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therealdisneyfan2319 · 1 year

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Latte Love | Wanda Maximoff

Summary: When a new coffee shop opens up across the street from your bakery, you enter into a rivalry with its new owner

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Male Reader

Warnings: Smut (minors DNI), language, mentions of major character death, house fire, mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 7.3K

Masterlist

A/N: This was a request from @aloneodi. The prompt was pretty straightforward: enemies to overs with lots of angst and smut. Enjoy ;)

For the past two months the construction across the street from your bakery had driven you insane. The constant sawing and hammering was grinding your gears. You weren’t sure what was coming in the old storefront. It had been vacant as long as you could remember. You were in elementary school when Mr. Neely retired and the building now sat in a state of dilapidated disrepair: the front awning was threadbare, the windows were partially boarded up, and graffiti was spray painted over the brick storefront. Inside the empty cases gathered dust and cobwebs. It was a bit of a pleasant surprise when you came to work one day to see a ‘SOLD’ sign taped to the front door.

“Maybe we should blast some music, give them a taste of their own medicine,” Natasha suggested with a smirk. Natasha Romanoff was your right hand woman when it came to running the bakery. Not only was she an accounting whiz and could balance the books in her sleep, she also made a mean creme brûlée.

“I just don’t understand why it’s taken them so long to remodel. It’s construction, not rocket science. What’s going in there anyway?”

“It’s a coffee shop. I met the owner when I went to the wholesaler the other day,” Sam explained as he dumped another batch of bagels into the bucket. A slightly intimidating Air Force veteran with the heart of a teddy bear, Sam was your resident bagel maker and donut fryer. People came from all corners of the state for his famous brownie batter donuts and egg everything bagels,

“So literally the exact same as us?” You could hardly believe what you were hearing. The Rolling Scones had quickly established itself as Westview’s premiere (and only) bakery. Why did someone else need to open up right across the street?

“Hold up, it’s not exactly the same thing. We’re a bakery that serves coffee and they’re a coffee shop that serves baked goods. Totally different.”

You shot Sam a glance that immediately made him do an about face and head back to his boiling batch of bagels. Flour covered fingers ran through your hair as you leaned up against the back counter thinking about all the negative ways this new shop was going to impact yours.

“What are we gonna do, Nat? I can’t lose this place.”

“Y/N, relax. It’s just another business. We’re not going to go out of business just because there’s a new place in town. If anything they’re the ones who should be worried. They have to compete with Sam’s bagels.”

“We could just burn it down!” Peter, the teenager who washed dishes after school and on weekends, added. “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them!”

“He’s got a point,” Sam added as the door jingled open.

“Peter! Arson isn’t the answer here!” Nat rolled her eyes, heading to the back to work on handling the latest invoices.

“But it is a solution,” you teased. Natasha groaned as she kicked the back room door open. “Can I help you?” you asked, turning your attention to the customer who walked up to the counter.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a - oh, SAM! Hi!” The young woman in front of you raised up on her tiptoes and waved over the counter.

“Wanda hey!” He walked over, an overflowing basket of hard rolls in his arms. “Glad you came. How’s the remodeling going?”

“Good! My contractor told me that we should be able to open by the end of the month.”

“That’s great news! Did you pick the name yet?”

“My brother and I argued about it for a while, but we finally settled on Latte Love.”

“You’re the one who bought the old deli?!”

“Mmhmm. I always wanted to open a coffee shop and I thought it was an absolutely charming little spot. So I saved and took out some loans and got it! I’m Wanda. Wanda Maximoff.” The overexcitable brunette shoved her hand out in front of you.

“Y/N L/N,” you responded as you reluctantly clasped her hand. The last thing you wanted to do was be friendly with the person who was your direct competitor.

Sam chatted with Wanda, asking her all sorts of questions about the wholesaler and how she was faring getting her deliveries set up. Your vision went red at the sight of your friend and this despicable woman having a friendly conversation. Why on earth would he invite her into your shop, the shop your parents worked so hard to build and the one you worked so hard to keep thriving? The fear of losing the family business permeated your mind on a daily basis. This wasn’t making it any better…

“Who’s that?” Natasha’s voice snapped you out of your stewing. She leaned against the counter, sizing up the scene in front of her.

“That’s the new coffee shop owner. Wanda. I have no idea why she’s here or why she’s talking to Sam,” you huffed, crossing your arms as you leaned against the counter.

“Someone sounds a little jealous,” Nat teased.

“Jealous?!” Your face flushed red with embarrassment. “You think I’m jealous? Nat, that’s the woman who’s going to try to steal all our customers! She’s the enemy here, not the prize!”

Natasha looked at you, then at Wanda, then back at you, and back at Wanda. “She’s hot. Think I stand a chance?”

“Can you pretend you’re not gay for like, five minutes please? Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. I’m not jealous, I don’t want anything to do with her, and I swear to Christ if she’s into chicks too and you sleep with her your ass is so fired. ANYONE who sleeps with her is outta here!” As much as you hated to admit it, Natasha was right: Wanda was gorgeous. She had the perfect figure, her cropped jeans hugging the curves of her hips just right. The billowy light blue and white button up and oversized sun hat gave her a youthful exuberance that radiated from her glowing face and stunning green eyes.

“You’d have less of a stick up your ass if you got laid, you know?” she smirked. Groaning, you headed back toward the kitchen, kicking the swinging door with your foot. The sweet smell of powdered sugar and freshly baked cupcakes instantly calmed you. Unsure of how to amuse yourself until Wanda left, you grabbed a cooling rack of cookies and began frosting, turning the sugary discs into half moons. The repetition of frosting and smoothing calmed you. With enough time and vanilla Wanda’s unwelcome appearance would soon become a distant memory.

************************************************

Latte Love had been open for almost a month. The cafe had a slow start initially. Customers trickled in and out for the better part of two weeks. For those two glorious weeks you paid no heed to the brunette who could often be found sweeping the sidewalk and arranging the outside tables just so. Suddenly, something changed. Before you knew it a line formed outside the locked doors every morning with people waiting to get their morning cup of coffee. You didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but once you spotted a couple of your regulars in the line your vitriol for Wanda increased tenfold.

“That’s the third time today they’ve had a line out the door!” Peter exclaimed as he pressed his nose to the glass.

“Thank you for that reminder, Captain Obvious,” you snarked as you counted back change to the lady at the counter. “Anything else you want to add?”

Peter quickly recoiled from the glass, a sheepish expression on his face. “Ned says their coffee is really good….and so are their muffins,” he mumbled.

Oh great. Now I’ve gotta compete with her pastries, too. What a bitch…you thought to yourself as you handed the lady back a fistful of coins. Wanda was frustrating you more and more every single day. You sighed, taking off your baseball cap and running your hands threw your sweaty hair.

The door jingled. Sam and Nat walked in, the two of them eating cookies that suspiciously didn’t look like yours.

“What are those?” you asked.

“You want one? Wanda gave them to us. Pietro’s trying out a new recipe for sugar cookies. They’re honestly not half bad.” Sam reached into the brown paper bag and grabbed a large cookie, its warmth causing it to bend ever so slightly.

“Goddamn it! You slammed your cap down on the counter. In your mind, this was an act of war and you were not going to stand for it. Who did she think she was, bribing your employees?

“Y/N, just relax, okay? Wanda didn’t mean anything by it. She’s really nice if you get to know her,” Natasha asserted.

“She’s stealing our customers!” you shouted. “And I can’t believe you guys are eating her food!”

“Dude, relax. The cookies are good and she’s nice. Her brother’s cool, too,” Sam added, wiping cookie crumbs from his goatee.

“Unbelievable,” you mumbled, storming around the counter and yanking the door open. You were going over there to give her a piece of your mind.

You didn’t care what customers thought as you pushed Latte Love’s door open. Lucky for you there weren’t any at the moment, the last one having left moments ago. You heard the commotion of dishes crashing from the back and a voice you hadn’t heard before mixing with Wanda’s. As the commotion in the background subsided, it was the perfect opportunity to look around at the transformed deli.

The new design was rustic chic with exposed brick walls, stained wooden tables, and the same rustic counter that Mr. Neely once stored his meats and cheeses in. A series of shiny metallic coffee machines sat behind the counter, the shelves above it stocked with containers full of different types of coffee beans. The front case was stuffed full of various breads, pastries, cookies, and sandwiches. It wasn’t a bad place at all, and the food didn’t look half-bad either. She’d actually done a decent job at bringing the old shop back to life.

“Y/N?” You whipped around as Wanda called your name. She looked exhausted, her face glistening with sweat and powdered sugar as she pushed a rack of cupcakes and sweet breads out of the kitchen. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun, strands hanging askew as she wiped the sweat from her bow with her arm. Her black apron was peppered with sugar and frosting stains. “How are you? Did Sam give you a cookie like I asked him to?” “Did Sam - what?”

“Oh, I gave him some cookies to try. Pietro’s working out a new sugar cookie recipe and he needs taste testers so I figured-”

“What are you playing at here, Maximoff?”

“Excuse me?” Wanda tilted her head as she questioned you, her gaze quickly hardening into a stare.

“You heard me. What are you playing at? Is stealing my customers not enough for you that you need to go after my employees too?”

Wanda’s jaw dropped open as she stared at you incredulously. She laughed, shaking her head as she started unloading the cupcakes. “Are you for real right now?”

“Before you showed up we’d sell out every single day. Now more often than not I’m throwing stuff out. Sales have dropped and I’ve lost regulars that I’ve had for years. So I’m telling you this now: stay away from me and my staff.” It was all you could do to not take all your frustration out on her.

“I don’t know what you think’s going on here,” Wanda started, placing the trays neatly in the case. While she wasn’t outwardly aggressive, she shoved them in there harder than she normally would. “But you are absolutely insane if you think that I’m trying to steal your customers or staff or whatever. Sam and Natasha have been nothing but kind to me and Pietro, I just want to return the favor.”

“Well stop. The last thing I need is for my guys to be fraternizing with the enemy,” you grumbled, your blood pressure reaching a boiling point as you stared her down, fists clenched tightly at your side.

“Oh, so now I’m the enemy then?” She slammed the tray on the counter, sending loaves of bread tumbling off the sides. “Jesus, Y/N, what’s wrong with you? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe people stopped going to your shop because they wanted to try something new or, here’s a novel thought, maybe they like my place more than yours?”

“Fuck you, Wanda! That place means everything to me! You have no idea what I’ve done to keep that bakery running and I’m not gonna let your stupid bucket list adventure ruin my life’s work!”

“Get out!” Wanda shouted as she threw a muffin at your head. Her aim was wide and the pastry hit the wall with a splat as you leaned out of the way. “Get the fuck out of my store you bastard!”

Your vision tunneled as you stormed out of the shop, not neglecting to flip her the bird as you slammed the door behind you. Ever since Wanda Maximoff came to town everything had gone completely and utterly wrong. Everyone seemed to be flocking to her and her business. Even Sam and Natasha, two of your closest friends in the whole wide world, had taken to her. It irritated you to no end. She constantly invaded the deepest depths of your mind, and many nights you awoke in a cold sweat after she invaded your dreams. There was nothing you wouldn’t do to get her out of your mind: grueling pre-dawn runs, sleepless nights spent getting ahead on cake orders, countless after-work happy hours throwing back whatever alcohol you could get your hands on…anything to get that frustrating, irritating, beautiful woman, out of your mind.

************************************************

After your spat, it was like someone had built the Berlin Wall in the middle of the street. Patrons realized that something was up with the two shops and most had picked a side. Lucky for you a majority of the customers you lost returned. Things finally went back to normal for a while. Sam and Natasha stopped frequenting Latte Love, or if they didn’t they kept quiet about it. Natasha reamed you out for the way you snapped at Wanda, telling you to grow the fuck up and deal with it like an adult while Sam became unusually quiet around you. It was exasperating, but at least you felt like you were in control again. Yet as things started to go back to normal, there was something looming around the corner that would change your life forever.

************************************************

“Hello?” you mumbled groggily into your phone. It was the middle of the night and your phone jolted you awake with its abrasive ringtone.

“Y/N, it’s Nat.” You shot right up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. She sounded extremely concerned to the point where you were worried.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s the bakery. It’s-”

You didn’t even let her finish before you hung up, frantically searching for some clothes and your keys as you raced down the stairs of your apartment toward your car. As you sped down the road toward downtown, an orange glow illuminated the dark buildings while sirens grew ever closer.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Please no. Please. You white-knuckled the steering wheel, your damp palms sliding as your heart pounded in your chest. The turn onto the main drag confirmed your worst fears: The Rolling Scone was burning.

You skidded to a halt almost as soon as you turned the corner. Fire engines, police cars, and ambulances blocked the area surrounding your store and the other end of the road while firefighters rushed into the burning building. You jogged down the street, looking for a familiar face in the crowd of first responders.

“Y/N!” Natasha jumped out of the back of an ambulance and came running over to you, a reflective rescue blanket draped over her shoulders.

“Nat! Oh god, are you okay?” She threw her arms around you and squeezed you tight. You instinctively pulled her close, cradling her head with one hand as you wrapped your other arm around her.

“I don’t know what happened. I was working on the books in the office before I got started on the donuts and I started smelling smoke, so I walked out there and the kitchen was on fire. I tried to put it out, but when it got too big I called 911. It’s all my fault, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” Her eyes were brimming with tears as she apologized for the mistake that wasn’t her fault.

“It’s not your fault,” you mumbled against the top of her head. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” You held her close to you as she cried into your shirt. The sight of your beloved bakery burning to the ground in front of you should’ve elicited some emotional response from you, but you felt nothing. None of what was happening seemed real. You’d wake up in a few hours, shake off your nightmare, and head back to work like nothing ever happened, but that wouldn’t happen again for a very long time. Now when you woke up, you’d have to spend the foreseeable future picking up the charred pieces of your livelihood.

************************************************

Gone. It was all gone. The last tangible reminder of your parents had gone up in smoke. Words couldn’t accurately describe just how devastated you were. The bakery was the way you dealt with the crushing pain of having tragically lost your parents so early in life. Now your coping mechanism was gone. You looked around, seeing the charred remains of the booths, the front counter, and the collection of employee and family pictures that hung on the back wall. One picture in particular caught your eye. It was you and your parents after the little league championship game the year your team won. The picture was charred around the edges, half of your mom’s body was burnt off, but it was mostly intact. You ripped it off the wall, sighing as you stared at the faded memory.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered at your parents’ beaming faces. You let their dream burn down and with it your last memories of them.

You stayed in the building most of the day. Natasha stopped by at one point to find you on the floor leaning against what was left of the front counter. She offered to grab you some food or take you home, but you declined, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the void. That’s where Wanda found you when she showed up later in the evening.

“Hey,�� she said as she crouched under the CAUTION tape. You ignored her as you stared at the charred photograph in your hand. She stood awkwardly in front of you, a brown paper bag in one hand and her purse in the other. Wanda was the last person in the world you wanted to see right now. You wanted to scream, to tell her to leave you alone, but you didn’t have the energy.

“Please go,” you murmured, flipping the photograph through your fingers.

She didn’t go. She walked over to the counter, kicking a piece of charred wood to the side as she sat down next to you. There was an unspoken tension in the air as neither of you looked at each other: you stared down at the picture, she stared at the brown bag in her hand.

“Here,” she said as she slid the bag over to you. Taking a look inside the brown bag, you saw two delicious looking honey butter muffins staring back at you. “I figured that it’d help you feel a bit better.” Wanda smiled, her emerald eyes glimmering back at you. For the first time since you met it made your heart skip a beat.

“You figured that muffins from your still-standing cafe would help me feel better about my bakery burning down?”

“Look I’m sorry, okay? I’m really sorry about your bakery…” she trailed off as she brought her knees up and hugged them close to her chest. “It should’ve been my place that burned down, not yours.”

“Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true! Sam told me all about this place. How your parents built it from the ground up, how you’ve literally spent your whole life working here, how you dropped out of school after they died to-”

“Please stop,” you interrupted as you felt another lump in your throat. .

“Is that them?” she asked, leaning over to get a better look at the photo in your hand.

You nodded. “That’s, umm, that’s the day we won the little league championship. Dad coached my team that year and…” You trailed off as your eyes filled with tears. “Umm, this place is the only thing I have left of them, you know? Coming here every day, it’s almost like they’re still here. And now that it’s gone I…” You looked down at the picture as hot tears rolled down your face. The emotional breakdown that had been brewing all day was finally bubbling up through the cracks. “Sorry.”

Before you could say anything else, a pair of soft hands wrapped around you and pulled you close. “It’s okay, you can let it all out,” Wanda whispered. That was all it took for you to finally break down. You sobbed into her chest as she held you. She squeezed you close as she gently rocked back and forth, her fingers gently stroking your hair. “You’re okay, Y/N. You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you,” she soothed. Your body was wracked with sobs as you finally let everything go.

Wanda’s touch was calming. You’d never felt so calm or safe wrapped up in someone else’s arms before. You never cried in front of anyone, not even Natasha and she was your best friend. Somehow you knew that Wanda was someone you could trust completely. “I’m sorry that you’re going through this, but you don’t have to go through it alone,” she whispered in your ear as your sobs started to calm. You didn’t have enough control to speak yet so you simply nodded into her chest. Her scent was intoxicating, a combination of sugar, roasted coffee beans, and vanilla blossom shampoo. You never noticed it before.

“Sorry for getting your shirt wet,” you sniffled as you sat up.

“Sorry for throwing a muffin at your head,” Wanda chuckled as she reached up to brush a stray tear from her face. Her hand was incredibly soft as she rested it on your cheek. You felt your face grow hot, but you weren’t sure if it was from the way she was touching you or the lack of distance between your faces or all of the above. The knot in your throat instantly migrated down to your stomach as you locked eyes with her.

“ S’okay,” you mumbled as you lost yourself in her deep green eyes. After staring for a moment too long, you turned your head away and blinked. She shook her head, realizing for herself the tense intimacy of the situation. “What kind of muffins are these?” you asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Honey butter. Pietro found the recipe online and fell in love with them.”

“I can see why,” you responded with your mouth full. “They’re good, but I think mine are just a bit better.”

“Shut up,” she answered with a playful smack.

************************************************

Over the course of the next few weeks, Wanda came over to your bakery almost every day. At first it was just to bring you something from the cafe: a cup of coffee and something sweet in the morning or a sandwich after she closed up for the evening. Her presence soon became a familiar comfort to you and you looked forward to the few moments you spent with her every evening. Daily food deliveries turned into offers to pick up dinner, and you often found yourself sitting up with her until all hours as you ate and continued the arduous rebuilding process. Soon enough Wanda was coming over to help you on her days off.

As you spent more time with her, the way you thought about her changed. You no longer woke up in a cold sweat from nightmares that involved her. Nowadays when you dreamt about her you woke up with an uncomfortable throbbing in your pajama pants. Her smile made you weak at the knees and you craved any opportunity to touch her. She was an incredible woman but you were terrified to tell her how you felt.

Natasha, of course, had noticed the shift in your demeanor towards her. “So do I get to fire you when you sleep with her or are you gonna fire yourself?” she teased one night while you were tearing the tile flooring out of the kitchen.

“Fuck off, Nat,” you answered, not steering your attention away from the floor.

“Don’t pretend like you weren’t drooling over her when she wore those shorts in here the other day. Besides, I see the way you two are when you’re together.”

“She’s just being friendly. She’s like that with you and Sam too, you know.”

“Y/N, she kept staring at your crotch when you wore those grey sweatpants last week. Even if she doesn’t like you, and I’m telling you she does, she still wants to fuck you.”

“Right, yeah,” you guffawed. While you brushed Natasha off, you hoped she was right. You had caught Wanda staring when you wore your grey sweats last week…and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy it.

“You should tell her how you feel. I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”

“Nat-”

“She’s over there now. Just go talk to her. Ask her out for dinner or something.”

“Nat-”

“Relax, I’ve got everything under control,” she smiled at you. “Go talk to Wanda.”

You groaned as you pushed yourself up from the hard floor. “Fine. But if this all goes wrong I’m blaming it on you!” You wiped your hands on a rag, throwing it at Nat as you headed for the door.

“It won’t!” she called from the kitchen. You shook your head, grinning as you pushed the door open and crossed the street to Latte Love. The store was closed for the evening. Inside, Wanda was cleaning up, wiping down the tables and counter like she did every evening before making her way to The Rolling Scone.

Wanda looked up as she heard the door jingle. Her exhausted face lit up at the sight of you. “Hey you,” she called. “What’s going on?”

“Not much. Just helping Nat rip up the tile in the kitchen. Contractor says he’ll be ready to go by the end of the week for that.” The words felt like cotton balls in your mouth. You never got this flustered around her but the thought of telling Wanda how you truly felt about her had your stomach tied in knots. “How was your day?”

“Good! Pietro left early for an appointment, so it’s just me closing up. I was planning on picking up Indian for dinner. Wanna join me?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Listen-”

“Oh! I got this call for this INSANE order. This lady wants twelve dozen cupcakes by Sunday. SUNDAY. Can you believe that?!”

“Wanda-”

“I mean of course you can, you’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have. But I mean we’re a coffee shop, not a bakery! I would’ve sent them to you but, well, you know, it’s a little hard to bake cupcakes when you don’t have an oven.”

“Wanda-”

“So I said ‘Sure, why the hell not?’ and I think that was a mistake because-”

“WANDA!” you said a little more aggressively than you intended.

“Yeah?” She threw her hand towel over her shoulder.

“Wanda. I, well, fuck. Sorry, I’m not good at this.” Your hands were all sweaty and your knees felt weak. “Look. What I want to say is, well, for the past few weeks we’ve…spending time with you…fuck! Why is this so hard for me to say?” You ran your fingers through your hair, frustrated that you couldn’t figure out the right words to say.

Wanda’s quizzical look slowly softened into a smile as she started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. She looked down at the ground, biting her lip as she threw the towel on the counter right before she jumped up on it, spun around, and hopped off on the other side. She walked right over to you, stopping less than a foot away as she looked up into your eyes.

“You know, for an emotionally suppressed type of guy, you’re pretty cute when you get all flustered,” she teased.

“Wanda, I-”

Before you could finish your thought, Wanda grabbed your waist, leaned in, and kissed you. Your hands somehow found their way to the back of her neck, palms resting on her cheeks as you cupped her head. Every single coherent thought you had flew out of your brain the second her lips touched yours. They were just as sweet as you imagined they’d be. You smiled into her lips, eternally grateful that she had been the one to initiate this in the first place. She smiled back as you deepened it, capturing her bottom lip between yours. There was no need for talking, no need for any other explanation. The dance between your lips told the entire story: you were hers, and she was yours. The knot in your stomach burst into a million butterflies as every touch ignited a burning sense of desire within you.

“Wanda, I-” you somehow managed to choke out as she began to kiss the side of your neck.

“There’s a couch in the office and the door locks,” she mumbled. Her lips grazed your sensitive skin as she spoke and it took everything in you not to let out an offensive moan.

“Lead the way.” Wanda grabbed your hand and dragged you behind the counter and through the kitchen to the small office in the back of the shop. You slammed the door shut behind you as Wanda pinned you to it, locking the door with one hand before bringing it back up to roam your body. She slammed her lips into yours as you grabbed her hips, pulling her flush against your body. The contact sent a surge of energy through your groin and you knew it would be only a matter of moments before your shorts became unbearably uncomfortable.

You explored her body as you kissed her, tracing over every curve as she moaned into your mouth at the sensual contact. She was heavenly. You decided to change up the intensity of your make out session, swiping your tongue over her lower lip. She willingly opened up and allowed your tongue to explore hers.

Before you realized it, Wanda’s hands made their way down your body to the front of your shorts. She unbuttoned them, stopping right afterwards to palm your throbbing erection. You nibbled on her bottom lip as she fondled you and she smiled into your mouth in response. As she pulled your pants and boxers down, you pulled off your t-shirt and threw it off to the side.

“You’re beautiful,” Wanda whispered as she looked at your naked body for the first time. She ran her hands over your toned biceps, strong and wiry from years of kneading dough, and your pecs, down your toned stomach before reaching your cock. She grabbed it with one hand, stroking it gently as she dropped to her knees.

“Wanda,” you groaned as she worked her hands up and down your shaft. Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she lined up her mouth with your tip and swallowed the first part of your penis. She swirled her tongue around your tip, coating it in saliva before removing her mouth and using it as lube to jack you off. Your knees felt weak as she took you in her mouth again, bobbing her head up and down your entire length. She sucked and licked and swirled your cock, hollowing her cheeks as she took you down her throat. The noises that came from her mouth as she gagged on your length were sinful, but it only made you want her that much more.

At one point she reached for your hand, placing it on the back of her head. You took that as a sign to do what you wanted, so you moved her head up and down at a speed you liked. You moaned as you felt the familiar fire burning within you, spurred on by the way Wanda’s eyes watered as she let you fuck her throat. She grabbed onto your thighs as you pounded into her, nails digging into your flesh as she looked up at you with those pleading green eyes.

“I’m gonna cum,” you moaned as Wanda ripped your hand away from her head, bringing her other hand up to jack you off as she sucked on your tip. The sudden suction and added stimulation immediately caused you to tumble over the edge as you released down her throat. She greedily swallowed every last drop. Having her suck you off like that was a life-changing experience.

Wanda sat back on her heels, wiping the drool from her chin as she gasped for air. “Nice cock,” she chuckled. “Hope it feels as good as it tastes.”

“Why don’t we find out?” you teased, offering your hand to her as she stood up. “But I think you’ve got too many clothes on for that.”

“I think we can take care of that,” Wanda smirked, reaching down to pull her shirt over her head. “Want to get my pants?” she asked as she reached behind her to undo her bra.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” you joked as you unbuttoned her jeans. You slid both them and her panties down her legs before she kicked them off. “Wow,” you said, taking a step back to admire her.

“Like what you see, tiger?”

“Wanda, I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Wanda blushed a deep shade of crimson at your words. It wasn’t an exaggeration. She was absolutely gorgeous.

“Thank you,” she whispered sheepishly as she sat on the couch.

You sat down next to her, your eyes darting from one part of her nude figure to the other before you settled back on her lips. Leaning forward, you kissed her as she fell back on the couch. It didn’t take much to shift your position so that you were completely on top of her. You relished the taste of her lips as you kissed and you wanted to savor the sensation of every second.

“Fuck,” you murmured as you reached a hand down between her legs. “You’re absolutely soaked, Wanda.” She whined as you drew a finger up the length of her cunt, teasing around her engorged clit. “You do that to me every day. I go home soaking wet and fuck myself thinking about how good you’d feel inside me.” She bucked her hips against your hand, desperate to relieve the ache building within her. “God, I want you in me so bad, Y/N.”

“Jesus,” you whispered through gritted teeth as your erection swelled at her words. “And here I was trying to figure out how to tell you how the first thing I do every morning is jack off to the thought of you.”

“I guess we both have filthy minds then,” she grinned. Her face was flushed with arousal, the redness spreading down her neck and onto her breasts. “Fuck!” she exclaimed as you dipped a finger ever so slightly inside her before quickly pulling out. “Please just fuck me!”

“You’re cute when you beg,” you sighed as you lined yourself up with her entrance. You teased her with your tip, rubbing it up and down her slit and over her lips and clit before barely pushing your head in. She whined, rolling her hips in a feeble effort to lower herself onto you.

“Y/N please-” Wanda’s words turned into a sharp cry as you slammed your entire length inside her. Her pussy was absolute heaven. She was warm and wet, her slick velvety walls engulfing you and squeezing in all the right places.

“Oh my fucking god,” you croaked. You laid over her for a minute, trying to regroup yourself enough so you wouldn’t immediately blow your load inside her. As she adjusted to your intrusion and you calmed yourself down, you began to roll your hips against her, thrusting in and out.

“Shit,” she gasped. Wanda rolled her hips in time with yours, meeting you as you thrust your length all the way inside her. You continued at a steady pace, the sounds of her wet pussy being the only noise in the room.

“Are you okay?” you asked, noticing Wanda’s eyes were screwed shut.

“Feels really good. Can you go faster?” Not wanting to disappoint, you began to pound into her. Her mouth gaped open at your newfound intensity as she reached up to wrap her arms and legs around you. “Oh fuck, right there.”

The couch shook under the duress of your movements. You pounded into Wanda, her tight hole stretching perfectly around your cock with every thrust. Sweat beaded on your forehead as you grunted from exertion. Your moans and groans, along with the squelching of Wanda’s pussy, filled the room. As you pounded into her cunt, your cock disappearing within her wet folds, Wanda’s moans became louder and more erratic. “You close, baby girl?”

Wanda nodded, wrapping her legs tighter around your midsection. “My clit,” she choked out. You helped her move one of her arms from your back to the sensitive spot. She circled it furiously, a loud groan tearing from her chest. “Faster,” she commanded.

You doubled down on your efforts and hammered into her dripping cunt. The way her walls fluttered and clenched around you told you she wasn’t far away from her orgasm. The way she tightened around you sent that familiar coil through your lower abdomen. It wouldn’t be much longer until you reached your climax as well.

“I’m gonna cum,” she whined. You pounded into her as fast as you could, groaning as your hips slammed against her swollen pussy. Her hand circled her clit furiously. Wanda came with a loud groan, her back arching off the couch as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed down on her. Her walls throbbed and clenched rhythmically around you, the intense sensation finally causing you to cum as you released your thick load of cum deep inside her. Wanda dug her nails deep into your back as you absolutely ruined her.

“Fuck I love you,” you gasped as you collapsed on top of her from sheer exhaustion. Blood pounded in your ears and black dots peppered your vision as you recovered from the best orgasm you ever had.

“You love me?” Wanda asked, her eyes blown wide with desire from the afterglow of her incredible orgasm.

“Shit, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.” A sense of panic overtook you as you stared down at Wanda.

“No it’s okay. I mean, I feel the same way,” she admitted, smiling back up at you.

“Really?”

“Mmhmm”

You chuckled as you leaned down to kiss her. “Guess I have to quit my job now.”

Wanda looked at you with a confused expression. “What?” she asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

“I told everyone that they’d be fired if they slept with you, so I guess I’ve gotta quit.”

“I love you,” Wanda giggled as she shook her head.

************************************************

“So let me get this straight: we’re merging with Latte Love after you threatened to fire us if we talked to Wanda?” Sam crossed his arms as he sat on the newly reconstructed front counter. You had called the team together to announce the new business venture you were about to embark on.

“Okay first off I only threatened to fire you if you slept with her. Talking to her would’ve resulted in a stern talking to and overnight donut duty for a week. Second, it's not a merger so much as it is a partnership. Both businesses will operate independent of one another, but now we’re going to start carrying some of their baked goods,” you explained. Everyone looked at you in utter disbelief, unable to fathom your sudden shift in the way you viewed Latte Love.

“What changed?” Nat asked, tapping her pen against the table.

“Oh you know…stuff…things,” you murmured sheepishly as your face reddened.

“Oh my god!” Nat’s eyes widened in realization as she stood up. “You slept with her!”

“Dude what?! That’s so -” Peter exclaimed before Sam slapped his hand over his mouth to shut him up. You pinched the bridge of your nose as you looked up at the ceiling. Natasha was laughing at the irony of the whole situation before she lambasted you with questions.

“How long has this been going on? Wait, was it a one time thing? Oh, it was definitely the time I made you go over there to talk to her when we were ripping up the floor. And you told me you two just talked. Talking my ass…Is this a business deal, like sex in exchange for pastries? Are you two a thing? I should’ve guessed with how much time you’ve been spending over there and how you never want to do anything fun with me anymo-”

“Nat, will you please shut up?!” Her endless questions were exasperating. Yes, you and Wanda were in fact a thing but you hadn’t told anyone about it. You hadn’t even told Nat about your back office hookup even though it happened two months ago. There was so much going on with rebuilding the bakery and dealing with insurance claims that you wanted to keep this part of your life private. “I just think it’d be a good idea for both of us, maximize our profits, boost both of our busin-”

“Hey babe, is there any way you can come help me with the rest of the-” Wanda paused as she barged in on your team meeting. “Oh hi guys!”

“Mmhmm, it’s definitely good for both of you,” Nat smirked as she took a sip of her coffee. You shot her a warning look while Wanda stood utterly oblivious to the scene unfolding around her. “Go on, go help your girlfriend with whatever she needs. I’ll show Peter how to do the bagels.”

You smiled at Wanda as you headed toward the door. “So what do you need my help with?”

“Nothing,” Wanda responded as she reached for your hand. “Just wanted to spend some time with my favorite guy.”

“Don’t let Pietro hear you say that.”

“That’s okay, he already knows.” She squeezed your hand reassuringly as you crossed the street.

You smiled as her grip tightened around your hand. Six months ago there was no way to predict that the woman who ruined your life would ultimately become the greatest thing that ever happened to you. As you crossed the threshold from your bakery to her cafe, you were grateful to be able to call The Rolling Scone, Latte Love, and Wanda home.

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lukaherehelp · 6 months

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PLAYBOYY, the guide.

buckle up, this is going to be a long one fam, but first:

now, where was I... AH, YES!

PLAYBOYY the series is a +18 BL series, directed and produced by Chewin Thanamin and screenwritten by Den Panuwat under Copy A Bangkok. Is set to come out November 16th 2023.

The series explores human interaction and its consequences through sex with themes such as escort sex-trade, illegal pornography, online hook-ups for drugs, covert prostitution and sex-love revenge, all to expose human’s darkest nature.

The MAIN PLOT (yes, it has a plot, is not just porn) of the series focuses on the disappearance of Nant, a 3rd year student at P.B. University who, inadvertently to his friends Zouy and First, started to get involved in the nightlife of Bangkok: buying services, having sex with strangers, getting involved in clips, getting involved in drugs... all of this until he went missing. Both friends, teaming up with Nont, Nant’s twin brother, are now set to find out what happened to Nant and where he, or his body, might be.

Only one thing is for sure: everyone is a suspect.

Yes, you read correctly, this show has a cast of fifteen characters and none of them is safe from scrutiny. So! Let me show you a chart with all the boys:

... nothing really

Now, you are probably asking yourself "whom are this people?" Follow me! I'll introduce you:

Let’s begin with our missing boy and the tiny investigation group set to find him:

Nant, 21 ( Nantnarin Saktawee )

MISSING

portrayed by Detch Narongdet

What has happened to him? No one seems to know. What we know is that he's a 3rd year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, majoring in Performing Arts. He’s the youngest of the twins. When their parents separated, Nant stayed with their mother, which made him grow into a gentle and sensitive young man, loving towards his friends and fairly cordial to people… But the "perfect nice boy" life made him miserable. Unknown to everyone, Nant started to get involved in the nightlife of Bangkok until he eventually went missing.

Nont, 21 ( Nontnapas Saktawee )

portrayed by Detch Narongdet

The older of the twins duo. At the end of elementary school, after their parents separation, Nont was forced to leave Thailand with his father to live abroad. Although pretty much an introvert, Nont is outspoken and an entrepreneur, a full contrast to his brother. He’s dead set on finding out what has happend to Nant, and he’s not afraid to approach others with the intention of extorting the truth from them and, if needed, seek revenge. He'll get his little borhter back, any means necessary.

Zouy, 21 ( Sippakorn Kichlerdpaisal )

portrayed by Korn Palat

Just like Nant, Zouy is also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, although he’s majoring in Fine Arts. He’s described to be laconic but with a hard punch. Never trust a sweet face, I guess. He’s fascinated by human beauty and erotica: “ Sex has been a beautiful thing for the human race in every age and period of history “ - Zouy in the foreplay video, now forever lost u_u Due to his more shy nature, Zouy has been more of an outsider to romantic and sexual relationships, which makes him curious but also afraid of them. Little does he know that his passion for the “artsy” side of it will pull him towards an unexpected but well versed individual on the matter.

First, 21 ( Yodsanant Sarvasiddiwongse )

portrayed by Chat Wasuta

This cutie pie is also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, although his faculty is Medicine. Makes sense for the eldest son of the director of a famous hospital. Maybe is the demanding nature of coming from a wealthy family, maybe is having a mother who puts a lot of pressure and hope onto her children what has turned First into quite the "feral bunny": although he loves his friends to death, he's aggresive, wayward, highly stressed and easly bored. Poor Little Rich Boi™ ( a bop of a song, go listen to it) Maybe is this lack of freedom and entretainment what makes him interested in a particular delivery boy. Or may is how easy is to make him submit to all his commands, no matter how humiliating they are.

other students from P.B. University to take in account are:

Captain, 21 ( Kamontarsna Wang )

portrayed by Vivit Pharunrit

Oh, Captain. Sneaky, little Captain. Another 3rd year student at P.B. University, this time in the faculty of Sport Science. Our boy over here is a textbook brat: ambitious but quite the aggitator. He's assertive and quite the talker, but he's also a hot-head with a lot of anger. This might be the reason why he didn't get the position as team captain for the university's rugby team... initially. Pretty boy has in his posession quite the "interesting" clip about fellow student and coach, Keen, and that might have helped get to where he is at right now. But he's a jealous boy, as much as he tries to hide it. Poor thing doesn't know he never had the upper hand in this situation.

Keen, 22 ( Poomin Suphakijkosol )

portrayed by Boat Pakorn

4th year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Sports Science. Not surprised that he has to coach the university's rugby team instead of the teacher, and it might be for the best. He's authoritative and presses everyone, making him look agressive, but the boy is actually a sweetheart. Although don't think that stops him for being quite the "dominant force" when dealing with little shits like his fellow teammate, Captain. That boy is eating out of the palm of his hand and doesn't even realize.

Porche, 21 ( Patchanon Ponglerd )

portrayed by Fay Chintub

Another cutie pie! Here we go again: 3rd year student at P.B. University, but we adding a new faculty, Business and Administration! He honestly doesn't care about his studies, really. Prom is the oldest out of the two siblings and has already graduated, so whatever plan their influential father has will relay on him, not on Porche. He's just happy to run Miracle Car Care. Mind you, it might be due to the fact that one of his employees tends to offer "special fixes" to the clients, if you catch my drift, and Porche might be using them as way to fullfill the lack of warmth in his life.

Puen, 21 ( Pakorn Booncharoen)

portrayed by Parm Pawarate

Here is where the worlds collide. He's also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, in Sport Sciences alongside Captain and Keen. But he's also the newest addition to the PLAYBOYY line up. You see, he got into the university by a scholarship, but this doesn't make the uni journey less expensive, so the extra money he gains through PLAYBOYY to pay his studies has to, obviously, be a secret. He's shy, silent and doesn't like to fight, which gives him an "innocent" demeanor many guests at PLAYBOYY are interested to "try out", making him quite the rising star. But the boy has ambition, and he doesn't care whom he might have to use to get into the golden throne of the número 1.

Now, onto the PLAYBOYYs:

Aob, 34 ( Anand Aiemwilai )

portrayed by Aun Warit

Whom is sitted in the golden throne Puen so desperately wants? Aob, of course. He's the most popular host in PLAYBOYY: handsome and charismatic, dashing with his friends, pleasing with his customers. Rised himself from the ground and his gaze is set on saving as much money as possible so that he can have a comfortable life, take care of himself and be proud of his profession. He grew up in a ragged and unwarm family, making him not trustworthy or a believer of love, but he enjoys taking the more "submissive" role when he lets someone in.

Teena, 27 ( Tinarath Somwong )

portrayed by Kaowoat Supasin

You beautiful bastard... He's a senior graduated from P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. Just like Puen, Teena used sex work as his way to pay his studies, but didn't left PLAYBOYY right away after his graduation. However, the opression and limited freedom at the club made him take the decision to leave the sex work life behind and went back to P.B. University to offer himself as a nude model for their art classes. He's a hopeless romantic, although life has only thrown rocks to his roof. Due to his former job, no one takes him seriously when it comes to affection, making him cold, but he's really sentimental. And he's sharp. He's being desire for his body for years, that's why he's always worked hard on maintaining it... and yet, the way that 3rd year student looks at him, sends shivers down his spine. The same ones he hopes to provoke on him.

Soong, 24 ( Sorawis Sergio Romano )

portrayed by Jack Giacomo Piazza

Listen, people work with the cards life gives them, okey? Soong has a really basic education, but he's a diligent boy and a hard worker. Good mentality for his delivering job! Oh... and also for a former PLAYBOYY host. He left due to being unable to choose his costumers and, for a while, worked for other hires. But now he "delivers" his "services" to your door 24/7. He's quite layback, but enjoys when things get rough. Pretty rough. A certain wealthy young boy with a lot of anger to unleash might be his perfect match, they just don't know it yet.

Jump, 27 ( Jessada Sopha )

portrayed by Jeffy Chutipan

Another former host of PLAYBOYY. He now works at Miracle Car Care, but hasn't stopped to offer his services. He just... has a new name for them, sort of speak. Is quite surprising to know he used to be a host: he's quite stiff and doesn't like to please anyone. He also doesn't like commitment, so I guess that's why. He hates being objectified, but Porche seems to give him a good time... for a good price, that is.

Prom, 23 ( Prompitch Ponglred )

portrayed by Shell Thankrit

Here we have another Rich Boi™, but in this case he's neither tiny or a meow meow. Prom graduated from P.B. University at the faculty of Business and Administration, same major his little brother is now coursing. However, Porche doesn't seem to know that his older brother doesn't like the live under their father's shadow. So, with a lot to lose and not giving a fuck, he joined PLAYBOYY as host. Makes sense, he's charismatic and sociable, and his BDSM habits attracts clients... Nant among them.

And now we are left with this two, like two peads in a pod:

Nuth, 32 ( Nuthakrit Varindr-Vachararodch )

portrayed by Win Jirapat

Ay, Nuth, la cruel vida del creativo! Nuth dreams of becoming a sucessful film director one day, but with the lost of a family member, he has become introverted, depressed and unmotivated, making him currently unemployed. This has made him dive head first into the world of webcam. Whom would have told him that this decision, alongside drug dealing, would make him meet the only light at the end of his tunnel?

Phop, 21 ( Piphop Srikaew )

portrayed by View Thanatorn

Not every sex worker starts their journey in a high-end club like PLAYBOYY, some take the more classic approach of a "massage parlor" kind a way. However, after a client accused him of "molesting them", Phop had to find his footing again. Alone. Is always being like this since he was a kid. What he didn't expect was to find a kindred soul during a drug exchange.

And that's everything, folks! I have nothing more to share with the class today, but I do have a never ending curiosity, so:

#playboyy #playboyy the series #thai bl #thai drama #bl drama #for anyone not aware #my former account got terminated #so I'm posting the guide again in this new one so it shows up in the tag again u_u

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actualmermaid · 11 months

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Today's queer saint of the day (originally posted to my ~spicy Christian memepage~) is Dr. James Barry: British Empire army surgeon, public health advocate, transgender man, and physical embodiment of "queer as in fuck you."

Dr. Barry's biography is available elsewhere, so I won't go into it too deeply here. If you want an entertaining look into his life and work, I recommend the Sawbones podcast episode #178. Instead, I'm going to use this post to situate Dr. Barry's life into the broad sweep of the Anglican tradition.

I've posted before about how the Anglican Church of the early 19th century was an insular and socially ineffective arm of the British aristocracy. Nevertheless, its rites and philosophies were an important part of public life, regardless of how individuals felt about God or the Church--especially for agents of the British Crown, which Dr. Barry was. Outright "atheism" was still rare.

In my research I was not able to find much about his personal religiosity, but Dr. Barry would have been familiar with the scriptures and the Book of Common Prayer. Besides this, he embodied the ideals of Enlightenment humanism, which remain inextricably intertwined with Anglicanism both in the past and continuing into the present.

Dr. Barry was ethnically Irish, and his family experienced anti-Irish and anti-Catholic discrimination. It was thanks to liberal-minded family friends that James was first able to become James, enter medical school, and become a commissioned officer in the British Army. Wherever he was posted, public health improved, because Dr. Barry was a tireless advocate for women, the poor, and enslaved people.

Dr. Barry was constantly getting into fights, and sometimes literal pistol duels, with people who challenged him. (This is a common theme in biographies of historical trans men.) He even got into a fight with Florence Nightingale, who is officially recognized as an Anglican saint for doing a lot of the same work that Dr. Barry did. Dr. Barry is also famous for being the first Westerner to perform a C-section in which the mother and child both survived. This was a procedure that had been successfully practiced in Africa for hundreds of years before colonization, and since Dr. Barry's procedure was performed in colonial South Africa, I don't think it's unlikely that he learned from African traditional medical practitioners as well as Western academic medicine. Coming from a colonized background himself, it may have been easier for him to respect colonized African people than it was for other British imperialists. He embodies what Anglicanism can be at its best: tolerant, curious, courageous, innovative, and orthopraxic. Even during the brutal height of the British Empire, these ideals shone through the darkness, and can be an example for us today.

Dr. Barry's story is also important in an age of resurgent British fascism, particularly the anti-trans sentiment that has earned it the nickname of "TERF Island." He was a trans man, not a "woman who disguised herself as a man in order to become a doctor." He lived as a man, wanted to die as a man, and is remembered as a man on his gravestone. To erase that reality is to erase trans people from the past, present, and future--which is exactly what fascists want. We must not allow that to happen.

#christianity #anglican #episcopalian #queer #trans #pride #saints #james barry is truly one of my favorite historical blorbos so i'm officially elevating him to sainthood #you're welcome england

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 6 months

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By: Leor Sapir, Joseph Figliolia

Published: Nov 8, 2023

Fenway Community Health Center in Boston, the largest provider of transgender medicine in New England and one of the leading institutions of its kind in the United States, was named a defendant in a lawsuit filed last month. The plaintiff, a gay man who goes by the alias Shape Shifter, argues that by approving him for hormones and surgeries, Fenway Health subjected him to “gay conversion” practices, in violation of his civil rights. Carlan v. Fenway Community Health Center is the first lawsuit in the United States to argue that “gender-affirming care” can be a form of anti-gay discrimination.

The case underscores an important clinical reality: gender dysphoria has multiple developmental pathways, and many who experience it will turn out to be gay. Even the Endocrine Society concedes that many of the youth who outgrow their dysphoria by adolescence later identify as gay or bisexual. Decades of research confirm as much. Gender clinicians in the U.K. used to have a “dark joke . . . that there would be no gay people left at the rate [the Gender Identity Development Service] was going,” former BBC journalist Hannah Barnes reported. Rather than help young gay people to accept their bodies and their sexuality, what if “gender-affirming” clinicians are putting them on a pathway to irreversible harm?

Due partly to Shape’s lifelong difficulty in accepting himself as gay, his lawyers are not taking the usual approach to detransition litigation. Rather than state a straightforward claim of medical malpractice or fraud, they allege that Fenway Health has violated Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which bans discrimination “on the basis of sex” in health care. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that “discrimination because of . . . sex” includes discrimination based on homosexuality. Citing this and other precedents, Shape’s lawyers argue that federal law affords distinct protections to gay men and lesbians—upon which clinics that operate with a transgender bias are trampling.

Shape grew up in a Muslim country in Eastern Europe that he describes in an interview as “very traditional” and “homophobic.” His parents disapproved of his effeminate demeanor and interests as a child. They wouldn’t let him play with dolls, and his mother, he says, made him do stretches so that he would grow taller and appear more masculine.

At 11, Shape had his first of several sexual encounters with older men. “I was definitely groomed,” he recounts. Shape proceeded to develop a pattern of risky sexual behavior, according to his legal complaint. He told his medical team at Fenway Health about his childhood sexual experiences, calling them “consensual.” The Fenway providers never challenged him on this interpretation, he alleges. They never suggested that he might have experienced sexual trauma or, say, explored how these events might have shaped his feelings of dissociation. (The irony is that Fenway Health describes its model of care as “trauma-informed.”)

As with the social environment they inhabited, Shape’s parents were “deeply homophobic,” he says. When Shape came out to his parents as gay at 15, they took him to a therapist, hoping that he would be “fixed.” But when he graduated high school at that same age, he moved to Bulgaria for college, and in 2007, at 17, he came to the United States for a summer program at the University of North Carolina. He later moved to Massachusetts to pursue an MBA at Clark University and immigrated to the U.S.

Though he had known about cross-dressers and transsexuals as a child (he had taken interest in Dana International, the famous Israeli transsexual who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998), it was only at Clark that he was introduced to the idea that some people are transgender. Other students began asking him about his pronouns and telling him about “gender identity.” After getting to know a “non-binary” person and a transgender woman, Shape started to make sense of his life retrospectively. As a boy going through puberty, he had developed larger-than-average breasts and was curvier than the other boys. It was hard for him to be accepted in the gay community, he told me, because gay men tend to value masculinity. His discomfort with social expectations about how men are supposed to look and behave, his sexual attraction to other men, his ongoing psychological and emotional distress: these were all signs, he learned from online forums, that he must have been “born in the wrong body.”

Shape quickly developed self-hatred and a strong desire to escape his body. When he started cross-dressing and presenting socially as a woman, things changed. It had been hard for him to win acceptance as an effeminate gay man, but he encountered far less hostility presenting as a woman. A subtle but important shift in his thinking took place.

“People wouldn’t take me seriously when I was a man who presented socially as a woman,” he says. “I had to actually be a woman.” Shape became immersed in online transgender culture, which told him that sex is a social construct, and that hormones and surgeries can actually turn him into a woman. As a result, Shape developed highly unrealistic expectations about what hormones and surgeries could do for him. An example noted in his legal filing: he stopped using condoms because he wanted to get pregnant.

Julie Thompson, a physician assistant and Medical Director of the Trans Health Program at Fenway Health, made no effort to perform differential diagnosis on Shape, his legal filing alleges. Shape told Thompson about his childhood sexual encounters, his troubled history of risky sexual activity, and his struggles with social and familial rejection on account of his homosexuality. Allegedly, she wrote these difficulties off as byproducts of society not accepting him as a “trans woman”—an approach known as “transgender minority stress.” Shape’s ongoing mental-health problems, it was determined, were due to “internalized transphobia.”

As Shape’s filing puts it, the Fenway clinic operated with a strong “transgender bias.” Every problem or counter-indication that came up was explained away as part of the stress that transgender people experience in an unwelcoming society. The clinicians at Fenway Health apparently assumed that sexual orientation and gender identity are two distinct and independent phenomena.

Shape was put on estrogen at age 23. According to his filing, he was not given “any explanation of the numerous potential adverse side effects of estrogen or its potentially unknown effects.” As Shape kept taking estrogen, he became even more emotional, depressed, and unstable. Notably, he did not dislike his male genitals—a fact that should have attracted more scrutiny from his clinicians—but seemed more distressed over his high sex drive and desire for intercourse with men. Though he says he frequently told his providers that he hoped “sex reassignment surgery” would reduce his sex drive, this statement did not cause them to reconsider whether estrogen was appropriate.

As the Fenway team allegedly saw it, Shape’s deterioration was evidence that he hadn’t gone far enough in his transition. They recommended that he attend First Event, a Boston-based conference held annually since 1980, where transgender people can meet one another, share ideas, interact with vendors, and find medical providers who will agree to perform procedures on them. Marci Bowers, the genital surgeon who is president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, has attended the conference in the past. According to Shape, the point of going to First Event was to find a surgeon who would operate on him.

He did just that, and in 2014, at 24, Shape underwent facial feminization surgery and breast implantation. Less than a year later, a surgeon surgically castrated him and conducted what’s euphemistically called “bottom surgery.” It didn’t work. As a result, Shape had to undergo several additional surgeries, the last one borrowing tissue from his colon. Still, the problems persisted.

It took Shape a few years to realize that he had made a terrible mistake. The problem he had been trying to solve all his life was not “internalized transphobia” but failure to accept himself as an effeminate gay man. His legal filing states that he had what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders called, at the time he made contact with the clinic, “ego-dystonic homosexuality.” Because they failed to detect this and other mental-health problems, the Fenway team, argue Shape’s lawyers, “outrageously, knowingly, recklessly, and callously” led him to believe that he was really a heterosexual woman whose problems could be solved by de-sexing himself as male.

Shape was promised “gender euphoria.” Instead, he told me that he now sees himself as “mutilated.” His treatments have left him with “osteoporosis and scoliosis” as well as “mental fog,” according to his legal filing. Shape is now “faced with the impossible choice of improving his cognitive state and suffering the psychological and physical effect of phantom penis, or taking estrogen and suffering mental fog and fatigue, but no phantom penis and low libido.” He has also endured fistulas as a complication of his genital surgery and “suffers from sexual dysfunction and is unable to enjoy sexual relations.” He experiences dangerous inflammation. And not getting the mental health therapy he needed very likely caused Shape’s mental health to deteriorate throughout the several years that he was a patient at Fenway Health.

Shape now wants to have his breast implants removed. But insurance does not cover the procedure because it is not technically “gender affirming.” And since he cannot afford the hefty price tag, Shape has no choice but to live with the implants.

Understandably, criticism of gender medicine has focused largely on its use in minors. Its use in adults, however, is not without controversy. In the past, when clinicians spoke of adult transgender medicine, they were referring mainly to adult men who sought to change their bodies in their forties. Many had already spent years in marriage and were fathers of children.

That is no longer the case. Though data are limited, the main patient demographic in adult transgender clinics today appear to be 18-24-year-olds. In Finland, for example, adult referrals rose approximately 750 percent between 2010 and 2018, with 70 percent of referrals being 18-22-year-olds.

Humans reach full cognitive maturity around age 25, which means that there is often little to distinguish a 20-year-old from a 17-year-old in terms of impulse control, emotional self-regulation, and the ability to set long-term goals and prioritize them over present desires. Citing “irrefutable evidence” that being under 25 means having “diminished capacity to comprehend the risk and consequences of [one’s] actions,” the progressive decarceration and racial-justice advocacy group The Sentencing Project argues that the idea that people are adults once they reach age 18 “is flawed.”

Shortly after its founding in 1971, Fenway Community Health Center was repurposed to support the unique needs of gay and lesbian residents of Boston. According to Katie Batza, a historian of the clinic, the hippies and antiwar activists who founded Fenway Health “quickly solidified its reputation as an important gay medical institution.” During the 1980s, the clinic helped tackle the AIDS epidemic. That it now maltreats gay men like Shape by converting them into trans women reflects a tectonic shift within the institution’s culture.

American medicine has always found itself balancing two competing tendencies: the paternalism of care by experts on one hand, and the relativism of nonjudgmental customer service on the other. What has happened over the course of Fenway Health’s five decades of existence is a gradual loss of that equilibrium. Fenway has long defined its mission in terms of responsiveness to the stated needs and desires of community members: the volunteers who ran the clinic and offered its services free of charge, Batza writes, “focused on providing care and building community among Fenway residents, caring less if a volunteer met outside standards of professional qualification, which were often set by the state or medical profession, that the clinic critiqued.”

In the 1990s, the clinic set up a dedicated transgender unit. At first, “things moved slowly,” recounts Marcy Gelman, a nurse practitioner who served as Fenway Health’s first dedicated provider for transgender patients, in a document published by the institute about the history of its program. She is now its associate director of clinical research. “Patients didn’t get hormones right away. We wanted to get to know them, and required them to see a therapist for several months . . . we wanted to be careful.” This process felt too restrictive for some patients, and “a few got really angry.” Fenway Health says its “commitment to ensure patient safety . . . led to some conflicts with patients and community members.”

In the 2000s, Fenway Health adopted a new model of care for its transgender-identified patients, which it called the “informed consent model.” This came in response to patients complaining about “needless gatekeeping” and concerns that the clinic’s “customer service training specific to transgender patients lagged behind the development of its clinical care.” Using funding from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation, Fenway Health made a number of new hires and expanded its program. It drew inspiration from another community health clinic, the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, which was smaller than Fenway but served four times as many patients. “One key to [the Mazzoni Center’s] success,” the Fenway document explains, “was the elimination of any requirement for counseling before hormones were provided.” Ruben Hopwood, a physician who joined the Fenway team in 2005, developed this model for Fenway; soon thereafter, the institution’s three-month counseling requirement gave way to “a single hormone readiness assessment visit.”

In 2012, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health published the seventh version of its Standards of Care. In the chapter on hormone therapy, WPATH recommended eligibility criteria for estrogen or testosterone, including “persistent, and well-documented gender dysphoria” and having ongoing “medical or mental health concerns . . . reasonably well-controlled.” However, WPATH also noted a newly emerging “informed consent model” and cited Fenway Health as one of three clinics that developed and practiced it.

The difference between the models, WPATH explained, was that SOC-7 put “greater emphasis on the important role that mental health professionals can play in alleviating gender dysphoria and facilitating changes in gender role and psychosocial adjustment. This may include a comprehensive mental health assessment and psychotherapy, when indicated.” By contrast, Fenway Health’s model emphasizes “obtaining informed consent as the threshold for the initiation of hormone therapy in a multidisciplinary, harm-reduction environment. Less emphasis is placed on the provision of mental-health care until the patient requests it, unless significant mental health concerns are identified that would need to be addressed before hormone prescription.” Despite the obvious differences, WPATH insisted the two models were “consistent” with each other.

Currently, Fenway Health offers hormones on the informed-consent model. “Criteria for accessing hormone therapy,” it states, “are informed by the WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) guidelines.” In other words, Fenway Health defers to WPATH, which adopted its recommendations from Fenway Health.

Shape and his lawyers deny that Fenway’s informed consent process is “a safe and effective replacement for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment provided by an appropriately trained and licensed healthcare professional.” Fenway’s model, they argue, “relies heavily on patients’ self-diagnosis, which may be a result of confusion or a misunderstanding of medically defined terms.” It does not take into account a patient’s expectations from medical treatment, which, as in Shape’s case, can be highly unrealistic. It “does not inform patients about the risk of iatrogenic effects of affirmation.” Nor does it take into account a patient’s “medical decision-making capacity,” which may be impaired in the presence of “significant emotional distress” and “undue influence from persons in position of authority and trust.”

A key charge in Shape’s lawsuit is that Fenway Health is driven by “market expansion goals and political demands of transgender activists.” Approval for hormones and surgery, the clinic’s staff wrote in 2015, should be a “routine part of primary care service delivery, not a psychological or psychiatric condition in need of treatment.” A leading advocate for the no-gatekeeping model, which rests on the assumption that mismatch between one’s actual and perceived sex is a normal human variation and not a pathological condition, argues that adults and adolescents should be free to turn their bodies into “gendered art pieces.”

From Shape’s story, we can infer that Fenway Health, which could not be reached for comment, has yielded to a barely constrained medical consumerism. In 1997, the institute had eight transgender customers. By 2015, it had over 1,700. “The rapid and sustained growth of Fenway Health’s transgender health care, research, education, training, and advocacy,” the institute’s doctors proudly declare, “might be succinctly summarized by the mantra from the movie Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come.”

If you haven't met Shape Shifter, see the following interviews:

youtube

Literally "trans the gay away."

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wrens-versus-the-world · 1 month

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A small sneak peak into what I've been working on

Foreword:

I have no knowledge of nursing/ medicine, so any info in this fic may not be accurate (aka don't try this at home kids lol).

also! If you're feeling so kind please message me and lmk if i need to fix something (chances are i'll do it)

Anywho, onto the story!!!

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One good thing about working late was that your mind tends to not fully comprehend the death of your patient due to pure exhaustion.

I haven't been working for the hospital as long as some of the other nurses here, but I think I've begun to get the hang of it. I've also been following the rules that I learned from my senior in my med school.

The rules are as follows:

Rule one: Never, and I mean never anger your fellow nurses. Doctors are fine, its the nurses who know what to do anyway.

Rule two: Always make sure to get rid of the expired blood! It'll take up space and it only takes one inexperienced nurse to lead to a disaster.

Rule three: If you work the night shift, after a while you may hear your name whispered as though very close to your ear. Whatever you do, do not follow the voices.

it was the third rule that my senior, Pei Xui, always repeated to us. Us being me and my college roommate, Jian Lan. We were like two peas in a pod, we went to two different high schools. But in our first college class calculus 1001, the both of us fresh out of high school, and both of us struggling, we quickly became good friends.

I digress, Pei Xui always told us to ignore anything strange we heard when we went to intern at hospitals. I never really questioned it, especially because his family, namely his little uncle Pei Ming, is a famous doctor who owns many hospitals. However after the hospital that Pei Xui interned at--the one he was supposed to take over two years from then, when he would have graduated--got shut down. For medical malpractice no less.

Even now, four years later, a nurse. I still don't question it. because whether or not he participated in the incident at that hospital or not, he was right.

Working the night shift at the hospital you begin to realize that you do hear someone, or something, calling your name. And Pei Xui was right, you don't follow it. You ignore it, and continue on with the night.

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Word count: 363

I am trying to increase my vocabulary, and change my writing style some. So, in that spirit I have decided to write this!

I really like all of the characters in TGCF (heaven's official blessing), so I am going to try to include a lot of them here.

Although I may not get to everyone, so if you really were hoping to have someone mentioned and you don't see them, sorry!

On another note, I am going to try to keep them 'cannon,' or as cannon as they can be with this not being the original.

So, since Pei Xui got banished from the heavenly realm, Pei Xui gets bye-byed from his job here too :D

(although this wont stay true for the entire story, so don't count on it)

#x reader #wren versus the world #heaven official's blessing #he xuan #he xuan x reader #black water sinking ships #nurse au #pei xui #pei ming

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alatismeni-theitsa · 1 year

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Because the West has it's society foundation based on Ancient Greece, they think they are familiar with it and think they can make changes for anything related to it.

The reason they don't do it to other countries' mythologies is because it's something foreigner to them like Indian, Asian mythology. They view it as something new, they will study it, but will never feel like they know it.

That's why so many USians and Europeans still make projects, movies, series, books still about Greek mythology, because they are more used to it.

Yup, that's the deeper reason I detect as well. I would also argue they don't exactly based their societies on ancient Greece. I mean, 1800 yrs ago of course they took some important elements and I don't deny it was transformative to some degree at the time and its echoes exist even today. But I feel as if the amount of ownership they feel over our heritage is borderline (negative) nationalistic. They are not familiar with the whole of ancient Greece, they actually only know by default something like 1% of it, which one would expect to be much more if their countries were based on that heritage.

They just point out a few ancient systems and boom! "Ancient Greece belongs to all of us". Franz, dear, you can't even suspect what these people ate for breakfast. Chill. Besides, there's a very good chance your medieval compatriots had no idea about these things until Greek war immigrants came to your land with the ancient texts they preserved.

Next thing imma say "Britain belongs to us" because at the moment our political system is parliamentary democracy (A quite removed democracy system from the one of ancient Athens), because Shakespeare had a huge impact on our theatre, because their poets and philosophers have radically influenced many of our important figures. Or I could say "the US belongs to the Greeks", because we are slowly Americanized in all aspects of our lives. Oh, it doesn't go like that? Oh, we need more than basic systems and a few trends to claim a culture?? How interesting!

And notice how they never say "based on" things about Middle Easterners, who did CRAZY good progress on astronomy, poetry, literature, physics, mathematics (they defined the form of the numbers we use today, like 1,2,3...!!), philosophy (they expanded Aristotle's and Plato's philosophy and became the next very famous school of thought), fucking ALGORITHMS and medicine (they freaking discovered that the heart pumps blood to the body which is hella important in my humble opinion 😂) Sure, sometimes Europe and the Middle East-Balkans were isolated but you cannot tell me Westerners took NOTHING of these basic inventions that define our world today. The site we converse on is based on an Algorithm. But there they can afford to make the distinction between "I take elements" and "I base my culture on theirs".

>> Obviously #notallwesterners and if one is a Classics student we are not gonna hang them from the sycamore (πλατάνι) of our village, or directly assume they are disrespectful. These discussions and rants take place so biases are detected and the field becomes better.

#I went on a rant but it wasn't directed to you anon #i just wanted to vent #answered #classics

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randomkposts · 9 months

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With Persona 3 and Nocturne being remastered, It would be absolutely fantastic if Digital Devil Saga and Raidou Kuzunoha came out again too. I enjoyed watching the movies, and think I would really enjoy playing them, particularly the former. The Later, however, is part of a lore I am really enjoying learning about, and that is Devil Summoners.

The series as we know it started with the invention of the COMP, by Akemi Nakajima- a Bishōnen programer and amature magician- back in Digital Devil Megami Tensei story, a game based on novels by Aya Nishitani. Check out Marsh if you want to learn more about them.

youtube

But back to devil summoners, the most known is Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, of the Kuzunoha clan, and the protagonist of the Raidou Kuzunoha games. The Kuzunoha clan is a clan of devil summoners based on the legend of Kuzunoha in Japan.

"Kuzunoha is the name of a popular fox spirit of Japanese folklore, and is closely connected to the legends surrounding famed Onmyōdō Abe no Seimei. In the legend, the father of Seimei, Abe no Yasuno was visiting a shrine in Shinoda when he came across a hunter who had trapped a white fox in order to take its liver to sell as medicine. Abe no Yasuno fought off the hunter and saved the white fox, but not before sustaining serious injuries to himself. In the aftermath, he is saved by a mysterious, enchanting woman named Kuzunoha and the two eventually fall in love and get married.

Later, Kuzunoha gave birth to Abe no Seimei, who was born with strange powers, and by the age of five, he was said to be able to to see and command lesser Oni. One day, when Abe no Seimei was still a child, he noticed his mother possessed a fox's tail under her kimono. Realizing her disguise had been found out, she fled her home and returned to Shinoda; her husband and son pursued her and she revealed she was the very same white fox that Abe no Yasuno had saved many years ago. Kuzunoha gives her son a special book that will allow him to speak with beasts, and bids farewell to her family, never to be seen again. Her famous farewell poem can be found on a silk parchment in the Inari Shrine in Izumi."

So in the Megami Tensei overall lore, naturally that forms the basis of a clan of devil summoners who exist long before COMPS become a thing. This is also a history where the Taisho era lasted longer than IRL.

Also Hirasaki City area was once part of a small country that fought the Yamato dynasty off with magic and demons, had ties to China, and defeated the Yamato army, but lost in the long run, whereupon the queens only daughter was captured, tortured, and executed in a cruel manor, and her spirit was so angry it needed to be sealed for safety.

And then there's whatever is going on with Sumaru that has students in school during July, but the rumors coming true isn't new (I'd guess ten years but an exact timeline is hard to pin), and that's before the city was retconned by rumors to have a history involving things like a local princess, as of The EP timeline from which the other persona games follow.

It's also a reality where SMT 1 was averted, and instead If timeline events happened. So there are people who are born naturally capable of using magic (such as law and chaos hero), and a highschool student brought his school into an alternate dimension, filled with demons, true death was canceled, and he became ruler. Two students then proceeded to fight their way through said world and defeat him to get back to the human world.

The history students are screaming. The devil summoner games have connections to the persona games, and the crossover brings me joy. The tech tree evolution is hilariously wack.

So that all said, let's talk about Summoners, facts, extrapolation, and headcanons. Starting with Showing up in multiple games. (Soul hackers 2 not included as I have not yet interacted)

Madame Ginko:- the overseer of the Kuzunoha clan, and the most respectfully treated trans person in the series, the owner of Club Cretaceous (understandably has a lot of summoners), and has preference for Dragon Demons, according to Demikids.

In spite of her showing up the most of anyone on this list, I don't really have a lot of headcanons for her really. I heard she was a bodyswapper, and according to her bio her hobby is moon watching, and favorite food is Oden. Her blood type is Type A, which in Japan does give personality indication.

Maybe later I'll do a post on blood types and Megaten universe characters who share that blood type.

Has a bodyguard in the form of Utsumi Kunihiko, blood type AB, who likes pizza and breeding tropical fish.

Kinap:- first showing up in Devil Summoners as a user of the DDS-Net who gives you hints and hacks into a museum sincerity system for you.

In Soul Hackers, Kinap is probably not the same being as last time, but who knows, as he is never shown on screen. Spoilers ahead for plot points in Devil summoner soul hackers.

In mythology:- "In Mi'kmaq folklore, a Kinap is a mortal human gifted with uncanny physical strength and other powers. In many legends, a Kinap's power manifests as a child, and he either becomes a child-hero or dies young by using too much of his strength too early. In other legends, an adult Kinap features as a mortal hero slaying a terrible monster or leading the other Micmac men into battle. ."

He sends the protagonist on vision quests throughout the game. Apparently Kinap was once a Shaman who tamed Manitou, and proceeded to use him in battles to be Victorious in wars, and used the slain foes as sacrifices, to grow Manitou stronger.

Then one day he realized "oh snap. Feeding it all these souls might make it too strong and I will lose control one day." So he took preventive action and sealed Manitou away. He also created Nemissa out of a fragment of his soul, but for her to be effective, she would need to understand humans. Rather than introduce her to some humans he knew then, he sealed her and abandoned his mortal form to watch over them. And possibly Devil Summoners Protagonist IDK. Obviously that goes super well, lol.

Let's deffine Manitou :- " Manitou is the belief of Algonquians meaning “mysterious being,” or simply “mystery”. It is an Algonquian word that represents the unknown power of life and the universe. Common among the indigenous peoples of North America, it is related to the concept of mana, a personal supernatural force, and connected to the worship of the sun. A supernatural force that according to an Algonquian belief permeates the natural world.

Manitou is universal and manifests everywhere: the environment, events, organisms, etc. When the world was created, Aashaa monetoo meaning the “good spirit” or “great spirit”, gave the land to the indigenous peoples, specifically to Algonquian-speaking ethnic group indigenous Shawnee. In some Algonquian traditions, it was also called Gitche Manitou.

Native Americans acknowledge traditional healers and spiritual leaders who used manitou to see the future, heal illness, and change the weather. Ojibwe traditional healers used their spiritual connection to cure patients since the illness was believed to be caused by spirits and magic. To communicate with spirits and influence manitou, a healer would sing, dance, and drum beats to enter a trance. They sometimes also used hallucinogens to make a connection. For non-healers, they interacted with spirits by embarking upon a “vision quest,” by means of hallucinogens, fasting, praying, and by isolating themselves from society. A person who underwent vision quests would see objects or animals and also heard voices that would become later on as his or her guardian spirit.

In tribes that practice shamanistic rituals, manitous are connected to an inanimate object or animals to achieve the desired effect. A buffalo manitous for a successful hunt or plant manitous may be connected for healing. It involved the belief that shamans had the power to communicate with spirits, heal the sick, and help bring souls of the dead to the afterlife.

The early Native Americans in Illinois believed that each person has his own god, which they call their Manitou. It could come in a form of a bird, serpent, or other similar things, of which they have dreamed while sleeping. These manitous were considered as a lucky token. For war, manitous came in the form of species of birds, including falcons, crows, ducks, swallows, and parakeets. Representations such as skin or feathers of their manitous were displayed on their homes to ask for guidance and power when they went for fishing, hunting, or war.

As soon as adolescents became aware, it was expected that young adults start their vision quest in the wilderness. To trigger a manitou in a dream, the young adults went fasting without food and water for up to seven days. A manitou could take the form of a bear, wolf, bison, mountain lion, deer, bobcat, bird, or some other animal. "

What does the megaten wiki say about Manitou?

"Originally Manitou was a great spirit of the land found in North America, but Kinap utilized Manitou as a weapon in ancient times. Contact with mankind and their souls threatened to turn the peaceful mindless force into an entity of destruction. Kinap then sealed Manitou away and created Nemissa from Manitou to bring death to it should it ever be awakened and become a force of destruction.

The Phantom Society and Kadokura find the entity, and make their own plans to give it the souls of mankind for their own agendas. Manitou is also capable of feeding on the souls of demons, as shown by the slain Godly soul that it gains power from. "

It kind of sounds like Manitou should have been the one sending you on Vision quests, and generally working with Kinap. They have just sort of used Manitou as a buzzword. Nemissa Is a legend of a star goddess who seduces a hunter.

But yeah, they are more used as cool names, not particularly respectfully researched or portrayed use of legends from native people. I like Nemissa as a character, but as far as mythology goes, she's an OC with a legend based name.

If they wanted a native legend that actually ate souls, they could go for Nalusa Chito, assuming they did their research with cultural consultants of the mythology they are inspired from and portray it respectfully.

" Nalusa Chito, also known as a Impa Shilup, was the soul-eater, a great black beingIf individuals allowed evil thoughts or depression to enter their minds, Impa Shilup would creep inside them and eat their souls. "

Don't speak their names.

For more info, go to

As an antagonist, it could probably suit the cyberpunk setting of the time pretty well.

"Cyberpunk narratives often incorporate a sense of hopelessness or nihilism, typically featuring a gritty and violent backdrop, with crime, artificial intelligence, class uprising, governmental and corporate corruption, anarchy, gang warfare, and transhumanism all being central themes. The range is broad but the combination of these themes in the cyberpunk aesthetic is often used to convey deeper meanings and commentate on modern society and sometimes predictions of future society."

Soul hackers was first published in 1997, during Japan's lost decade, the name for its economic crisis.

For more information on what caused that, check here

For more information on how that impacts the people socially and culturally, check this video by Lady Virgilia

youtube

I think ending the game by defeating a soul eating depression monster , especially during Japan's lost decade would have been a hopeful ending to the game. A way of saying "maybe it does suck now, but we can turn it around"

Oh wow, I've wandered pretty off topic. I'll end this one here, and come back and talk about Rei, and other characters later.

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nanjokei · 7 months

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some oc "verses" i have (verses? stories? idk)

too complicated to explain without a decade of context so i wont for now

high school detective story where everyone is stuck in a time loop. they keep repeating the same cases over and over until it gets kinda comfy, and both detectives (both girls btw, and yes there is _something_ there but watch out) are differing degrees of The Joker, but eventually the routine is broken and it becomes apparent that theres Other Stuff is going on and there are a few others who are aware of the looping to their own ends. anyway one of the detectives is actually the one who trapped them there because Reasons. tbh the setting is a bit weak bc i came up with it as a teenager but i like it too much to rework it<-you can ask about this one but im shy

famous people of varying levels of noteriety are kidnapped and made to participate in a reality television show where death is on the table. three characters present are estranged childhood friends with A Past. the two above are linked to this, it shares characters and setting all the way through. most prominently several characters from the bullet point before this are involved. one of the main characters is the younger brother of someone involved also. im not sure what the endgame of this one is but theres timeloop bullshit in this one also<-this ones messy but you can ask probably

everything is linked through the same metaverse (its a long story) but all together there are some stuff that are less loosely connected. also yeah due to it all being a part of the same metaverse thats why sometimes there is time loop bullshit. also um... a lot of higher beings messing with people for no reason

more fantasy premise and a little more gag. kind of? but a hero coming down from a line of chosen heroes is dispatched to the line of duty to vanquish.. some kind of evil (no one is even sure what) but right in the beginning someone sets the convent he was picking up his companion from on fire. theyre seperated and he is accompanied by a different woman instead. from then on he ends up picking up nothing but the "wrong" party members, specifically people who are actually supposed to be bosses. meanwhile the actual proper party members to be become enemies. i really like this one. <-if you ask me about it i will probably tell you more

magical girl thing, idk, to be honest i made this one up when i was 16 so i dont like the concept that much, it was edgy but didnt make sense, i wanna rework it so the characters arent high schoolers anymore. its nothing objectionable just cringe in a way that isnt fun. so i dont have much to say about it, but it also exists as an arcade game in the main timeline thing so im mentioning it

mecha premise, when aliens come down to challenge earth into a fight to extinction FOR FUN, supplying them with all manner of advanced technology and blueprints to build giant mechs to level the playing field. this was kept a secret, kinda like some area 51 shit. decades later in 2011, a number of young adults (18~26) who have specific traits as outlined by the aliens are put into cryonic sleep. they were promised it'd be for 25 years, but the project stalled, and then a world war broke out, and the waiting time ended up actually being nearly a century. they wake up to a delipidated base with very few actual staff, to the point where most of them have to become bridge bunnies, and many of the things promised to them in the future turned out to not be possible (for example one of the candidates was terminally ill and was promised a cure, or even just a proper diagnosis but woke up only to be given a medicine to treat it indefinitely and with no promise of continued effectiveness). there is also a little time loop bullshit here. sorry. also the government also made their own mechs and end up poaching a few from the candidates throughout the story. later on Something secret happens sorry i wont say. <-i might tell you more if you ask about this one because i like it very much also. but also because its the newest

@nanjokei

#rambles #im trying my best bc people expressed interest in oc stuff!!#im not good at opening up about this stuff though :3 #caren ocs

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cu-taibhseil · 1 year

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Western Magic & Prairie Folklore Part One: Geography, Weather, & Farming

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attribution to the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management's website

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Western Magic & Prairie Folklore Masterpost

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For those of you who don't know me, slàinte mhath! My name is Reggie and I'm a folk magic practitioner. This is the first post of many I'm going to do on the very specific kind of folk magic that traveled West with the pioneers in the 1800s and developed with the settlers and cowboys in the "Equality State."

Fun fact: Wyoming is called the "Equality State" because on December 10, 1869, Wyoming passed the first unconditional law in the U.S. permanently guaranteeing women their inherent right to vote and hold office.

Out of everyone on Tumblr, why am I qualified to speak on this topic? Well, I was born and raised for 23 years in Wyoming. I am from a family of people who were all born, raised, and lived their entire lives in Wyoming. (Specifically the Bear Lake Valley of Wyoming and Idaho, and that little corner of Utah where all 3 touch.)

If you're a prairie folk magic practitioner and would like to participate in this post series, then feel free to send me an ask!

Otherwise, let's get to it.

This first post is a little taste of history and kind of setting the scene to discuss the culture and life of different "folk practitioners" in Wyoming. Be sure to check out the other posts in this series! I linked the masterpost at the top of this post!

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Geography

Wyoming has 5 different classifications on the Köppen Climate Classification Scale: BSk, Dfb, BWk, Dfc, and Dfa. A majority of the state is dominated by BSk or a "cold, semi-arid climate." (source) The type of climate that dominates the state is important to remember, because the geography of the area had a huge influence on jobs, people's routines throughout the year, how and when they grew and stored food, and the different plants that were available as medicine.

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Weather/Climate and Farming

Because of the eclectic climate in Wyoming, the typical growing season is only between 20 and 130 days long. (source) At its best it's dry and too hot, and at its worst it's unpredictably cold. I have distinct memories of winter some years lasting from Labor Day weekend (the weekend of the first big snowstorm every year) to the last day of school in June. Doesn't sound like the best climate to be sustainably growing food year round, does it?

To combat that issue, people in the Wyoming Territory learned to "dryland farm" without extensive irrigation systems. It's said the first successful cases of dryland farming came from Swedish settlers near Pine Bluffs in Laramie County. But by the late 1800s, it had grown in popularity across the state. Now that there are irrigation systems in place, people take advantage of the fertile river bottoms and grow sugarbeets, dry edible beans, barley, corn, and dryland winter wheat. Some farmers even grow oats and sunflowers. The people of Wyoming have gotten so good at farming that "Our pasture and hay are regarded as the highest quality anywhere. Wyoming hay is known for high protein, leafiness, and excellent feed value and is shipped throughout the United States and the world for horse and dairy feed." (source)

With such famous hay, of course people cattle-farmed in the area! There are multiple stories told about how the cattle industry really took hold in the state, and they all try to frame it as an accident. Different cattle farmers left their cattle for the winter near Chugwater, WY (just North of Cheyenne; famous for its chili) and were surprised to find thriving beef cattle instead of carcasses in the spring.

But it wasn't an accident. As is always the case, there are actually multiple historical and documented points that preceded the boom of the cattle industry in Wyoming. To summarize quickly: (1) In 1849 Fort Laramie was established and there were soldiers there who needed to eat; (2) In 1851 the Missouri Pacific Railroad began laying track headed West and these railroads revolutionized beef cattle transport as well as had surveyors plotting lines through Cheyenne and not Denver (because of Cheyenne's milder winters); (3) The Civil War both centralized the beef processing industry and plants moved to Nebraska from eastern cities like Chicago AND caused a huge surplus of Longhorn in Texas that were unattended as men left from the ranches to go fight in the war; (4) The unattended cattle bred unchecked and their numbers exploded; (5) When people came through looking for places to put their cattle Wyoming basically had a huge neon sign that said "Free Range and Free HIGH QUALITY Grass." (source)

Although when most animal-industry people think of Wyoming they think of beef cattle, "The high plains and mountain meadows of Wyoming are well-known for producing some of the finest sheep and wool in the world. Wyoming ranks second in the U.S. in wool production and lamb crop." (source)

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The plants and animals in a specific area have a profound impact on the people that live there. Most of the people I knew during the first part of my life in Wyoming came from farmers or ranchers of some kind. The biggest industries are cattle and sheep, and peoples' livelihoods reflect that. People in Wyoming take better care of their stock than themselves.

As a direct result of the kinds of jobs everyone's families came from, people in Wyoming have huge amounts of respect for ranchers and farmers. When I was in high school one of the biggest programs (besides football) were the FFA programs that were sponsored by the local college, trying to get more people into farming and ranching. And unlike suburban or city places, I wasn't raised around people who were trying to "catch their big break." People generally had regular jobs that they were passionate about, and are more interested in working hard and providing for themselves. In my experience it was common for people to hold multiple jobs that weren't just jobs to them, but "passion projects."

I think this way of life directly translates to the culture surrounding folk magic. I will get more into that in future posts in this series.

Another huge point in the culture in Wyoming life is outdoor recreation and protecting federal lands. People are very interested in reducing carbon footprints, recycling, and leaving campgrounds/recreation areas better than they found them. If you're a litter bug you're basically the worst person to ever exist, and people get (understandably) angry over people who litter or otherwise disrespect the environment (taking things from the state/national parks, etc.). The same energy exists for people who poach in any context, and the state's laws reflect that. If someone is caught poaching, they lose their ability to legally hunt in the state forever without any chance of appeal.

That's how I try to live now, even though I live in a different state. I've always had a deep-seeded hatred for litterbugs and people who disrespect the environment around them. I didn't meet people who didn't care about that kind of thing until I moved out of the western part of the United States. That was probably the biggest culture shock I experienced.

═══ ⋆★⋆ ═══

#my craft #western magic #prairie magic #prairie folklore #prairie folk magic #western folk magic #wyoming #western history #history of the west #witchcraft #witch #folk magic #folklore

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lizzybeth1986 · 2 years

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Hana Lee: Duchess of Krysanthe

(Hana Lee: Kaitlin Marianelli)

I go into the story of how Hana becomes the Duchess of Krysanthe here.

The Province:

• The Duchy of Krysanthe was once known as the Kingdom of Aurelia, the prosperous Gilded City ruled by Queen Annelyse Adair. It was rumoured to be so prosperous during the Middle Ages that it is said the palace hosted parties every day and the queen kept a peacock in her menagerie.

• It is named Krysanthe after the golden crocus flower that grows in plenty there, and to ensure there is still a connection to its old name (the Khrys half of the name refers to gold).

• After the destruction brought about by a dragon under the control of a woman from the Foundaries, the kingdom struggled to get back to its full prosperity. However even now, the duchy it has become remains one of the most consistently sound in terms of finances and exports.

• Their sigil is the Monarch Butterfly (🦋) and their motto is Respice, aspice, prospice (We look to the past, the present and the future).

• They are known around Cordonia as pioneers in medicine. Allopathy-wise, one of the best medical colleges is theirs, and they have various world-class hospitals and medical practices. Many of the Cordonians that have become famous medical professionals are from Krysanthe.

• But besides this Krysanthans are even more famous for their ability to balance a respect for both allopathic and traditional medicine. In memory of their most famous Queen, herbal medicines of different cultures (Thai and Chinese herbal medicine, Ayurveda, the use of basalt stones for healing massages) are found most here.

• While Castelserraillan is the champion of the wine trade, Krysanthe is equally successful in the manufacturing and export of fruit liquors. Their drinks are known for being powerful and highly spiced. Three Hells' Fire is often reserved for special occasions.

• Street music and art is more common here than in any other place in Cordonia, and is highly encouraged. Much of their tourist revenue comes from the innovative and fantastic performances.

The Duchess:

• Before Hana Lee was assigned the duchy, it had been functioning pretty well but was mostly unnoticed as a province. Like Valtoria, it didn't have a lot of the clout or connections outside its borders to get the Crown's attention.

• There were complaints as a result, which Prince Liam heard and understood, and he realized when he became King that this is one of the places he would need to have a trustworthy representative for. The people of the province were happy for this change as well, especially considering Lady Hana Lee's performance at the social season and the World Tour.

• Hana Lee know the expectations were mostly to provide a charming face for the duchy to the court and take their issues to the Crown, but she has never been one for half-measures and immediately toured the province to see where she could be involved and where it was best to leave the power to her people.

• She understood that along with representation they needed more funding for PR and name recognition throughout the country, so she worked to ensure their strengths were widely know, and hosted events to ensure their pet projects weren't missed by people beyond the duchy.

• As part of Queen Esther's education-enhancement initiatives, Duchess Hana worked extensively on the curriculums in Krysanthian schools and worked with her team to identify gaps and scope for improvement. Along with her wife, Duchess Kiara of Castelserraillan, she was able to note where voices of colour were missed or ignored, and fought to have them included. The texts she campaigned for included a few from her own duchy.

• Ever since the tensions with Auvernal began during King Constantine's rule, the import of basalt stones has been much lower than it used to be, as that country was the nearest and best option for the product. Hana made several diplomatic trips, after the current monarchs were replaced and King Liam made new commitments to the more-trustworthy new monarch - and managed a deal that would ensure her Krysanthian people didn't have to look outside of Europe for basalt stones.

• While she does compose music in secret, the one great benefit Hana got from doing music scores is getting connections with people in film. She engages a documentary filmmaker in a project to present Krysanthe's street culture. The film goes on to win many awards at foreign film festivals, and recognition for their art intensifies.

• She makes a lot of conservation efforts as well. She advocates for practices that would allow a minimum of chemicals in the growing of the foliage and spends significant time and money on ensuring their food products are of the best quality, especially the fruits that are so famous for the liquor they can produce.

• 15 years after she became Duchess, the Hana Lee Academy of Music was built in her honour.

#hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 7 #HLAW Day 7: Duchess Hana #lizzybeth1986 #content: headcanon

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wickedsrest-rp · 1 year

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NAME: Alchemy

DESCRIPTION: Alchemy started as the quest to turn common metals into gold, but the bar was quickly set much higher than that. Alchemists attempted to make objects such as the philosopher’s stone, the elixir of life, and the panacea. Collectively, these touchstones were known as the Great Work, and some famous alchemists such as Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel and Count de Saint Germain were even said to have succeeded. Ancient alchemy gave birth to the fields of modern chemistry and medicine, but some alchemists kept trying the old ways and found something much better: the art of transmutation. Today, alchemy is a difficult school of magic attempted by many spellcasters but mastered by only a few. Because it involves knowledge of chemistry and physics to a degree beyond all other magicks, it requires absolute dedication to excel.

ABILITIES: With transmutation at their disposal, truly gifted spellcasters specializing in alchemy (called alchemists) have the ability to create any material from another, or even combine several of them together, infusing objects with mystical power. If an alchemist is skilled, creative, and quick-thinking, they can even utilize alchemy in combat situations. Alchemists work with chemical elements and compounds, not the four elements of magic. With practice, the aid of a transmutation circle, and the ebb and flow of naturally occurring mystical energy, the world, and its entire potential are at the alchemist’s fingertips. Alchemists are also known for funneling their abilities into potions for moderate amounts of healing or changing something into something else, but these tend to be for rather specific uses given the universal laws at play when creating them. For example, a healing potion may be specifically indicated for use for a burn injury of a certain size as that was the exchange used to make it.

TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE: An alchemist’s work area is as important as the work itself. Every transmutation requires what is called a transmutation circle. This is a circular area that the practitioner may draw on a flat surface, adorned with alchemic runes that are relatively specific to the nature of the transmutation. Some alchemists tattoo their circles on themselves, but because the runes may change depending on the situation, they can’t be used for everything. Dangerous alchemy typically needs more complicated and precisely drawn circles, and a break or error in any circle can lead to failure at best, and disaster at worst.

COMMON SPELLS/TECHNIQUES:

Transmutation: Alchemists can use transmutation to change one object into another. In early alchemy, it seemed almost impossible to change lead into gold, but today it can easily be done by most alchemists thanks to the work of others before them (though it is frowned upon). This is easier if the chemical makeup of the objects is similar.

Amalgamation: Combining two or more different objects to make something that reflects all of the ingredients. The resulting object won’t have any new properties but instead will have a combination of properties based on what was used.

Amplification: Imbuing common objects such as jewelry, charms, and other things with mystical properties. These properties could be protection spells, something that can help the user control or utilize an ability, or even an illusion. When an alchemist does this, the change in the object is permanent unless reversed by another alchemist (in contrast to some simple charms).

Healing: Following the Law of Equivalent Exchange, alchemists can heal wounds by causing a wound of “equal value”. For example, if healing a fatal stab wound, a sacrifice of a fatal stab wound must be made elsewhere. Small wounds may be healed by wounding an animal or different species (at the risk of some… transference of characteristics from that animal or other species), but for larger wounds, the same species must be used – werewolf for werewolf, muse for muse. Healing can go wrong quickly if there is an issue with the transmutation circle or equivalent wound. If the equivalent wound is not “enough”, alchemic magic will take what it needs, mercilessly, and without permission from the spellcaster.

LIMITS & RISKS: Though alchemy provides near endless possibilities, alchemists do have one big limitation– the Law of Equivalent Exchange. It’s vital to the field because something cannot come from nothing, as science dictates is true with all matter. Per this principle, alchemy always requires objects to be transformed in order to create or conjure. Alchemists must be sure the materials that they use have an equivalent amount of mass to their desired outcome. Otherwise, the alchemist may suffer dire consequences, such as the necessary mass being taken from their body or those nearby.

Alchemists must also be knowledgeable in chemistry. It is considered a highly intellectual pursuit. It doesn’t help that due to the repression of alternative religious philosophy in Europe, many early alchemical books were made intentionally difficult to read and understand.

Though it’s possible to use alchemy on animals, plants, and even humans, it’s seen as extremely dangerous and can backfire in horrible ways both for the alchemist and the experiment. There are some alchemists who choose to use alchemy to change living things in grotesque ways but the process is both highly complicated and highly taboo. The likelihood of something going wrong scales with the complexity of the living thing an alchemist is attempting to work with.

It’s rumored that there may be ways to skirt around the Law of Equivalent Exchange or make human alchemy much easier/less dangerous, but people have been driven mad trying to figure out how. It is also impossible to use alchemy to bring someone back to life, but an extremely skilled alchemist who knows human alchemy can reconstruct someone’s body. The spiritual essence of a person is not made up of chemical components and thus cannot be transmuted.

#lore #magic #alchemy

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scotianostra · 2 years

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On July 12th 1803 Rev Thomas Guthrie, founder of the Ragged Schools, was born in Brechin.

A famous quote about Guthrie is from an unnamed young boy “ He was the only father I ever had."

Thomas was just twelve when he entered the University of Edinburgh. For ten years he studied a wide range of subjects, including medicine and science. After leaving school, he became a minister.

At his first church, in Arbirlot, near Arbroath, he not only taught the gospel, but doctored the sick and helped his people establish a savings institution.

After seven years Thomas Guthrie was called to serve at Old Greyfriars. His initial impressions of the parish were not good. The Cowgate appalled him. He described it as, “one of loopholed poverty, where men and women were hung with rags, and naked, cracked red ulcered feet of little shivering creatures trod the iron streets”.

He made a tour of his district and reported appalling conditions. "I wandered...whole days without ever seeing a Bible, or indeed any book at all. I often stood in rooms bare of any furniture; where father, mother, and half a dozen children had neither bed nor bedding, unless a heap of straw and dirty rags huddled in a corner could be called so. I have heard the wail of children crying for bread, and their mother had none to give them..."

Th reality of life for the poorest in Edinburgh in the early to mid 18th century, a time not talked about much in the history books or the tours that trudge around the Old Town, misery doesn’t go down well with the tourists, they want the romance, the royal connections and the literary greats that graced the city.

Thomas Guthrie opened "ragged schools" and fed the children who attended. He had a hand in every good work, fighting alcoholism, improving housing, calling for better work laws. He was one of the preachers who joined in creating the Free Church. Its ministers became directly dependent upon their people rather than living off the state as civil servants. When many were thrown out of their parsonages and suffered severely, Thomas raised over £100,000 in less than a year to build parsonages for them, a massive amount for that era.

In addition to his social work, he preached faithfully. Hundreds of lives were salvaged through the efforts of the godly man who was born this day.

When Thomas Guthrie was buried in the Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh on 28th February 1873 there had not been a funeral since that of Sir James Young Simpson. It is said some 30,000 people lined the street of Edinburgh to pay their respects, it shows the love the citizens of the city had for the man.

His friend and fellow preacher Robert Smith Candlish spoke of him in a sermon a week after he was laid to rest saying

‘Men powerful in thought are often raised up; but genius, real poetic genius, like Guthrie’s come but once in many generations. We shall not look upon his like soon, if ever. Nor was it genius alone that distinguished him. The warm heart and the ready hand; the heart to feel, and the hand to work. No sentimental dreamer or mooning idealist was he. His pity was ever active’

The statue in the pics is a replica of the one on Princes Street by by Frederick William Pomeroy and is on display at the Glenesk Folk Museum in Tarfside, Angus.

#Scotland #scottish #Church minister #philantropist #charitable man #Edinburgh #history

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talesofedo · 1 year

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I posted 249 times in 2022

229 posts created (92%) 20 posts reblogged (8%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@talesofedo

@thekimonogallery

@shinsengumi-archives

@imagineyourhistoricalfigure

@littlesacrifice

I tagged 244 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#ronindraws - 164 posts

#original art - 141 posts

#original characters - 89 posts

#shinsengumi - 48 posts

#okita soji - 39 posts

My Top Posts in 2022:

This is a very famous photo, which has been featured online in many lists of "handsome samurai" and has also been used in advertising. It was taken in 1880 (Meiji period) and shows 20-year-old Oda Nobuyoshi, who was a dentist, having just finished his studies in Edo.

There's a lesser known photo of Nobuyoshi in the collection of his great-grandson, Oda Hidemasa, who carries on the family business of dentistry at Oda Dental Clinic in Kochi City, which was founded in 1925 and is still going strong with a new building next to the original one.

Nobuyoshi certainly knew how to pose for a picture. 😅

See the full post 41 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

Speaking of photos, there are a disproportionately large number of known photos of Dr. Matsumoto Ryojun still in existence. Here are a few I've been able to find, with descriptions where available.

Dr. Matsumoto, sitting front left, with Dr. Johannes Pompe van Meerdervoort, seated front right, and fellow doctors in Nagasaki.

Matsumoto went to Nagasaki in summer of 1857 as a student of Western studies at the Nagasaki Naval Training Center, where, among other things, he studied medicine under Pompe, a Dutch army surgeon.

While at first a group of 12 medical students met at the home of Takashima Shuan for lectures on biology, chemistry, anatomy, and pathology, by November of that year Pompe established a separate school of Western medicine.

Although the Nagasaki Naval Training Center closed in 1860 and the Dutch staff left, Pompe remained and opened Japan's first western-style hospital, Nagasaki Yojosho, in 1861. (The location is now Nagasaki University's medical school.)

See the full post 41 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

Details on the scabbard of Hijikata Toshizo's sword. (via Hijikata Toshizo Museum on Twitter) 41 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

A little “Today I Learned” write-up of notes regarding textiles in the Edo period:

+ The Kansai region, which is the area surrounding the imperial capital of Kyoto and the port of Osaka, was important in both the silk textile industry (mostly around Kyoto) and, after the 16th Century, the cotton industry (mostly around Osaka).

+ Cotton was introduced to Japan from Korea in the 1400s.

+ By the beginning of the Edo period (the early 1600s), cotton had become the primary material used in commoners’ clothing in most of Japan, replacing materials made from other types of plant fibers.

That’s not to say things weren’t still commonly made from asa (hemp or ramie) or from other plant fibers such as mulberry or wisteria - they were, especially in rural areas - but the more expensive cotton quickly became the most common choice.

On a side note: in some translations, you might see the English word linen as a translation for asa, which isn’t technically correct as linen is made from flax, which was not cultivated in Edo period Japan. The first flax in Japan is grown in Hokkaido in 1871.

+ Aside from the large amounts of cotton planted for the cotton textile trade, it was often grown in small quantities sufficient just for household consumption.

+ The Edo period and its bureaucracies placed a great deal of emphasis on laws and regulations that reinforced class structure, such as Aizu’s rules specifying which color haori-himo could be worn by which class of samurai, or Tosa’s rules forbidding low-ranking samurai from wearing certain footwear.

One sumptuary law passed by the Tokugawa shogunate limited purple outer garments to nobility and high-ranking samurai. Another banned the wearing of red outer garments, which were dyed with expensive saffron dye.

However, because those restrictions didn’t apply to inner linings or undergarments, wealthy commoners and low-ranking samurai families still found creative ways to incorporate these colors into their clothing.

On a side note: This is a good article on how silly sumptuary regulations got during the Edo period. Things like roof beam length, gold leaf decoration on household goods, and clothing materials could get you arrested.

+ On the other end of the spectrum, garments dyed blue using indigo were always a safe choice for the masses, from the lower ranks of samurai to the very bottom rungs of Edo society.

Indigo was inexpensive and could be used to produce a large variety of blue shades which, combined with the right materials and patterns, decorations, or embroideries could make up garments from the cheapest everyday kimono of a farmer to the fine silks of a wealthy merchant’s wife.

But, your choice of textiles could also easily oust you as a country bumpkin in the big city. Reportedly, even Edo’s teahouse girls laughed at samurai whose haori were lined in the cheap blue fabrics. (If I find the source again, there was an insult along the line of “blue sleeves”, but I don’t want to misquote it.)

+ There are no powered looms to produce textiles until after the Meiji restoration. The first powered looms are introduced to Japan in the 1870s but do not come into widespread use until the 1910s.

+ There is no domestic wool production during the Edo period: wool fabrics had to be imported, which made them expensive and rarely used. However, there is some wool use during the Edo period, specifically in samurai’s fire costumes (火事装束, kaji shozuku), obviously for practical reasons since wool is not as flammable as cotton or silk, and in travel cloaks. Wool becomes more common with the Meiji restoration, first to make Western-style uniforms and later to produce general Western-style clothing for those who could afford it.

(How did you stay warm and dry? Padded kimono (not unlike its modern cousin, the hanten jacket) and kamiko (paper fabrics). Here’s a neat article on kamiko. 44 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

69 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #I'm glad you guys like my history notes #excited to share more history stuff with everyone in 2023 #the tags though #this is definitely not a shinsengumi blog #i swear #never mind proof to the contrary

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mrsbakashi · 2 years

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all :) if you want lol but if not then just the even ones

you know damn well i'd answer all of them twice for you 😭

thank you for asking and watch out for the long ass answers (so i put a cut).

1. book you've reread the most times?

probably pride and prejudice. it's a cliche, but it's my favorite book and i usually go for it when i don't know what to read next or when i'm in some sort of "book hangover" (is that a thing in english? idk). or maybe the little prince. yes, i'm a walking cliche.

2. top 5 books of all time?

oh god, so hard. i'm going for book that hold a special place in my heart for many reasons:

1st: pride and prejudice

2nd: the posthumous memoirs of brás cubas (it's from a brazilian author and it's honestly so amazing i can't even put into words)

3rd: the chronicles of narnia or harry potter (yes, i'm listing the whole series as one book)

4th: soul love - at night the sky is more beautiful

5th: the little prince

3. what is your favourite genre?

does fiction count as a genre? does novel? or maybe romance? to simplify: if there's romance in it, i'm reading it.

4. what sections of a bookstore do you browse?

first the best-sellers/popular because it's usually the first section, you end up there almost before you even enter the book store. then i like to go to a section on my favorite bookstore that is for recommendations of both customers and the people who work there (they can even let post its saying why they recommend it). then i go to national and international literature. sometimes i go to spiritual section because i love studying it. depending on how i feel i can also go to the languages section and see if there's anything helpful. and usually, before leaving, i take a quick look in the medicine section because old habits die hard, and then i feel super sad i won't be a doctor anymore and go straight to McDonald's. ✌🏻😗

5. where do you buy books?

this question is so sad... so books are really expensive in my country, and people don't really have the habit of reading here, the numbers are insanely low and our government doesn't care/doesn't do anything about it, so teacher and schools are left to do the impossible task to make people understand it can actually be fun - anyway, things are really bad, yes. so a lot of bookstores had to close after declaring bankruptcy, and the few that are still working are always empty. and that alone wouldn't be as much of a problem, but now the prices are so ridiculously high - i can't remember the last time i bought a book in a physical bookstore. they cost like double the usual price there. the last time i went to my favorite (ex-favorite?) one i got so mad i left withing 3 minutes. i literally felt like crying, because it's the most famous bookstore we have, and it's kinda historical, and i had so many great moments there. anyway. now i buy them online. i try to find small sellers on instagram/etc with a good price so i don't have to give my money to bezos, but sometimes i do, because sometimes i can't find a specific book anywhere else 😔.

6. what books have you read in the last month?

NONE! 😃

no, seriously, since november last year i've been reading exclusively fanfiction (and lately not even fanfics 😩). i did start a couple of books, but couldn't go through because my anxiety is quite bad and i can't engage with anything with more than 1 chapter or more than 1K words. or watch. can't remember the last time i watched a movie.

but last september, which was the last month i actually read something, i read 3 books i think.

7. is there a series/book that got you into reading?

i'm pretty sure there was, but i can't really remember, because i was too young. i think i was 4 when i insisted my sister taught me how to read so i could read books, and she did which is amazing if you think a 7 year old taught a 4 year old 🤣 she would come home with what she learned at school and taught me. i remember i already knew how to read when i entered school and the teachers were usually amazed and kept me in charge when they had to leave for a few minutes - yes, i was that kid who is responsible for writing down the names of everyone who is not quietly sitting.

but anyway. there's a really famous comic series around here that's called "monica's gang" in english, i believe, and i remember reading it a loooot.

but to answer the question: i've been into reading for as long as i can remember.

8. what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

the first one i actually remember reading is the little prince. i know i had read other children's books before, with little silly cute stories, but my first "big girl" book was the little prince. i was 6-7 and my sister got it at the school's library for me and i loved it so much - to this day it's still one of my faves.

9. when do you tend to read most?

at night, in bed, sipping tea, before falling asleep. that's the only time i feel okay with doing something not related to work or stuff.

10. do you have a guilty fav?

absolutely! twilight for example lololol. and like "Led Astray" by Sandra Brown, and also the Hush Hush series and "Perdida" from a brazilian writer.

11. what non-fiction books do you like if any?

most of them are from brazilian writers so i won't name them, but i really like reading historical books, biographies of people i admire, spiritual studies and stuff. i like studying some stuff too, so books with theories/textbooks. does poetry count as non-fiction? 🤔

12. did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

yes! the posthumous memoirs of brás cubas for example i was forced to read to vestibular - a big exam colleges and universities have to test if you are good enough. there were other books some of my teachers recommended or made us read that i really liked at the time, most of them are brazilian.

13. do you have a goodreads?

i don't, but i have another social media to keep track of my reading. it's called skoob (which is books spelled backwards) but i don't know if it's available worldwide.

14. do you ever mark/dog ear books you own?

yes, but i'm not really a fan of it. i like to write/highlight my books, but i worked in a company very far from my house so i used to read a lot on the subway/bus and i couldn't highlight/write in a bus/train full of people (like so full you could barely breathe) so i folded the pages i wanted to highlight later - but then i never did, because o was busy finishing the book, so now i just have a lot of books with dog ears.

15. recommend and review a book.

oh, i suck at it, which is ironic because i used to have a bookstagram. but i will do a very light one:

i will recommend the posthumous memoirs of brás cubas, one of my favorite books. it was written by an amazing author with an amazing story back in 1881. so it's a book narrated in first person by the main character, brás cubas, who is now dead and reminiscing on his life and the people he met. and he is sooooo ironic, funny and full of himself. like there's a part during his funeral when it starts raining and he just goes "even the sky is crying the death of the great brás cubas". and while you go with him in this trip through his life you find a lot of critics, specially directed towards the society, but also a lot of reflections about life. it's just amazing. funny and deep. i love it.

16. how many books have you read this year?

none! 🤣

i mentioned before the last book i read was like in september, since then i started books but kinda abandoned on page 30 or so. i was reading a lot of fanfic but now even that is fading, so i'm basically reading nothing...

17. top 5 children's books?

i think "children's books" is too much of a wild concept, like do you mean harry potter or do you mean the gingerbread man?

anyway, my top would be:

the little prince

the chronicles of narnia

harry potter

peter pan

diary of a wimpy kid

18. do you like historical books? which time period?

i do! basically any time. i love learning about the past, how people lived, how they did some things, their customs... it's really nice. also i don't know if historical books refer to like pride and prejudice or to actual history books, but the answer is yes for both ✌️😗

19. most disliked popular books?

oh, uh... i think the after series. i read the first book entirely with the strength of how much i hated it, and i just didn't drop it because i don't like dropping things (taking an indefinite pause yes) but i hated it so much.

20. what are things you look for in a book?

first i ask myself if the story has the potential to make me cry - if yes then I'll read it LOL. i look for stories that will give me many many feelings, like really mess with them, or stories that seem fun or sweet or interesting. i'm also a sucker for narratives (idk if that's the right word in english, but like the way the story is told) so when i'm in a bookstore before buying a book that seems interesting i usually read the first chapter/pages to see if i like it. i ended up giving up on some books because the narrative was bad or annoying. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#about me #ask game #morggie answers

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