutation🔻💛🦁

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

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Feel free to support me on Patreon if you love this kind of content🍑I create stories and tarot readings that calm the mind & heal from within🍒

[Back to Masterlist]

#Astro Season Overview #lion's gate portal #spiritual healing #prosperity #astroblr #astrology community #astrology notes #astrology observations #tarotblr #tarot community #taroteverydamnday #free tarot readings #tarot pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot witch #witchblr #writblr #cyberpunk #solarpunk #mental health

[khaleesiofalicante]

“It’s my dad!” Max grins widely, still hanging upside down. “And some other guy.”

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

“Of course. Of course. We don’t want the good people of New York thinking you are a negligent father,” Max nods seriously and then side-eyes Magnus. “But then again, next to this one, you look like the father of the year.

He sees Rafael’s bike parked outside.

No. No.

Magnus runs inside.

“That’s right!” he hears Max yell after him. “Run to your precious golden boy!”

“You don’t get to fucking tell me what to do,” Max shakes his head. “You are not my father.”

“Max. Please,” Rafael says softly. “You don’t want bapak to get hurt again, right? Please. Please. Stop. Bapak doesn’t deserve this. I know it hurts. But stop. Please.”

“You sure you’re straight, Rafe?” Max snorts. “You’re sucking his dick pretty hard right now.”

“Max!” Alec yells. “Stop it. Magnus has-”

"The two of you are fucking pathetic," Max snorts. "Magnus this. Bapak that. Have some fucking self-esteem."

Rafael moves forward. But Alec pulls him back by the arm.

"Don't," Alec tells their oldest and then looks at Max. "One more word out of you and-"

"And what?" Max crosses his arms.

"Max," Magnus intervenes. "If you are mad at me, just be mad at me. Don't take it out on Alec and Rafael."

"You can't help it, can you?" Max asks with a grin. "You always have to tell people what to do. Because you think you're better than the rest of you. Guess what, bapak? You are the weak link in this family."

“That’s what I thought,” Max laughs out loud. “Leave. That’s all you know. Leave. You fucking coward.”

“And what you did today?” Magnus shakes his head. “I’ve never been disappointed in you.”

He thinks of the billboard again.

His face.

The words ‘Go Kill Yourself’ written across his eyes.

Magnus swallows.

“Do you have no idea what could have happened if the wrong person had seen the message at the wrong time?” Magnus asks hoarsely. “Do you have no idea how much it hurt me to see my son act like this?”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s just you,” Max chuckles. “Maybe it’s a good thing. Because now dad can be with someone who actually fucking loves him.”

Rafael slips into the couch and buries his face in his hands.

Okay. I'm done. I've been with Rafe since the first time I read this fic. Max is very selfish.

And I really tried (both times I read this fic), but I just can't take it anymore. I tried to ignore all your horrible and unfortunate comments in both timelines but I have again reached my limit in the same chapter in which I reached my limit last time.

Reminds me of my little brother. They live in their own world and with their own pain. And people have to be able to live through their pain and that is their right, but that doesn't mean they have the right to everything. He closes himself in his pain and doesn't care how bad others have it. You could be suffering and not make it harder for others.

I really try to be understanding with Max but he pokes and pokes and pokes until he makes you explode. What he does is not right. And they spoil him for it, and so he will never learn

It reminds me of that scene with Tessa and Jem where they are talking about Will and she wonders what good they are doing to Will if they always forgive him for everything he says or does.

I'm glad that Magnus was able to set his limit to stop Max from continuing to advance, because we don't know if he would have stopped. Sometimes children also behave toxically towards their parents.

I don't think Max is the devil por being selfish, i want to be clear. I don't hate him, i dont have 15 years old. I understand this is complicated. But we have to admit that he has a selfishness problem that he must learn to deal with. That doesn’t make him a bad person, but hus selfishness makes him doing bad things and he should know where is the line, not waiting to others to draw it

And Magnus was absolutely right to make him think about what would have happened if someone read that sign at the wrong time. How he doesn't think about how things affect others. How Max doesn't think. It's a horrible thing to say, regardless of whether he went against his bapak. Someone else could have read it, and seen it as a sign

Also, poor Rafael. I get it so much, the more Max talked, the more Rafe became afraid that Max would end up triggering Magnus. And as a person who ends up imagining the worst in stressful situations, I know what must have been going through Rafe's head at that moment

I think it's spot on and this was the whole point.

This was Max's struggle in tlnd. His arc, if you will. Everyone had their own kind of 'toxic' habit to overcome whether it was Magnus letting people walk all over him and keep sacrificing himself for love, whether it was Alec's stubbornness to fix things and just keep trying even if it makes things worse, Rafael's inability to set boundaries and Max's selfishness.

The story wouldn't work, let's say, if Max had Arthur's personality. He had to be who he is for the story to move. But I had to be careful because this version of Max can't only exist in tlnd. So, you do see this reckleness and selfishness in other fics, but manifesting in different ways and impacting him and others around him in different ways.

It's very hard to read, especially if you relate to Rafael a lot, but it was incredible to write :)

#tlnd