#and that results in people having blind spots and being ignorant and having things to unlearn

[theghostofashton]

.

#tangentially related to that post too i think online conceptions of bigotry sometimes fall into everything being intentional and malicious #when a lot of times it just isn't #the society we live in is ableist and racist and homophobic and transphobic and all kinds of bigoted that is the world we've been raised in #and that results in people having blind spots and being ignorant and having things to unlearn #sometimes you don't even realize what you're saying or thinking is racist it's not this cartoon villain rubbing hands together type evil #it's literally just existing in this society and recognizing you may have biases and it's important when someone points that out to examine #to take a step back and think about what they're saying and what you believe and why you believe it #so often i feel like there's so much defensiveness around being called out for racism or any other bigotry because it's Bad #and no one wants to be Bad #but people also don't want to do the work to really understand what it is #it isn't an identity something you are or you aren't it's about actions and words reinforcing harmful systems #that anyone is capable of #but we can't get to that point without doing the work of understanding what these bigotries are and how they function #instead of deeming them Bad and moving on and not doing any further investigation

[forestdeath1]

Sirius’s early maturity as a result of family views and traditions. Romantic and sexual behaviour

18+

First of all, I'd like to leave a link to this meta by @artemisia-black so I don't have to write the same things that are already covered. The part about boundaries is especially important.

Next, I'll add my perspective.

1. Most likely, Sirius couldn't be a playboy or casanova due to the social organisation of their society + his personal attitude towards boundaries of other people, including women, as described in the post above.

2. However, that doesn't say much about his sexuality and romantic behavior.

More likely JKR wanted to make him straight and prone to non-committed relationships, but canon itself says nothing about his sexuality and I think everyone can read him as they want. Honestly, I personally don't care who Sirius is sleeping with/not sleeping with in people’s HCs. I care about his personality, and his sexuality doesn't change anything about his canon characterisation, so I don't particularly see the point in arguing about his sexuality (straight/gay/bi/ace/whatever) with foam at the mouth. (And he is not queer coded.)

But there is some interesting things that I’d like to discuss.

1. First of all, why the playboy/casanova version seems the most untenable to me, besides what was written in the post above?

A bit about the school and society:

In my opinion, for the WW, it's quite illogical for a student to have a large number of sexual partners. Firstly, with whom? In some fanfics, Sirius finds a new partner almost every week and fucks someone every night. Where does he find so much time for casual sex at school/during the war and where do so many people wanting casual sex come from? No matter how handsome Sirius might be, not all girls and boys are willing to have casual sex. Most people want relationships, not casual sex.

So in my view, if in your headcanon Sirius never got out into the Muggle world of the 1970s, then he couldn't have had a large number of casual sexual partners at least in school, although the playboy reputation could have been there. To have that reputation, you don't need to do anything, just being charismatic and attractive. Reputation often precedes the person. Maybe that's why Remus said 'he always got the women'. They just paid attention to him. But if we consider the WW, especially the school, there's simply nowhere to get 'many partners' from.

2. Ignoring a girl as evidence of a certain sexuality.

The fact that Sirius ignored girls' glances at him doesn't say anything concrete. But it's often cited as an argument in favour of his homosexuality and/or asexuality.

But in reality, it can be interpreted in any way. As asexuality/homosexuality or simply as a demonstration that he really was attractive to many people, but Sirius himself, accustomed to such attention, no longer paid attention to the constant attention to him. When a person knows his attractiveness from his youth, he will not pay attention to every flirtation or every person who looks at him with lust. Often such attention can even be annoying.

Also, this character was probably well aware of his attractiveness and could see it in other people. The comments about Snape are very vivid. If appearance is not at all part of a person's values and they doesn’t pay attention to appearance, then a person is unlikely to insult someone based on their appearance - it’s usually a blind-spot. But attractive appearance, given by nature, are often seen as something that can't be taken away, it's always with you, and so the attitude is simple — if you can't wash your hair, fine, it's not that important. And knowing about his attractiveness and constantly receiving a lot of attention from other people – the value of this attention diminishes. A person just no longer pays attention to it.

That’s why he might have simply ignored the girl who was looking at him with interest (who had been studying with him and probably had been looking at him with interest for more than a day).

3. The age of consent. Early maturity. TW Underage.

The age of consent in the Muggle UK is 16 years old. And in the WW, people become adults earlier, at 17. However, Pollux became a father at 13. Cygnus became a father at 13. What was the age of consent? When did they get married? Was there even a concept of age of consent in the wizarding world? Perhaps their age of consent was 12 (given that in 1275, the first age of consent was set in England, at age 12 and only in 1875, the Offences Against the Person Act raised the age to 13 in Great Britain and Ireland, and the International Statute of Secrecy was signed in 1689, it's possible that wizards are still stuck with laws from that time). Or maybe Pollux and Cygnus got married later. For example, at 15 (17-2). Or maybe they have no concept of age of consent at all and there is no prohibition on marriage before reaching legal age, so they could get married whenever they wanted. Considering that marriages are magically contracted without the involvement of authorities, this option seems viable.

I'm not here to judge fictional characters, I'm discussing facts from the canon. There is every reason to believe that for some families in the WW, "maturity" came much earlier than it does for us now, and it wasn't nonsense. Rather, it was casual liaisons that were condemned as something that could cause unwanted pregnancies. But not marriage and sex itself before the age of 17.

Even in our time and in our society "an estimated 55% of teens have had sexual intercourse by age 18". These percentages have gradually declined since 1988 when 51 per cent of female and 60 per cent of male teens have ever had sex".

Your right to consider this something bad and refuse to write/speak about it, but it was, is, and always will be a part of teenage life, and judging by the Blacks, in the WW, the attitude towards this was quite... "old-fashioned", if it concerned marriage and childbearing.

I am inclined to believe that it was the Blacks who had this attitude towards early marriage and early childbirth, and therefore towards early sex, BUT not casual sex, because nobody wanted unwanted pregnancy.

And this could have influenced Sirius's attitude towards himself, his sexuality, and how mature he considered himself. Sorry, but when your grandfather became a father at 13, as did your uncle... well, you definitely look at growing up a little differently. He put up Muggle posters too because his parents were annoyed not by the fact that he was a 14-15 year old thinking about sex (although he might not have thought about it at all, he just knew it would piss his mum off), but by the fact that he was thinking about sex with mudbloods, which horrified his parents.

Just imagine what must be going through the mind of a 14-15 year old who decided to piss his parents off. What would James do? Well, paint the room red. Put dung bombs on the head of everyone who walked in. What did Sirius do? Erotic posters (women in swimming costumes are erotic posters to their world).

In my opinion, this says a lot about all the Blacks and the fact that they have some peculiarities in their family dynamics. Where did he even get the idea for this, if Sirius and the Blacks were innocent in their attitude towards teenage sex and growing up? I can totally see them yelling at him after these posters 'if you get someone pregnant, you'll really regret it!'.

The posters themselves don't say anything about Sirius's real intentions or his sexuality – he could have just put them up to piss her mother off, knowing that it would annoy her, or he himself might have liked them.

Meanwhile, James and his parents probably had a different dynamic, and they probably treated James as a child for much longer. So James matured sexually in his mind later. His parents probably didn't even talk about such things. And considering that they went to a conservative school, then further than kissing for him at 15 was probably not even a topic, if they even got to kissing.

Most likely, Sirius's 'early maturity' and all these posters are exactly the result of intra-family traditions and views.

4. It's confirmed by Word of God that he didn't have a girlfriend, but…

If we consider only the books as canon, then we don't know anything about his girlfriend/boyfriend, and he could have had some romantic relationships, because the canon itself doesn't say anything about it.

But I'll specifically analyze the case with 'Word of God':

Well, Sirius never had time to get a girlfriend, let alone marry.

Sirius was too busy being a big rebel to get married.

This means only one thing: he didn't give any commitments. That's it. It doesn't mean anything more than that. He could have had no partners at all, meaning he could have been focused only on friendship. Or he could have had a sexual partner (of any gender) without commitments. One or more. Who mutually wanted this. And these relationships didn't take up much of his time.

Non-committal relationships can be with sufficient respect for the partner. This doesn't make the character a Casanova/Playboy/fuckboy.

In the monoromantic concept of serious relationships, respect for the partner is often perceived only within the context of monoromantic relationships. But that’s not the only option. In non-committal relationships, there can also be a lot of respect for the other person's boundaries because the person isn't lying about their attitude (unwillingness to have a serious relationship), does not pile on false promises and usually does not confess eternal love. But playboys and casanovas can often lie to get someone into bed.

The view on purity and filth is very interesting, but in my opinion, purity for the Blacks is conceptually not the same purity as for the upper class in the Muggle world raised in a Christian reverent tradition. Purity is primarily 'noble blood.' To be pure is to be noble, and Sirius has his own understanding of nobility, not based on blood purity. For him, honor and nobility mean being loyal to friends, being honest, not betraying, and that's why he uses epithets of impurity for Peter. Peter lacks nobility.

As I said, having one/several partners without commitments doesn't automatically make the character a playboy and casanova – in other words, it's not about the Erot of perverted Aphrodite – people who love only the body, not the inner world (seeing people as objects, ignoring the person as a whole).

So, taking into account the Word of God, I actually see only two options.

He didn't have sexual relationships at all/tried it and didn't like it/ wasn't interested/ found it not very interesting or just was more focused on his friends and other things in his life.

Or the second option – he had non-committal relationships, which were always based on respect for the partner, but it was never like 'my girlfriend/boyfriend,' more like sexually-friendly relationships where he treated his partner not just as an object for sex but as a person.

The third option, if we discard the Word of God – he could have had regular monogamous romantic relationships of any nature with any gender, as there's nothing in the canon about his sexuality.

As I said, I don't think it fundamentally changes anything about his characterisation, so no matter what his sexuality is, he should retain his canon personality traits.

#sirius black #sirius black meta #hp meta #the noble and most ancient house of black #the marauders meta

[starlightshadowsworld]

Headcannon that a lot of the Orphanage staff were people displaced from the Great war.

People who weren't originally from Japan who found a place working at the Orphanage because of the Headmaster.

He fought with them and gave them a job, a home.

And maybe that's why they turned a blind eye to his methods, or even why they understood them and followed them.

Anyway, this results in Atsushi being multilingual.

As while the staff taught Japanese, a lot of them would speak in their own native languages.

Especially when they were angry, which they usually were. And so the kids learned to picked up on it fast.

You couldn't use "I didn't understand" as an excuse.

It just meant you were ignoring orders.

A lot of the books were ones the staff had owned as kids.

Given they hadn't had the budget for anything more.

And Atsushi spent hours pouring over pages and figuring out details and words.

Atsushi didn't realise that most people don't know more than one language.

For him it was the norm, a necessity, a means of survival.

Because the staff would change their language like shades on a chameleon, and if you got caught out you'd be punished.

He never bought it up, he hadn't needed to given everyone at the Agency spoke Japanese.

So did he.

Sometimes he listen to music on headphones from other languages.

Because it was werid speaking and listening to one language all the time.

Though Atsushi makes an effort to look more into the languages he's learned.

Because he's afraid of losing another part of himself. Esspecially after everything that happens in Dead Apple.

There are clues here and there.

Like how Atsushi watches soaps in his spare time.

Ones his old matrons would watch when they were supposed to be watching him.

Kyouka finds them intresting and sometimes watches them with him.

She doesn't notice that Atsushi only turns on subtitles when she's watching.

However no one knew until one time Fyodor made a mistake with his Japanese.

(Going off of Wan where he struggles with it.)

Dazai laughed at him, Fyodor cursed at him in Russian. And Atsushi, absolutely done with all this man's bullshit.

Proceeded to swear at him in Russian. Full on, rip this man to shreds, curse out his entire bloodline.

Fyodor was completely speechless, as was everyone else.

Dazai looks at Atsushi with the most devious look in the world. "Soo... Atsushi, mind sharing that with the class?"

Atsushi is confused, realised no one else knows what he said and is so embarrassed.

"You know Russian?!"

"You... Don't?"

Eventually, Atsushi quietly tells Dazai what he said.

Dazai falls onto the ground rolling around laughing his ass off.

"Atsushi I have never been more proud of you than I am now."

This post is bought to you by that one manga panel in chapter 13.

Detective Minoura visits the Agency, spots Kyouka and wonders if she's the assassin they're after.

Atsushi makes up a lie about finding her on a mission... And was doing a cossack dance in a wheat field.

Which 1st off, someone teach Atsushi how to lie plz.

And second of all, Google tells me is known as Hopak and is a dance in both Ukraine and Russia.... Sorry if that's wrong.

And I'm like... What an oddly specific thing to pull out of nowhere?

And how the fuck does Atsushi, I lived in secluded and isolated Orphanage in the middle of nowhere in Japan, know what that is?

Someone had to have taught him that.

#bsd atsushi #atsushi nakajima #Bsd #Anyway multilingual Atsushi #bungou stray dogs

[reminiscingtonight]

Everybody Talks

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N:  @vancityfire13​ lol sorry, I really have no excuse for how long it took me to write this.

[Masterlist]

“You’re pathetic.”

Coming from anyone else, those words would have resulted in a full on brawl. Instead, you scoff and flip off your best friend. 

“And you’re blind.”

Natasha lets out a laugh, giving your shoulder a punch. Although you nearly fall over, you can’t help but find yourself smiling back.

“Come on. It’s Wanda Maximoff. I can’t not stare at her.”

Although you can’t see her, Natasha still rolls her eyes at you. “You’re not staring at her. You’re eyeing her like a piece of meat.”

At that, you finally pull your eyes away from the brunette. You fix Natasha with a scandalized look. “I would never.”

“You might need a napkin to wipe away all that drool.”

“Quit being dramatic. I’m not drooling over her.”

“Are you sure your face got that memo?”

Over a decade of knowing one Natasha Romanoff meant you knew each other inside and out. And sometimes you hated how much she seemed to know you. 

Your current topic of conversation is Wanda Maximoff. Dubbed the town’s sweetheart, she not only captivated the attention of everyone in town, but she also managed to capture the hearts of many as well. 

You can still remember the buzz that stirred the town when everyone found out about the Sokovian family moving next door to you your freshman year of high school. If there’s one thing you hate most about this place, it’s how much everybody talks. It’s virtually impossible to leave this town unscathed. Since she was your neighbor, and the same age as you, the two of you grew close instantly. It didn’t take long for you to develop a soft spot for the girl. 

Wanda’s sweet, nice, funny. Honestly everybody’s type. So you weren’t surprised by how quickly she rose in popularity within your high school. What did surprise you was when you heard people gossiping about the fact that she got Brittany’s number within the first week of her being in town. 

When you questioned Wanda about it the next day she had blushed before telling you about a stupid bet Pietro made with her. The two of them were seeing who could get the most numbers by the time graduation rolled around. 

So through the years people lusted after the Maximoff twins. And although you were close friends with the two of them, you weren’t immune to their charms. For Pietro, he was more like your platonic soulmate, but for Wanda, you fell and you fell hard. Like all best friends, Natasha did her friendly duties by teasing you about your crush at every possible moment. 

And today is no exception. 

You’re about to send back a sharp retort when Wanda suddenly looks up, making eye contact with you. Her eyes widen almost comically at the sight of you staring at her, but before you even have a chance to do anything, she’s turning away again. 

It stings.

Usually when the two of you make eye contact at school, you get a small wave and a special smile reserved just for you. But today, it’s nowhere to be seen. 

The high you’ve been riding on since yesterday falls flat. 

Natasha, who misses the whole exchange, only catches on to your sudden mood change. “What’s wrong?”

Clenching your jaw shut, you force yourself to look away from Wanda. “Nothing.”

You can see Natasha watching you with a concerned look on her face from the corner of your eye, but you try to ignore her. It’s not like you to keep things from Natasha. She’s been your number one since you’ve been in diapers, your partner in crime. But after the display, or rather lack of a display, that just happened, you aren’t planning on telling Natasha what happened last night. 

---

“Oh my god, what happened to the time?”

You look up, chuckling slightly when you see it’s already two in the morning. “Guess we’ve just been having too much fun, huh?”

Wanda rolls her eyes, lightly shoving at your shoulders. 

Like normal, you had found yourself trudging next door to your neighbor’s place after the last bell of school. Wanda had promised to help you with your history paper if you helped her with chemistry sets, but of course the second you stepped foot into her house you were swept up into conversation. It’s now apparent that the two of you had talked the night away without finishing a single thing. 

Not expecting the shove, you flail to grab the nearest thing you can, but it’s no use. There’s a giant thud when you finally reach ground. Two thuds actually. 

The affronted look on Wanda’s face has you instantly curling up in laughter.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh away, asshole. Of everything you could’ve grabbed, you really had to latch onto my arm?”

You wipe away a tear from your eye, trying to catch your breath. “Sorry, next time you shove me off your bed, I’ll be sure to fall more gracefully.”

The corner of her lips twitches up a bit, betraying how she truly feels about the entire situation, and that’s enough to send you into another fit of laughter. 

“Be quiet, we don’t want to wake the rest of my family.”

“You just don’t want Pietro crashing our little party.”

“Oh no, you caught me.” The sarcasm rings rich in her voice, but it only sets off the giggles again. 

When the two of you finally catch your breath again you’re a bit taken aback to see how close the two of you are. From this distance you can see the tiny specks of gold in her eyes, notice the way her throat bobbles as she quietly takes in a sudden breath. 

You’re not sure what happens next. One second you’re staring at the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen. And the next second there’s a set of lips softly pressed against yours. 

Your eyes slip closed, heart beating hard in your chest. Her lips seem hesitant at first, but they become more assured when you respond in part. There’s the feel of a hand cupping your cheek, and you lean into it, wanting to make the most of the moment. 

“We should stop.”

It takes a second for the words to register in your mind. When it does, you have to fight the urge to flinch.

Wanda must catch the look on your face because she tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear. “I want to continue, believe me, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

You swallow hard. “Right.”

If someone had told you this morning that you would kiss the girl of your dreams, you would have laughed in their face. If they had also told you that she would then systematically break your heart, you would have laughed even harder. Just the fact that you were in Wanda’s room felt like a fever dream. Unreal. 

When she pulls herself away from you, you bring your arms to wrap around yourself. The loss of Wanda’s warmth feels unsettlingly cold. The two of you sit there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. What do you say after kissing a good friend?

“I uh… I should probably go. It’s pretty late.”

Wanda nods at your words, but a furrow makes itself known between her eyebrows. 

She doesn’t say a thing as you make your way to your feet. You can feel your emotions coming up onto you like waves. Biting back tears, you get ready to leave.

And then you feel a hand on your wrist. 

A tug sends you spinning around. 

You stare at Wanda with wide eyes as she stares right back. You’re at a loss for words, not sure what to do. 

But then Wanda’s leaning in again. You can feel her lips curl up into a smile when you kiss her back. 

Something’s different about this kiss. It feels more intimate than the ones the two of you just shared. You let yourself fall into the feeling of Wanda. 

When Wanda pulls back, she gives you a soft smile. 

“Couldn’t let you leave without a kiss goodbye.”

You know there’s a stupid grin on your face but you can’t find it in yourself to care. “Of course. My bad, how could I forget?”

Wanda lets out a laugh at your words and then she’s pushing you downstairs and out her door. The last thing you see before ducking into your house is the sparkle in Wanda’s eyes as she watches you walk away. 

---

The incident at lunch puts you in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It doesn’t help that Pietro’s in two of your three afternoon classes. He’s persistent in wondering about your foul mood, but after a particularly forceful snap at him to shut up, he finally puts his hands up in surrender. You make a note to apologize to him later, but you’re still too ticked off at his sister to fully plan out your apology.

You’re fuming all the way through practice, and then all the way home. Nothing made sense. Not her words. Not her actions. How could Wanda be so warm and then cold all of a sudden?

By the time you finally start your homework, it’s already dark out. You’re unable to stop your eyes from automatically flickering to your window. From your desk you had a clear look into the Maximoff residence. It definitely didn’t help your crush at all when you had first noticed that you could see directly into Wanda’s room, but today it does more to hurt than soothe. 

When you spot Wanda working away at her desk, you’re pulling out your phone before you can stop yourself.

[Can we talk?]

It takes a minute but eventually you see Wanda glance over at her phone. For a second you hold your breath, waiting for her response. But then as quick as your hope comes, it disappears when Wanda tucks her phone beneath her books, not even bothering with a response.

In the next couple of minutes, there’s already another stupid idea formulating in your mind. It’s accompanied with a voice that strangely sounds like Natasha’s that tells you how much of an idiot you are,  but you’re lacing up your shoes before you can double guess yourself. 

The climb is a little hard. You really misjudged how hard it would be to scale a house, but after a couple slips and whispered curses, you eventually pull yourself level with Wanda’s room. 

You see the way Wanda freezes in her seat at the first knock. She seems a little confused, unsure about the origin of the noise. But then you knock again. This time she turns around, eyes widening when she spots you hanging from her window. Wanda’s speeding across her room in an instant, throwing her window open. 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

You frown at her whispered hiss. “Seeing that you won’t talk to me, I had to improvise.” 

Wanda lets out an annoyed breath, but other than that, there’s no indication that she’s planning on moving away from the window any time soon. 

You send her a pointed look. “Are you going to let me in?”

Wanda returns your frown but she backs away, letting you pull yourself through the window. 

You let out a quiet sigh of relief when your feet touch her carpet. “Sorry, I’m not really a fan of heights.”

The look she sends your way has you shoving your hands into your pockets. “Fine, not in the mood for jokes, got it. I’ll get to the point. What’s going on with you?”

For a second Wanda looks caught by surprise. But then she’s looking away, finding the carpet a lot more interesting than your face. “Nothing.”

Your frown deepens. “Wanda.”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Don’t lie to me. I deserve better than that.”

After a moment, she lets out a quiet, “I can’t get you mixed up into all of this.”

You tilt your head, confused. “Mixed up in what?”

Wanda clenches her jaw, hands tightening into fists by her sides. Your heart drops at the action, but you prepare yourself to dig deeper. None of this is fair. Wanda can’t just kiss you and then pretend that nothing--

“Everything!” You take a step back at her outburst. Wanda carries on, some sort of exasperation leaking into her voice as she waves her hands around. “The rumors! The shitty little remarks everyone makes! I can’t get you mixed up in it.”

“Since when do you care what other people say?” In all your time together, you’ve never seen Wanda bat an eye at the rumors about her. That’s something you’ve always admired about her.

“I care when it comes to you. You… you mean too much to me and I can’t stand the thought of people saying horrible things about you just because we get involved.”

You frown. “Last time I checked it takes two to tango. Where’s my say in all this?”

“You don’t get one because there is no ‘us’.”

“Wanda--”

“Go. Please.”

You bite your tongue, shoving every word you’ve ever wanted to say deep away. This isn’t really where you thought the conversation would go. You’re not sure what you expected, but it wasn’t this. 

Wanda’s silent as you make your way across her room and sling a leg over her windowsill. She’s not meeting your eyes when you take one last glance into the room. 

Your heart feels heavy with every step you take. Your vision blurs more than once on the way down, but eventually your feet hit the ground. You linger by the bottom, not wanting to leave things the way they are.

“I’m here for you. No matter how much you don’t want me to be.”

Your words are quiet, but they ring clearly through the air. 

But when you look back up, the window is shut, curtains are drawn, and lights are off.

---

A buzz is already making its way through the halls when you make it to school the next day.

You stop in your steps when you catch Wanda’s name more than once. 

“Did you hear the latest about Wanda and Vision?”

“Yeah, I can’t believe she was sleeping around while the two of them were dating.”

“Makes sense. No wonder he broke up with that sl--”

You’re turning away before they finish. 

Vision was one of Wanda’s ex’s, one of the only people who managed to keep her heart for a bit. You never told her how much of an ass you thought he was, but Wanda seemed hooked on him, so you held your tongue. Despite the number of times she cried on your shoulder about him, she constantly seemed to go back to her trash of a boyfriend. Last month things seemed to finally come to a head, when she publicly approached him before his basketball game and broke up with him. You didn’t have to ask her what prompted the break up, you knew exactly what he had done for her to break up with him, but the town seemed to have no problem coming up with rumor after rumor about the supposed reason.  

It’s not long before you run into the man himself. Unsurprisingly, Vision’s in the middle of retelling his rendition of the break up. “Well I caught her with her pants down and you know what that means. So I--”

“That’s bullshit and we both know it.” 

The crowd seems to quiet down as your words ring out in the hallway. 

“If memory serves right, you were the one caught with his pants down.”  

For a second Vision looks uncomfortable. His eyes shift back and forth as he tries to come up with something to say. He nervously clears his throat. “You’re speaking nothing but lies. What else can I expect from one of Wanda’s crazy followers?”

You roll your eyes. “Right. So if I were to call Jessica, Chelsea, or any of the other dozen girls you were sleeping with while dating Wanda they would be lying too?” It was no secret that Vision’s “sidechicks” wanted to topple the hierarchy Wanda seemed to be at the top of. To say they were pissed when Vision fucked and then dropped them were no secret to anyone. Many of them were just fuming at the thought of being used as a pawn by Wanda’s ex. 

His eyes narrow dangerously. “Shut your mouth. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

By now the hallway has fallen silent, students more interested in your exchange than whatever conversations they were having amongst themselves. 

From where you’re standing, you can see the sweat dripping off Vision’s forehead from all this attention. Probably nerves from being called out on his lies. 

“Wanda is the sweetest person ever and we get it, you wanted your three seconds of fame. You got it and now that it’s gone all you can do is cry wolf.”

If looks could kill, you would be six feet under. There’s a murderous glint in Vision’s eyes, and it takes everything in you to stand your ground.

You open your mouth again, ready to continue bashing Vision, but the world’s suddenly spinning and you’re greeted with the sight of the ground in front of your nose.  

It takes you a second to realize what happened. 

He punched you. 

Even Vision looks a bit shocked at his own actions. He’s looking between you and his fist, eyes wide as he breathes hard. 

The rest is a blur. 

You briefly remember lunging towards Vision, tackling him to the ground. He tried to throw you off, but you were planted firm. Someone pulled you off Vision before you could cause too much damage, to your hand or to his face, you’re not sure. 

After being pulled off Vision, the two of you were sent to the principal's office. With witness statements, it was easy to determine that Vision was the one who started the whole debacle. You were given a stern talking to, but other than that, you were allowed to continue with your day at school. 

By the end of the day the halls are already alit with rumors. You do your best to ignore all of the questions thrown your way, breathing out a huge sigh of relief when the final bell goes off, signaling an end to the hellish day. Putting your head down, you push through the crowds to your locker. All you wanted to do was grab your things and get out of there.

Your plans instantly go out the window when you spot a familiar figure at your locker. 

Still feeling a bit hurt from the events of last night, you angrily try to push Wanda away. “What happened to not wanting others to see us together?”

The way Wanda ignores your dig makes you feel a bit childish. Her hand comes up tentatively to touch your bruised cheek and while you try to hold still, you’re unable to to stop the automatic flinch at contact. 

The worry in Wanda’s eyes increases tenfold.

“Are you okay?”

You nod, trying to ignore how intimate this whole thing feels. 

If Wanda picks up on your uncomfort, she hides it well. Although she’s still frowning, she lets out a sigh of relief at the confirmation. “You’re the last person I’d imagine to get into a fight at school.”

Shrugging, you try to play it off. “Vision was lying his ass off. Someone had to put him in his place.”

Wanda’s frown only deepens. “Vision always lies. There’s nothing new about that.”

“I couldn’t let him get away with dragging your name in the dirt. Lies or not, you don’t deserve that.” 

She falls quiet. And then she lets out a quiet, “You defended me even after I all but kicked you out?” 

You let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I’ll admit that hurt, but I thought you already knew how much I care about you. The way you treat me won’t change my mind. I know who you really are.” 

Wanda’s hand falls to your own. You let out a hiss when she adjusts your ice pack. “You need to ice your hand better.”

You roll your eyes at her obvious avoidance at what you just said.

You want to push her to finish the conversation, but you know exactly why Wanda’s suddenly so quiet. In the background you can already hear the sound of people’s whispers. The speculations as to why you defended the brunette earlier today, as well as why Wanda’s at your locker right now. 

You tap at her cheeks to catch her attention. It takes a second, but Wanda eventually lifts her eyes to meet yours again. 

You give her a soft smile when you can see the specks in her green eyes. “Ignore them. Everybody in this place talks too much.” 

Wanda’s shoulders relax a bit, but it’s still obvious how much the chatter bothers her. 

So you do the only thing you can think of to distract her.

The feel of your lips on hers catches Wanda off guard. She stills for a moment, but then she’s kissing you back, hands gripping onto your shirt tight like you’d disappear the second she let go. 

When you finally pull back you can’t help but chuckle at the slight whine that escapes Wanda as she tries to chase after your mouth. Her eyes slowly flutter open, and when they do, she’s met with a challenging glint. 

“If they want something to talk about, then let’s give them a reason to talk about us.”

-----------

Taglist: @cantcontroltheirfear, @natashabelovas, @olsensnpm, @invictusbabey, @idek-5, @vancityfire13, @cosmicwidows, @lostandsearching, @xxromanoffxx, @ithoughtyouweresokovian, @3and30aresoultwins, @peabrain112, @wandadarlingg, @wellsayhelloaagin, @useless-nblw, @marvelwomen-simp, @pnsteblnme, @owloftheshadows, @evilcr0ne, @rightwereyouleftme, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx, @gimaximoff, @milfloverslut, @fxckmiup, @froglovemushroom, @karmasgxrl, @thorya22, @natashasilverfox

#wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #mcu x reader #Ace writes

[valleynix]

Feel free to ignore this isn’t ur style but how would you write the dimitrescus’ reactions to seeing someone harm their s/o

wait i love this

Alcina

expect death if she sees it happening with her own eyes

she is not a very forgiving woman, so someone harming her S/O results in a swift yet painful death

the moment she sees the maid lay her hands on you is the moment her fate is decided

she doesn't know what you did - though, knowing you, it was hardly anything deserving of a reaction such as that - but she comes to your defense immediately

the maid is grabbed and lifted into the air by her neck, and Alcina's claws make an appearance as she snarls at the woman

she hears none of the apologies that spill from the woman's lips, her rage completely blinding her as all she sees is red

she's stopped by you tugging on her dress and claiming it was an accident, and for the moment, she relents with a simple deep slice to the woman's cheek

she doesn't really want you to see that part of her, even if you know, and so she abides by your silent requests

later that night, however, after she's ensured you're safe and feel comfortable, that you aren't harmed beyond belief (so dramatic), she finds the maid

or, rather, she has Bela do it, and she merely meets her eldest in the cellar after you've settled and she knows you're well asleep

it is a slow death for the maid, and she is gone by the time the sun is peeking over the large mountains surrounding the castle

Alcina dislikes setting an example for her staff, as she knows it lowers morale, but she needs the others to be aware that you are off-limits

Bela

she enjoys the long game of tormenting someone mentally

she often studies people for any mental weaknesses they may have, and while she is just as ferocious as her sisters, she prefers getting to her prey when they are at their lowest

so, the moment she sees the maid lay her hands on you... well, the woman's fate was sealed at the mere thought of harming you

she doesn't outright punish the maid; no, she ensures you're all right and separates you, but she does not touch the maid, even telling her sisters to leave her alone

that should have been enough of a warning that she was starting her game

Bela already knew the moment was coming, and while she doesn't like seeing you hurt, she was curious if the maid would actually go through with it

she bides her time, often giving the maid little bonuses or extra food, claiming it was a reward

she's friendly and kind

anytime the incident is brought up, she brushes it off as a mere accident, and she takes this time to study the maid and learn more about her

there comes a time when she realizes the maid has lowered her guard almost completely; she no longer fears having her heart torn out of her chest for offending a Dimitrescu, and that is when Bela strikes

she approaches the maid one evening while she's focused on sweeping the floor, keeping her footfalls silent as she unsheathes the sickle at her waist

suffice to say, she and her sisters had a wonderful meal that evening, and when you asked about why blood was messed around her face and throat, she just smiled and claimed there was an accident

Cassandra

you wanted death? you're getting death

she's probably the worst person you could ever offend, mostly because doing so means your death will be dragged out for days

she sees almost everything that goes on around the castle, the sulking bastard, and she knows where you are even without being nearby (thank one of her little flies watching after you)

it's no surprise she found out very quickly some maid testing her luck had put her hands on you, making the rookie mistake of assuming Cassandra was not watching over you while parted

she left her spot writing down more interesting things she'd found about her latest victim the moment she heard your yelp of pain, her heart dropping to her stomach at the sound

she doesn't want to ever hear such a thing come from you, and while she'll never admit it, she is terrified of losing you after finally letting herself care for someone that isn't her family

you're shoved behind her as soon as she gets to you in record speed, her sickle already flying through the air as the hilt knocks against the maid's temple hard

she does a quick check to make sure you're all right and you don't need her to stay with you the rest of the day before dragging the limp body down to the cellar

the maid's death is a very, very long one, and it is quite gruesome

Cassandra Dimitrescu will do anything to protect her family, despite how she is now looked upon by the staff

it doesn't matter to her, so long as you and her sisters/mother are safe

Daniela

it's pretty hard to get on her bad side, considering she's a bit of a people-pleaser, but the moment someone is, she becomes a terrible version of herself

it's not that this fact even surprises anyone; most of the staff already know how unstable she can be at times and how much her loved ones spoil her

it's even harder to separate the two of you, but on the day she was helping Bela and Cassandra in the cellar, she skips back upstairs with blood on her face and on her dress, only to see a maid put their hands on you

she's kind of a mix between her sisters when it comes to chasing her prey; a bit of mental torment here, a little physical aggression there...

she's overly friendly to the maid after she sees the incident, pretending she didn't even witness anything as she grins and holds you tightly in her arms

she's not very patient, though, and her gifts and false kind words can only get her so far when the maid is already suspicious of the behavior

that's when she starts getting a bit more physical; her hand gripping the maid's shoulder too harshly, moving her cloak back so her sickle is apparent at her waist, playing with a knife at the dining hall table while her eyes are locked onto the maid...

she'd probably end up finally going after the woman one night when everyone else is asleep, humming a quiet tune to herself as she swings her sickle around and around down the hallways

she likely would have requested a late-night meeting under the guise of one of her sisters or even her mother to discuss her work ethic, only for the maid to be met with a very angry Daniela with wide and manic eyes

if you happen to ask her about it, she'll kiss wherever you were harmed and inform you with a smile that the maid was simply sent to another territory for her behavior to be corrected

#asks #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #bela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #i hope that was what you wanted!! #i tried my best to not go too much into detail but yknow #at least with the harming the s/o part #fair warning to only harm a dimitrescu's s/o if you want death LMAO #lmk if i need to add any warnings or anything <3 #i love them your honor

[aemiron-main]

Wait maybe I'm the only one who hasn't already seen it but Viktor's darkest moment and most guilty/frightening memory being letting a child literally burn because he didn't realize what was going on until he couldn't stop it anymore when Henry was figuratively burning because

YES!!!!!! EXACTLY EXACTLY!!! Victor couldn’t save an innocent child in the war AND he couldn’t save one in his own home!! He couldn’t stop henry from being figuratively burned, and frankly it absolutely haunts me that Victor’s vision of a burning cradle is paralleled to Virginia’s vision of a bathtub. Henry’s powers hold a mirror up to people, he’s showing them visions that represent the worst parts of themselves/the worst things they’ve done- part of Victor’s worst part of him is his ignorance and how people end up suffering as a result of it. He talks about how they ordered a bombing on the house and how they THOUGHT it was empty- but he didn’t CHECK, he was IGNORANT, he didn’t know there were still people in the house, and that ignorance killed an innocent child, just like how his ignorance at home resulted in Henry’s suffering. And it’s interesting too because Victor’s vision isn’t just the DEATH of the child- it’s not the silence and the dead body. No, it’s the active suffering of the child that he sees in his vision, just like how Henry is suffering.

And so, going back to the bathtub being paralleled to the cradle: the bathtub is, quite literally, Virginia’s burning cradle. It represents the suffering of a child (henry being abused by Virginia). She sees spiders in the bathtub: she sees her own reflection in the “mirror” of Henry’s powers (the spiders) and sees them in a place that’s tied to what causes her reflection to be so awful (the bathtub). And so, spiders are very clearly referred to as predators verbatim in ST- and so Virginia, in her reflection/in that mirror, saw a predator (spiders) because SHE is a predator, henry literally says that he “saw his parents as they truly were,” and held a mirror up to them, he saw Virginia as a predator and her reflection showed a predator. And she sees them in the bathtub because that’s where that predation/abuse towards Henry occurred, which also adds another layer to the burning cradle vs bathtub thing, because we know from Will’s s2 possession that Henry (who was possessing him via the mindflayer), henry likes it cold, specifically likes it cold in the context of a scene about the bathtub. So now, that makes me think of the likelihood of Henry associating warmth/warm baths with abuse and therefore fearing the warmth (we have that whole voiceover about fear specifically during the will s2 ‘he likes it cold’ bathtub scene- henry (possessing will) isn’t angry at the warm bathtub, doesn’t hate it- he’s afraid of it, which tracks with it being the location where he was abused.) and so, with the cradle being on fire/hot, much like the warmth of bathtub, the two are yet again paralleled.

You’re so spot on with this ask- Victor’s ignorance results in the suffering of others/of children specifically. Victor is not outright abusive, and he did not kill the infant at his own hand, but his IGNORANCE (being unaware that there were people in the house and being unaware of Virginia’s abuse towards henry) is what results on the suffering of people around him. Virginia is actively abusive and hateful towards Henry: Victor is not, but Henry still suffers as a result of Victor’s ignorance. Victor is LITERALLY and FIGURATIVELY blind, much like how we see Chrissy’s dad being blinded in the armchair in her vecna vision (which is a whole other can of worms bc the imagery of Chrissy’s dad in an armchair parallels Ted and his la-z-boy, and so with mr Cunningham paralleling Ted and with Victor also sitting in his armchair when watching the burning cradle, Ted and Victor become connected in yet another way in addition to the numerous parallels they already have). Victor was blind before he ever gouged his eyes out. He was blind to the suffering of his son. There’s really something about the thought of Henry being unable to use his powers to communicate his own suffering to Victor (as Henry’s powers work like a mirror, he can only show people things that reflect parts of Them/their memories back at them, he can’t just invent random stuff for them to see), but still trying to convey his own suffering by showing Victor the burning child in the cradle. Imo it wasn’t just about tormenting victor, it was also an attempt to TRY and get victor to put the pieces together about the same sort of child suffering that was happening right under his nose in his own home and to maybe help Henry. But Victor remained blind no matter how many visions Henry showed him, it doesn’t matter how many things you show somebody if they figuratively can’t see. Victor’s ignorance contributed heavily to the suffering of those around him.

We see that Victor DOES care for Henry, he DOES feel remorse for the death of that infant as well- he’s not apathetic to suffering, he’s IGNORANT. Virginia though? She’s apathetic to suffering. She is actively abusive AND apathetic. She does not have the same shocked guilt reaction to her vision that Victor has- instead, she runs away and plays the victim. At least Victor, for all his figurative blindness, faces things like his visions when he IS made aware of them. But Virginia? She runs. She doesn’t face them. She doesn’t face her guilt, she doesn’t care about Henry, she runs and plays the victim to her husband, she positions HERSELF as the victim of her son rather than the reality which is the other way around.

ANYWAY! That was a bit of a rant but I have so many thoughts on the creels.

#stranger things #st asks #tw csa #victor creel #st analysis #creel family #Virginia creel #henry creel #henry creel analysis

[lake-archive]

Track 1

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Series: Three CATZ In The Bag

Characters: Ole (OC), Original Character

AO3 Link

Track List - Track 2

When thinking back on society years ago… The times were not much different on the surface. However, this would just be that to the blank eye. Life was proceeding as it usually would, no ifs and buts. Then again, what were most people supposed to do? They had too many worries. Surviving, making money and scrapping by – That was their main concern, understandably so. You would have to be an animal to have that much time on your hands, a pet. Perhaps a cat who has an owner taking care of them, making sure they have a comfy place to sleep and the food always ready in a bowl. After all, it was either that or sleeping all day long.

The leisure of never having to worry about anything else in the world. Of course he could always choose the path of an easy life but the current circumstances would not allow Ole such a thing. Or rather he had made the decision to himself to not ignore these circumstances, not when his very own owner had been affected by these circumstances. Long story short, things had turned complicated, or the cat had quickly realized that things were never as easy as they seemed for the young person. And it had all gone downhill not too long ago, a few days to be exact. Nowhere to go, no warmth to come back to. All because they have finally managed to follow their own path. 

“Going against orders again!? But this time you also threw your future in the party away!? Ugh… If you are going to be like this, you can just leave! Ungrateful brat!”

It even echoed in the cat’s ears and the next thing he had seen was his owner shoved out of the door and their mother had closed it with one massive swing. And then silence had kicked in yet it was a result of how things had turned out. And they were just in the unfortunate situation that their mother was a massive supporter of the Party Of Words. So seeing them being kicked to the boot, something they desired, would of course cause an unpleasant reaction. 

And yet, they took it, just like that, and left. It was there where Ole knew he could not sit idle… And that his owner would be more than willing to fight. Even if it were selfish reasons, someone had to make a change. And this cat just happened to have had enough time on his paws to desire to fight for this change. He just had a bad feeling about all of this. Maybe it was within an animal’s instinct.

When wandering around town on his own he had seen it all – The unnecessary yelling, the complaints of the male population, a clear dissatisfaction. So much mourning, so much screaming, so much drinking. And yet, life wasn’t exactly the worst, but it was all visible nonetheless. It was somewhat depressing. And even more when taking his owner into account. Where would they even place? They were overlooked, were they not? And it had strained the family as a whole, at least what he had heard from their mumbling.

“I haven’t seen Dad in a while… I hope he’s doing alright… I should go visit him.” 

“If Mom would not be a blind follower… Maybe then— All of us… Damn this!”

It was quite whispers which they had kept to themself. They were not happy about this state either yet were not too certain what to do about it, even after having snapped and now being all alone. It was a difficult time, to say the least. The last straw. And maybe now he could propose his idea. Yet he had to wait for the right time, perhaps even a little bit of luck. The odds were not against this cat, he knew that much. Because he could only guess where his owner had been headed. 

Even as the two were wandering through the streets, still not having found any shelter. It showed for them both. Ole’s black fur was all messy and wet from the rain, smelling a little. Not the most pleasant feeling. His white spots on the belly and paws? A little gray, no chance to clean himself up. Actually, cats and baths do not go well yet this time he would not mind one. Not even he would touch his own fur with his own tongue, it was too much to expect. 

His owner was facing a similar problem with their own self care. He honestly could not see their colors, his own view being as black and white as always, yet he could still get down the basics. They were smelly, very. Their long hair was messier than usual. Their clothes were all torn apart, soaked wet, and started to smell like the street itself. That was not a pleasant smell. Yet it was the only pair of clothes they had at the moment, even if it was something they did not seem to like to wear: A shirt and a jacket were ok. Though it was all see through from the amount of rain which had poured down. But a skirt? That was a no go but it was what they had been wearing when thrown out. They were ready for the trash, or so they had joked. Perhaps if they had anything with them they would get a new batch but things were not that simple. Needless to say, they looked hunched down, just barely walking. It was concerning but what was a cat supposed to do? Well, not yet at least… But whenever looking up his ears would droop. All of this had to happen… All because—

“Huh? Look what we got here~” A voice would interrupt all of a sudden, a male one, making Ole and his owner suddenly stop. Or rather, the cat would come to a halt when his owner did, ears wagging yet his usually wide eyes staring a little with annoyance. The tone… He knew it all too well… It’s one of those again, isn’t it?

“Little Miss, it’s dangerous to walk home alone y’know.” The guy continued, making Ole’s ears perk up. One word… One word which might be insignificant to some but by now even the cat learned his lesson. Then again, he was not that surprised in the end. 

And yet he was forced to sit this one out. Then again, it would be fine, they can handle this themself. Should it escalate though, he was ready scratch non stop. Yet there had been no need for this yet… It could change anytime though. But it was very unlikely. After all, they can handle themself just fine. And besides, they can speak for themself. He would just meow.

So, shortly after their shoulder had been touched they turned in one swoop, their expression being anything but grateful. Instead they just glared at the man who was only a little taller than them, slightly growling, at least for a moment. 

“Repeat?” They asked, though it sounded more like an order. Not like it bothered the guy, judging from the shrug. 

“Little Miss, it’s da—”

And yet a sudden loud interruption. “Little Miss!? Miss!? I’m not a Miss y’know!”

Masterlist - Track 2

#Nimue's Lake #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #original character #male original character #hypnosis mic oc #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic #hypmic

[itsracc]

"Stronger ties you have, the more power you gain.

You are not alone any more."

- persona 4 the animation

The quotes so simple, it links to the series' system of power gain but is also a quiet commentary on how our social links can make life easier in our lives

The game has many similar quotes, scenarios and dialogues that are impactful, but this one caught my interest

I never understood persona 4's plot fully as whenever i replay it or read more about it, i find so many new details that i was previously unaware of. I understood most things about it, including concepts like: seeing through the fog of lies and vagueties in our lives in order to attempt an unbiased judgement, and being true to yourself, and I loved the characters' self actualization and the development of their fears and the embracing of the shadow self, thats often hidden from the public eye

Over the past 3 years I've finally understood another message of it through this one silly quote that plays before the mc is going to struggle. The quote, also can be interpreted as sharing a burden with others and mutual soul strengthening

Each character goes through a separate struggle, but, all of them find that the acceptance of their fears instead of ignoring them helps them to grow as a person whilst embracing their shadow

the shadow is the self's emotional blind spot, I could go into detail about it, but it would double the posts length, so I'll hold off

One example of an emotional development through vulnerability that I'll bang on about until my life on this planet fades, Kanji Tatsumi

A stereotypical thug, who is known to fight those around him and have a short and vulgar temper

When faced with his shadow, who appears to be a stereotyped homosexual who claims to fear women, initially he rejects it as he doesnt want to face the fear of homosexual tenancies, although eventually after seeing those around him protecting him and fighting for his sake, he accepts those fears as a part of him, we also find out that this fear stems from the fact that he enjoys making cutesy items and is scared of rejection, therefore he avoids women, the public eye and gets flustered easily by those who give him attention without prejudice (including naoto who is percieved as a male at this point in time)

Throughout his social link we learn that his violent actions were in order to protect his mother and ensure her health and safety, we also see him slowly embrace the more cutesy side of himself by sharing his passion with friends, family and those who wouldn't see him differently as a result

You may be wondering, "how does this relate to the quote?"

Kanji, and many others first open up to Yu (the protag), then slowly their social group, and then eventually traits that were once hidden are expressed casually and openly, and as their social link expands and we learn more about each character, frequently they'll grow stronger as a result in dialogue and even in combat

Stronger ties you have

The closer you are to those around you that care

The more power you gain

The stronger you can slowly become through expressing yourself outwardly,

You are not alone any more

As you don't need to suffer alone, and can hopefully find comfort and safety in those around you

Over the past 3 years I've been helped every day by those around me, even the small things that they don't even realise and that may seem insignificant, have impacted me positively and hugely, and even though social webs might change, split or even expand.

Although ultimately, one thing that I found out was that: when you find people who give a shit about you, everything becomes a lot easier

#long tangent sorry #persona 4 #kanji tatsumi

[incarnateirony]

Who is Patrick?

I swear I get this a lot, and I should ignore it, but at the same time I'm well aware how he cycles through people he cons so I'm always compelled to answer every time.

The direct answer, and the most honest, is a Try-Hard. He goes by TeamFreeWill2PointO on all platforms.

Even before I got new media contracts or got back into marketing where I am now, from past experience alone you can tell the man is a moron that has no idea what he's looking at professionally. The idiot waves are incredibly loud if you understand how everything works back end.

He tries very, very hard to present the image of being Exclusively In The Know, when generally he just compiles and interprets things like M&G whisperings, often terribly. His few sources are hilarious, like "I have a friend in LA" or "my brother's cousin's ex spouse's girlfriend worked on a project adjacent to Misha once", or better, the "Chaos Machine source" he uses that, while I also have known when they have good info, he is completely oblivious to the many limitations and causes for inconsistency therein with that source.

That's like. A tertiary source of mine, to put it in context. Like sometimes "Oh wow yeah that makes sense, that fits with XYZ" or something but not like. Wow. This Is My Primary Angle To Understand The Situation From source. In fact, I have repeatedly and now permablocked this source, because the drama they perpetually instigate and their overinflated sense of importance since they got the position--something I knew them long before. Like girl you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about thanks for the old tea and all but i'm a dolphin and you're burning earth, so long and thanks for all the fish. Your hot nonsense isn't worth having to play decoder ring if this is info, drama, you over reading things or having your meltdown of the week, none of which Pat is smart enough to pick up on. Herpaderp.

And that's where this dude gets lost. I mean sure, even the best, inside, working, professional, employed at production or marketing agencies or studios even larger than mine leakers still need to forage around for a little bit of information in the wind to make blind spots make sense. The ability to actually collect that information and understand what the fuck it means, however, comes purely from perspective, and Patrick lacks it.

This results in bullheaded wrongness, and arrogance the entire way down. For example, from early season 15 I was talking about the finale, the death order, a roadhouse reunion and all kinds of doohickeys and bells and whistles. Patrick mocked How Wrong I Was When I Was Confident. Then, over time, every member of the creative team slowly came out and confirmed it all piece by piece. But not before he DENIED any omission, BELLOWED he knew better, said it was THE PERFECT ENDING!!!! AND JENSEN LOVED IT!!! and then he paid 5K to but a script just to prove he was a moron, and I was correct, and the finale was heavily omitted.

He repeated this clownery when I leaked the Winchesters pilot script, screaming his CM source knew I was wrong. I know that source. I looked that source in the digital face and told them they were wrong when they told me the same thing, because none of the associated numpties could wrap their heads around why I knew they were wrong. No matter how Pat argued about Jensen's commenting about script leaks on stage went. It didn't matter. Filming and the trailer hit, and even after RESHOOTS the product is still impressively close to the script with a few settings/backdrop changes and fused quotes for time.

This dude is currently desperately baiting hashtag "little birdy", some tumblr anon messaging him, surely being itk, and asking them what kind of production access or which pilot script copy they have and like. Bro. What the fuck. Episode 8 has been batched out already. The pilot is literally from April. How the fuck are your gears still stuck here while you're pretending to be a source of breaking news, genuinely what in god's green earth.

Once in a while he gets uppity, and starts overt lies. I called it in advance this time, knowing exactly which videos he would cut short or misrepresent how, and pre-addressing the argument to disband it before he unironically launched into a fit about That Exact Thing And Claimed We Were All Mad About It.

He loves to insist I run a "cult" simply because I won't hand out all my fucking leaks like candy and wait until someone proves they can moderately hold their shit together in public before giving them direct access. Lest they do some dumb shit like Pat did. Who, when he got my prequel script distro, made a sock to post it to prove me wrong and how fake and bad it was, only to immediately get smacked by a DMCA takedown on all the hundreds of caps of the script. And yet he STILL refused to believe it was real.

He refused me when I said the whole thing is about letting go and moving on, he refused every single thing that has fallen and landed because at this point, he's really just showing his full anti ass. Despite the username, he's a jared stan that maliciously degrades jensen or others' works and like dramatically overinflates jared's perceived successes, mocks and hates the prequel, then tries to trip into the prequel conversation pretending he has any FUCKING concept of what's actually going on BTS or driving anybody here. He intentionally sews lies and bad accord and just outright suckers people in cycles again and again, on who he is, what he stans, how connected he is. When really, he's a dude that lives online, collects M&Gs, and argues with me when reality is interfering with his incest jerkoffs.

This all just over the final year, of course, disregarding his years of telling me I was delusional for pointing out Berens' very real Destiel intent, which he mocked with totes ITK friends that knew better and Besides, Berens Totes Stanned Wincest, tweeted ITK man that didn't know about the literal USS Destiel sitting on the man's desk. Fucking shit.

[daring-detective]

oooo ooo do 🙈[what’s my muse’s biggest blind spot?]

also asked by @blood-son

i suppose that kind of depends on your meaning . dick is pretty aware of his own shortcomings and behaviors , he’s his own harshest critic and sees the things in himself that often cause conflict in his life . . . but at the same time , i’d say one of his biggest blind spots would be himself . he sometimes fails to see when other people treat him in wrong ways , because it doesn’t register as wrong in his head and because he may believe he deserves it . dick will usually take part of the blame in something , or entirely blame himself for how things turned out — as if it’s some consequence to his own actions , regardless of how true or even reasonable that may be .

if you mean ‘ what’s something ( someone ) dick can’t recognize has hurt him because it’d be more painful to do so than it would to ignore it ’ , then it’d have to be . . . bruce ? i mean , there’s a lot of things i could say , but i’d say bruce is a pretty big one . he’s a difficult topic for dick to navigate in general , he loves the guy and is devoted to him first and foremost ( in spite of their disagreements and fall outs ) , and he feels like he’ll never be able to pay bruce back for all the things he’s done for him ; as a result , this creates to a lot of cognitive dissonance , with dick not being able to see / recognize / accept that bruce has wronged him or treated him badly — despite it being very obvious to anyone else in his life . ( that’s not to say dick will always let things slide , though ; he’s pretty willing to call bruce out on his shit , get angry , and challenge the man ) .

#v. ⠀⠀ “⠀you can always learn to fly⠀ : ⠀⠀ inbox. #xi. ⠀⠀ “⠀runaway at heart⠀ : ⠀⠀ headcanons.

[hologramcowboy]

Hello,

I really like your blood and your balanced take on things. I also like that you are a fan of Jensen but aren’t blind to his faults. I also can’t help but sympathize with your thoughts on Danneel. Not a fan.

I listen to the Drama Queens blog semi-regularly and on the last two podcasts two of the host (Hilarie and Joy) spent a weird amount of time talking up Elta: she’s so sweet, and kind, and intelligent and hardworking. She’s just the best! Honestly, it felt very over the top and out of nowhere the first time. The second time, the one host reiterated the same things, but at least it had some context because she’s supposed to be on the show next week. Not looking forward to that.

Anyway, my point is that the praise seemed very over the top and disingenuous (the second part could be my own bias), but I have to wonder if the criticism towards her has amped up lately and she’s leaning on friends/acquaintances for help fight the criticism and bolster her image. She is such a classic case of all talk and no action relating to her being a decent person.

Why do you think there is a current ramp up in trying to make her seem relatable and like a good person? I really don’t see her "career" picking up any time soon, especially with The Winchesters looking like a dumpster fire in the making that people, especially Jensen, will likely want to distance themselves from.

I don't know if you've had a chance to see but the People fluff pr article she ordered ended up being in the top search results for Jensen Ackles so Danneel is playing the long game, she has no talents of her own so the best she can do is coattail on Jensen's success but to do that she first has to dispel her previous reputation.

I think you are spot on in observing that the other actresses are sucking up to her and helping her dispel rumors but the most important question is: Why is she fighting these rumors so hard if they are untrue? That's a LOT of effort being put into fighting rumors instead of building a career and that just makes her seem fishy to me. It's almost like she's afraid of losing her one and only ticket to fame, namely Jensen.

By the way, actors often network and create connection to get ahead, so often they will suck up to get into people's good graces and be cast. Which is what I think is happening in this case, she's praised because of her relation to Jensen. Had she not married Jensen I doubt her colleagues would have given her the time of day after OTH. And since her career is at a standstill, she is waiting to bank on The Winchesters and in the meantime resorted to the only appearance she could get, yet again by nepotism, just like most of her roles.

"Why do you think there is a current ramp up in trying to make her seem relatable and like a good person?" Credibility. Jensen and the studios know she lacks credibility and therefore she's making an effort to shift her image. It's the same reason why she started with the activism, so she could turn it into a selling point as evidence by that People fluff piece that was so badly written and clearly showed the writer didn't even remotely have anything to get in touch with when it came to Elta's "activism". Thank you for the extremely sweet comment at the beginning of the ask, I am glad I'm not the only one who can see right through her. 💕

Disclaimer: This is just MY opinion. Please take only what resonates and ignore the rest.

#anti danneel ackles #anti danneel #anti elta graul

[josnashak69]

I interviewed Meituan, Kuaishou, Alibaba, Baidu, Didi, and Byte to tell you which group the big companies like the most.

In the workplace, we will go through many interviews. With the help of interviews, we will discover some of our own HE Tuber problems. This article combines the interview experience of different factories to show and introduce the experience one by one. I hope it will be helpful to you.

1. The origin of sharing

From June to October of 2023, I had no solution for career planning and future development. I hoped to establish connections with higher-level people, but because there was no particularly suitable channel, I had to rely on interviews to continue to help. Diagnose the problem by yourself, discover the problem, iterate on the understanding, and strive for new job opportunities. I will introduce the experience one by one according to the interview experience of different factories. The first is to review my own past; the second is to refine the interview ideas of large factories for reference. reader.

The order of the entire article is: self-awareness, the needs of big companies for interviewers, and what I gained from interviews with different companies.

2. Self-introduction

I have been engaged in Internet-related work since I graduated with a master's degree in 2016. The company that first accepted me was a company listed on the New Third Board, and I started my internship in April. Later, by various coincidences, I finally got a job opportunity from a big factory. I started working in a big factory in 2017. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, my job roles covered data products, data analysts, and back-end products.

Since the beginning of 20 years, I have focused on content understanding and content strategy. Content understanding based on the perspective of first-line manufacturers is more inclined to the role of screws. A clear division of labor means clear goals. What is practiced is collaboration and the ability to dismantle problems to the smallest atoms. Granular capabilities, but far away from the real business line, always make me feel like a blind man is trying to figure out the elephant. The specific questions are as follows:

First, the work content is overly segmented and can only focus on a very vertical ecological perspective.

The content understanding I do occurs in the content center, and the content center distinguishes many directions, such as content understanding, content recommendation, content growth, content e-commerce (interest e-commerce), etc., and I can clearly list them. Uploading, editing, and publishing the entire link from one video comes from the perspective of the content ecosystem, but it is difficult for me to explain clearly how these videos are consumed on the recommendation side and the growth side. What linkages will there be with cooperative departments, such as e-commerce and local business, how will their strategies be broken down into specific corresponding actions, and how to prepare.

Second, the long-term implementation of specific front-line actions lacks the vision of macro-structure and dismantling.

Focusing on issues arising from high-level decision-making and using only very limited energy to do things that are important and recognized from one's own perspective. This will result in - I understand the process from macro-structure to implementation, but instead ignore the process from A more complete and macro-directional dismantling perspective. And the blind spot of the perspective of going from high to low, from execution to high level, caused me to encounter greater troubles when striving for a higher level of development. There is no direction and no focus.

Third, the uncertainty brought by the work itself is not stable enough from the psychological level and is seriously involution.

In the middle and late stages of the epidemic, the Internet industry as a whole was in a slump, and even the jobs being opened by major companies were becoming scarcer. Looking within the company, upward channels were also scarcer. However, my overall career plan is not very clear. In other words, although I have a goal, the direction and motivation of dismantling are not moving towards the goal. Under the objective environment, it is very troublesome. Is my career in the Internet finally coming to an end? Excluding the company's halo, how much is its value in the market?

Based on the above reasons, I decided to distance myself from work, work in a completely stress-free state for a period of time, and then seek a new opportunity for my next job.

1. Resume section

As of the time to submit my resume, I have been working for less than 7 years. Based on my past experience in three major companies, I listed my project experience and work performance from the three perspectives of content strategy, platform capabilities, and data products, and used the star rule to list myself. The core tasks, roles played, values ​​realized, and capabilities for growth in each project.

Listed as a whole, I feel that my obvious role transition stages are: analyst with simple tasks , independently designed products for small projects , products responsible for the core data indicators within the team , products responsible for core business and core strategies , and leading strategies for most industries. product . Based on this kind of thinking, when sorting out the self-introduction part, I used a large structure as the output tone. When introducing each past experience, I looked at the big picture. First, I looked at the background of the company's project, and then confirmed my role at the time and the meaning of the division of labor. , output the value of income, which not only enriches the value of personal introduction in the resume, but also makes a good opening statement during the interview stage.

2. Advantages and disadvantages

For domestic students, especially those before 1995, they are particularly embarrassed to directly introduce their strengths to others. Correspondingly, when talking about their weaknesses, they are even more worried about being challenged by interviewers. me either.

Calmly deal with your own strengths and weaknesses, and you should not just prepare very official words for the outside world. There are also a lot of clichés in the templates on XHS. Before I really knew myself, I would also copy some classic textbooks, but I found that every time If the questioner's method of questioning changes, my interpretation will change, which will cause corresponding changes in my understanding of myself during the continuous interview process. Based on this, I specifically consulted a professional Gallup coach and made a complete personal assessment. Based on my strengths, I understood them as several strengths that turned into talents, and how to leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses through relative weaknesses.

Finally, the answer to this question was confirmed - the process of allowing the interviewer to get to know me more deeply, understand who I am, what I can do, and what parts of me are comfortable in doing these things. What are the parts of the problem that I need the support of the team for, and what are the parts that I can overcome independently. After answering with this kind of thinking, the interviewer will feel that his eyes are brightened. At least the person opposite is "sober".

Next is some interview experience and summary. I just list some interview questions that are meaningful from my point of view. They may not fully represent the overall level of the company’s interviewers. They are only for students who want to pay attention to 

#Music #Gaming #Entertainment #Sports #Science And Technology

[madalyns-thoughts]

HTM post one! Human trafficking

I watched the limited series Human Trafficking starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland. Starting this post off I was pretty aware going into the show that America was top in the human trafficking movement. I also have learned through watching the news that the state where I live , Michigan, is known for being a top spot for this underground illegal business. With its access to Canada through the border and the ability to move across the state due to highways and backroads, Michigan is top 5 states for human trafficking. When I learned this myself a few years ago I was shocked. Growing up here you couldn’t imagine that this sort of forced labor and basically enslaving of women/girls around your age could be happening let alone that close to home. Following this piece of film I was able to see the many ways that being tricked or forced into these scenarios would look like. Being in the age that true crime and shows like Criminal Minds are popular it allows my generation to become numb to seeing these instances being portrayed in the media, but seeing the ages that girls start being traded for their bodies in this way affects even the strongest of watchers. The one thing that connected this all for me was that none of these were random. Everything was perfectly planned and set in motion the second that they were put into the enforcers path. A quote from the movie that got me was that human trafficking is “ business of the future for crime organizations” since the women could be sold over and over again unlike other black market goods. One thing that shocked me was the portrayal of the police in the first/second episode. The way that the woman “Helena” was just trying to secure her child's safety from the people that took her, by asking for help from the police but being met with the same quid pro quo almost that she was met with by the criminals. Give me information you have your kid, don't run and your kid is safe. That made me feel like she was just back there stuck in a circumstance she did not put herself in, so desperately  trying to escape and be with herself and her family but being met with people in power withholding it, I don't know how they expected much help without that help and trust given first. She was the victim, not just a source of intel. I do believe that this still occurs in actual scenarios in real life, this was something that I wish I could find more on but obviously could not find through research.  Connecting this to the hotel tourism management sector was not too hard. A lot of human trafficking and rings like that do deals in hotels or rent rooms for the jobs to take place, this is met with a blind eye by hotels and other companies. Due to privacy policies most hotels have automated check in and outs allowing the identities of the people checking in to be anonymous or not checked along with what is happening inside the room during that time. It also affects the staff at hotels and motels. Most hotels use recruitment for their staff from third parties, this can be from regular companies but also fronts for debt collectors, passport seizures which are held over the person resulting in forced labor on the staff. When doing this research that shocked me, hotels around the world and specifically the US are allowing forced servitude on the payroll and there is not much being said or done about it. There has been one picture painted of what a victim to these acts looks like and does but in reality there are many layers to this “business’ that are not portrayed, and this is what makes ignorance so dangerous. 

[nobutnah]

How Career Personality Tests Can Help Your Job Search

How Career Personality Tests Can Help Your Job Search

Taking tests of one's personality and conduct may be an enjoyable way for many of us to learn more about ourselves. Even though there are a lot of personality tests available, job evaluations are not nearly as prevalent. They are often issued by HR, but it is difficult to get them after you have left the company where you worked.

Assessments may help us enhance our self-awareness and discover blind spots so that we can make professional choices that affect our strengths. However, no evaluation can tell us precisely what job or career we should be in, nor can they tell us what work or career we should be doing. We all have blind spots and aspects of ourselves that we are not quite aware of, which might impede our capacity to live up to our full potential and prevent us from reaching our goals. This is particularly true for your professional life.

In the field of psychology, the metaphor of an iceberg is often used to depict the distinction between our conscious and unconscious selves. Just like an iceberg only reveals a portion of what is under its surface, we only have a limited understanding of the myriad of circumstances that influence our actions. Because of this ignorance, one's life, career, and relationships might all become less satisfying. To have a life and career that are more satisfying, our goal is to raise our level of self-awareness and to make good, rational adjustments in the way we go about our everyday lives.

To have a healthy level of self-awareness, one must be able to identify and properly evaluate one's own emotions, as well as strengths and limitations, and choose what objectives to pursue and how to pursue them. Acquiring a healthy sense of self is essential to successfully taking charge of your professional life. When we lack self-awareness, it may be challenging to make well-informed choices and to successfully interact with the people we encounter along our journey.

Thiel's Performance at Work

The work style assessment provided by Teal is a tool for professional growth that may assist you in gaining a better understanding of your natural working style as well as the behavioral qualities that go along with it.

The DISC theory, which was developed by Dr. William Moulton Marston at Harvard University, and the 4 Temperament concept, which was developed by Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, form the foundation of the Poultry Styles system. These other theories have had an impact on work theory, but their primary goal is to assist working professionals in developing a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the workplace.

There are four primary types, and most individuals exhibit a blend of these four; despite this, we often lead with either one or two of these styles. The method of labor that Thiel employs enables us to determine which kinds of circumstances energize or deplete us, as well as which kinds of tasks, are simple or challenging. The Thiel Work Style Framework is a useful tool that helps increase your self-understanding as well as your understanding of others, as well as your working relationships and duties.

Because Teal's Work Styles framework is based on a two-factor model, two things should be taken into consideration.

Factor 1: Novices and seasoned veterans

The first element separates the four kinds into two groups: those that are starts (1 and 2) and those who are completers (3 and 4).

Beginners (1 and 2) are more likely to talk out loud as they think, work rapidly, look at the larger picture, and come up with fresh ideas than more advanced students (3 and 4).

Achievers with a score of 3 or 4 are more likely to consider carefully before acting and to concentrate on more specific areas, while at the same time being able to carry out tasks and see them through to completion.

Factor 2: People-oriented vs results-oriented behavior

In the second section, the four types are broken down into two categories: those that are people-centered (2) and results-oriented (1) and (4). (2 and 3).

Goal-oriented people (1 and 4) give more priority to activities and results and may find it more satisfying to manage things on their own.

People-oriented individuals (types 2 and 3) put the requirements of other people first and may find it more enjoyable to work together on projects.

It is essential to keep in mind that every one of us has all four personality traits, even though some of our actions come more easily to us than others.

Your work style will be a four-number sequence as a result of the fact that you are a hybrid of the four types. When trying to figure out how your main operates, you should pay the most attention to the first two digits of the sequence. However, you should also think about how the sequence's two components interact with one another.

Learning your method of work may be advantageous in a variety of different ways. It may educate you on how to connect with people more effectively, how to recognize the kinds of jobs and relationships that energize or deplete you, and how to conduct your job search efficiently. It is essential to keep in mind that the purpose of this exercise is just to increase self-awareness and not to provide a "clear" explanation of one's professional identity. There may be certain sections of the report that you completely agree with, yet there may also be other portions that you disagree with. Utilize the areas that are helpful to you, just like you would any other self-awareness tool, so that you may improve the efficiency with which you work and communicate with others. Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself is the first step in leading a life and having a job that is more satisfying to you.

What is the mechanism behind this?

Take the quiz: Please take between three and five minutes to complete this sliding evaluation so that we can determine your four-digit work order.

Get results: Discover what approaches are most successful for you, and then adapt your strategy to take advantage of those approaches.

Develop your self-assurance: Send other individuals your 360 loops so you may compare how each of you understands yourself to the other person's perspective.

benefit

Gain an understanding of your working process and how it influences your triggers, relationships, perspective, and energy levels.

Send your How You Work page to your previous supervisors, current coworkers, friends, and family members to get feedback from all angles. You will get a lot of insight into how other people see you.

When you have a better understanding of how you work best, you will feel more at ease in professional settings. Understanding oneself is the first step in communicating with others, giving presentations, and swaying their opinions.

[ddevices]

Attack Surface Management 2022 Midyear Review Part 1

This is a thrilling time for companies as it provides an opportunity to become more efficient and effective in the way things are conducted. Many businesses have capitalized on this chance to adopt innovative technologies that enable companies to not only enhance their processes but also improve the culture of these businesses.

But, the digital revolution has also opened up a new attack surface that covers many more areas, such as email inboxes as well as IoT devices. In this three-part series we will look at the top events and trends that affected the cybersecurity landscape during the first half of this year, based on our mid-year roundup of 2022 report.

It's the Growing Attack Surface

In a research study that was conducted in collaboration together with Sapio Research, we surveyed 6,297 IT security decision-makers from 29 countries regarding their views on the threats caused by the increasing security threat.

A majority of respondents were worried over their ever-growing attack surface. When asked their feelings, the majority (73 percent) claimed that the situation is always changing and messy, while 43 percent of respondents believed that the issue is beyond control and has no way to stop the expansion.

The results demonstrate a worrying ignorance regarding digital risk.

Cyber-related risk is a challenging subject to tackle and many companies are unsure of the best way to do so. 37 percent of organisations also stated that they have the lowest understanding of cloud-based assets. Thirty-five percent of them said the same of their knowledge about the cloud. Additionally, there were blind spots in the data of the user (32 percent).

Threat Actors as well as sophisticated attack Tools

One of the most well-known APT groups in the early 2022 was a security actor dubbed "Earth Lusca." The group has been in operation from mid-2021, and runs cyber-espionage operations targeting businesses across the globe employing spear phishing lures and watering holes techniques that are not uncommon among other actors that they employ as well as more sophisticated malware like Cobalt Strike or Shadowpad. The VPSs also serve to control their command and control systems, where they deploy Winnti infections , amongst other.

Malware seems to also be around for the long haul.

The malware has existed for quite a long time and isn't going anywhere anytime very soon. Actually, malware that was in use for a long time is still popular with cybercriminals who appreciate the effectiveness of their attacks despite the increasing security measures being implemented by companies to protect themselves from such threats.

The 2022 security predictions in the article, we discussed that criminals turn to commodities botnets or other tools to try new methods; it turned out exactly as planned by offering Emotet as the malware-as-a-service (MaaS) scheme in the first place, because they were aware there would be demand in light of its success in the last few months.

Another group of attackers that continues to be a menace in 2022 has been Conti. It is among the most prominent threat actors who were involved during the Russia-Ukraine War and announced its support for the Russian government just a few days after the war began. The group later softened its position following criticism of attacks against people or groups that have been victims themselves.

The Stormers ransomware group also announced that it was supporting Russia and announced that it would attack Ukrainian governments as part of their plan.

New Players and Lucrative Methods of Monetization

This RaaS model has allowed hackers access to infrastructure and tools that wouldn't be accessible otherwise. Affiliates also contribute to the spread of infections, and splitting ransomware payment between developers, providing them with an extra chance to participate to develop malware and other methods.

With more than 50 active RaaS and extortion groups, over 1,200 organisations were affected by ransomware during the first half of the year.

The landscape of malware is changing rapidly, and with it is an increase in the number of new kinds. Lockbit, Conti and Black Cat were among the major players during the beginning of 2022. However, other methods witnessed significant increases in other ransomware families.

DIGITAL DEVICES LTD

Long before Apple set an average consumers mindset to replacing their handheld gadgets in two years, Digital Devices Ltd believed in Moore's law that computing will double every two years. With our heritage from the days of IBM Personal Computer XT, our founders have gone through the technology advancements of the 1990s and 2000s realizing that technology is an instrumental part of any business's success. With such a fast pace industry, an IT department can never be equipped with the tools and training needed to maintain their competitive edge. Hence, Digital Devices has put together a team of engineers and vendor partners to keep up with the latest industry trends and recommend clients on various solutions and options available to them. From forming close relationships with networking and storage vendors like Juniper, SolarWinds and VMWare to high-performance computing by HPE or AWS Cloud solutions, Digital Devices Limited offers the latest technology solutions to fit the ever-growing needs of the industry.

Our experts can guide you through the specifications and build cost efficiencies while providing high end, state-of-the-art customer services. We research and analyses market and its current demand and supply chain by offering wide range of bulk supplies of products like AKG C414 XLII, Shireen Cables DC-1021, Shireen Cables DC-2021, Dell p2419h monitor, Dell U2419H, Dell P2719H, Dell P2219H, Lenovo 62A9GAT1UK, LG 65UH5F-H and Complete IT Infrastructure products and services.

[lupically]

#FFF8EA | XIAO. 

genre | fluff

word count | 2233

warning | mention of falling off a moutain​

note | i just have some ideas for xiao...

"the yaksha is fond of you."

madame ping was no stranger to you. the kind old lady roaming around yujing terrace, often seen admiring flowers or brewing a cup of hot tea, was someone you come across every afternoon after school when you head to the censor to make a wish to rex lapis.

the conversation you two have had always been brief, mainly because you were always in a hurry to get to work. she never minded your urgency, blissfully talking about how fast-paced and active young people these days are, and simply being happy that you even stopped to let her hand you some glazed lilies from time to time.

interestingly, though, she stopped giving you glazed lilies after a while and began handing you some pretty qingxin instead.

you never questioned it. it was just flowers. you could live without being gifted only one kind of them for the rest of your life. but after today's incident—after the burning down of your school located just outside the city, as well as what madame ping told you with hearty laughter laced in her voice, you were starting to think the switch to qingxin meant something.

"the yaksha is fond of you."

you tightened your hands around the weak strap of your school bag, made out of bamboo after lots of trials and errors, and you tilted your head with increasingly furrowing brows.

"pardon me, the what is fond of me?"

"the yaksha, my dear."

you stared at her. the corner of your lips was quirking up in confused twitches, and she could see that you were fiddling uncomfortably on your spot because you truly have no idea what she was talking about. it was not because of the history of the yaksha that might have made you feel jittery and out of place, you simply had no idea!

madame ping smiled even harder at your innocent oblivion then. how could you have such ample knowledge of rex lapis and the adepti, but nothing about the yaksha? especially the one with his mark, a jade green glow surrounding you like fireflies, all over your aura?

maybe that was why xiao chose you.

or, at least, it was one of the reasons why he liked you.

it was because you knew nothing of him. you never think about him, you never talk about him, and you would never suspect the string of random good luck and trails of safe travels that have been following you around.

while it must be tearing him down on the inside; the fact that he wasn't being able to approach the one person who made his good deeds a choice rather than an order. it must be plaguing his mind and patience every day.

but, even then, your surprising lack of information about his identity does save him the pressure of being chased down by you.

it saves him the problem of being even further attached to you. it was already pressing on his breaking point when he went out of his way to watch over you, leaving trails of his magic over your mortal soul to keep you safe when he was busy. any further interaction would be disastrous.

logically, he knew he would fall for you, so he was doing preventive measures. he has to keep his chest sealed so his heart wouldn't jump toward you involuntarily; he has to keep his chest sealed so you couldn't see all the mess inside.

"oh, sweet child," madame ping cooed as she walked toward you. she whispered to herself, "you're being protected by an adeptus and you don't even know."

she brought up a qingxin from her pocket, the petals slightly wrinkled from the confined space. she tucked it carefully in the pocket of your shirt before patting the bloomed flower, almost as if she was reminiscing.

"this is his flower," she said.

you hummed, looking down at it. "this is his favorite flower?"

"i'm not sure about his favorite flower, but this is his flower," she replied casually.

you pursed your lips together. well, at least now you knew the qingxin did have something to do with the... yaksha... or whatever.

"madame ping... may i ask–"

"you can find him at qingyun peak," she cut you off calmly. "during the lantern festival. he is always there during the festival. it was for the quiet, he said, that old man."

you shut your mouth, surprised that she knew what you wanted to ask. "uh... qingyun peak... is kind of... a big place..."

"you will find him if he wants to see you," she said. "you can speak his name–xiao. he might not show himself to you, but if you have something to say, he's likely there to listen."

qingyun peak. the lantern festival. the yaksha.

right.

that was how you found yourself bearing the freezing night cold with just a thin shirt and a ragged fabric wrapped and tied around your torso, your hands hurting from grabbing sharp edges and rough rocks, and your anxiety increasing with every jump that not only would the almond tofu in your bag fall, but you would as well.

as opposed to watching xinyan play for the lantern festival, being warm and cozy from the warm city lights and the tasty street food, and maybe even letting go of a lantern yourself after making a wish, you were here. you were alone, climbing mountains for a chance.

all for a random boy madame ping told you about! someone who was supposedly fond of you—if this xiao guy was so fond of you, he would have shown himself the first three times you called his name at the bottom of the mountain!

"fond of me–what a joke," you said through gritted teeth as you hoisted yourself up on a small ledge. "i'm going to kick his ass so hard when i find him."

you let yourself pant for a minute, regaining your stamina as you groggily accessed the higher peaks above you. your eyes squinted in dismay, but something inside you—the curiosity for the truth, as well as the longing for a friend, also the anger for playful revenge—urged you to keep going.

"he better eats the almond tofu i made," you muttered to yourself as you moved closer to the mountain. "i even picked some flowers... for him."

jump after jump, you were close to making it to the second ledge when suddenly, a slime jumped and appeared above you. it looked surprised, mirroring your expression, and as it prepared itself to attack you after seeing your hands move, it stopped when it saw you fumble about in the air before you began to fall further away from itself.

you had let yourself go. out of surprise, and an instinct to grab a weapon, your hands moved away from the edge and you fell.

your mind raced as the wind hit your face, your falling body heavy against the current that desperately tried to take you up from the ledge you just climbed up from. you would surely die from the impact if you drop. even without dropping down to the bottom, you would still suffer from a painful death.

was there something to do? how did this happen, you were doing fine! what should you do, what could you do? you were falling already—what was there to do now? anything, something?

"i–archons–" you heaved with the cold air, your lungs squeezing inside you with fear as tears began to drip out of your eyes.

anything? anybody?

xiao?

"you can speak his name. he might not show himself to you, but if you have something to say, he's likely there to listen."

"xi–" your voice broke for a millisecond when you could see the green grass approaching quickly. you squeezed your eyes shut, and your voice was louder than you have ever allowed it to be.

you called his name, loud and clear.

the first thing you felt was a lightning strike. you opened your eyes at the electric feeling to find a flash of green. it was bright, close and bright, in a way that was blinding. but then the tail broke into gentle fragments as a pair of arms circled your body to catch you from the fall.

one arm went around your waist, the other hand securely tightened itself around the back of your neck to keep it from breaking from the impact of his fast landing.

xiao growled under his breath when his feet struck the ground in a heavy blow. he pushed your head to his shoulder, shielding your face away from the soil that bounced upward as a result.

quietness ensued after a moment of calm. you took the moment to access the situation—you were fine. someone, likely xiao, saved you from the fall. you were fine.

he dropped onto the ground, sitting on the cold grass with your body pressed close to his, when he heard that you began to sob from the accident.

despite feeling awkward and unsure, he kept quiet and let you vent out the post-accident fear so you could slowly bring in the relief that you were still alive. but his quietness was unwelcomed when you suddenly curled your fist and hit him across the shoulder.

"screw you! why didn't you just answer me when i–when i was at the bottom of the moun–mountain! screw you!"

you blamed him and you hit his shoulder repeatedly. your weak fist was nothing compared to the pain he has endured in the past, but your cries cut through him like glass in the most seamless pattern when he realized he was part of the reason why you had to go through that traumatic experience.

if he had just jumped down from the peak when he heard you the first time, this would not have happened.

xiao looked at the empty spot before him. his golden eyes glowed with a softness that has long fallen into the abyss, forever gone and forever abandoned. but he brought it back out now because he cares about you, and he is, ultimately, attached to you, and he loves you.

"you're right," he said, holding you close to him. "i'm sorry."

ever since you discreetly left the almond tofu on the roof of the wangshu inn, your shy figure hunched over in an apologizing manner because you were told that you were giving food to an important, albeit weird, guest, and your blissfully ignorant words of encouragement as you told him to go out and explore the world, to give it a chance so he could find people he would like.

ever since then, he has loved you, in fragile and discreet ways, in unwavering and patient ways, in protective and caring ways.

"i love you, i'm sorry."

you stopped sobbing almost immediately, and he was afraid he might have said the wrong thing.

wasn't it what he was supposed to do? verr told him to speak his mind once. just be truthful with his feelings and nothing could go wrong. was he not supposed to show his affection blatantly, as he would his complaints and opinions?

"that... that is going a little too fast for me, xiao," you joked. "let's settle with appreciating each other for now."

he heard you laugh, causing the weight of his heart to drop, like finding lights in a fog, like seeing the lanterns in the night sky and realizing that there are more people alive with you than you think.

"thank you, for saving me," you said kindly then, your fist long stopped hitting him and was now patting his shoulder.

"always."

“but burning my school down is not the best approach for... whatever it was you were trying to help me with.”

xiao blinked in confusion, then realization hit him. he almost forgot about that! he was, shockingly, dwelling in the prideful fact that because he literally destroyed the building, you would be free of school for the day, and therefore not having to face all the hardships inside the walls he could not venture past. he thought it was the best thing to do, second to beating up everyone, which he politely opposed to.

“i am not sorry about that,” he muttered. “it was what i thought was best.”

he could feel you grin in his embrace. your laughter reverberated in the air, making his magic glow around you both. it was like nothing he has felt before. he wanted to stay like this—in this position where you were engulfed by him, where he could surround you with himself instead of the fireflies of green he has left behind, where he was with you in a way it was entire, in a way he could feel your beating heart against his own.

you are pressing onto his breaking point.

you are going to open him up, see him whole, and renovate his insides to your will. you are going to take his heart from his chest, breaking through his ribcage made feeble from his sheer affection for you, and claim it as your own. you are going to make him love, like sharp knives, like soft breaths, like tragic past, like warm blood, you are going to make him love.

you are pressing onto his breaking point.

and xiao lets you.

because you will be worth the tragedy, you will be worth everything.

#genshin x reader #genshin imagines #xiao x reader #genshin impact xiao #genshin impact imagines #genshin x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin xiao #genshin xiao x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact #xiao imagines #xiao x you #xiao scenarios #genshin scenarios #genshin impact scenarios