Tumgik
#or can’t access certain references
regulusrules · 17 days
Note
Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!
How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?
Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!
1. Videos
I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames
• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.
• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.
• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓
• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog
2. Documentaries
• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.
• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).
• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.
3. Books
• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.
• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.
• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.
• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.
• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)
• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)
4. Novels / Epistolaries
• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.
• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.
• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).
• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.
---------------------
With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.
76 notes · View notes
sincerelyneo · 27 days
Text
teeth | l.hc
“fight so dirty but your love’s so sweet”
💿now playing: teeth by 5 seconds of summer
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
❯ summary: Traditionally the caption of the cheer team and the captain of the soccer team are friends - some even date. But you and Donghyuck definitely aren’t friends - if anything you’re enemies. The two of you can’t go five minutes without an argument. So, why are you letting him fuck you in the locker room?
❯ pairings: haechan x fem!reader
❯ genre: college!au, enemies with benefits, smut
❯ words: 2.5k
❯ tags: 18+ minors dni!, bickering, swearing, unprotected sex (don't do this!), hate sex, degrading names, general name-calling, manhandling, haechan is an asshole, but reader is also lowkey mean, choking, use of nickname 'princess', reader uses she/her pronouns, hardly any plot, it's literally just them hate fucking idk what to tell ya.
cheeky author's note: i'm very brtish, so referring to this as soccer literally made me want to rip my hair out 😀
Tumblr media
“You don’t have to be so rough you know, Hyuck!”
"Will you just shut up and let me fuck you!?" He snaps.
The red metal of Lee Donghyuck's locker is cold against the skin of your bare back. Honestly, you don’t even know how it happened. But somehow the captain of the soccer team (and the boy you swear you hate) has you pinned against the boy’s lockers, one leg wrapped around his waist and the top half of your cheer uniform hiked up just enough to give him a full display of your tits. His left-hand grips your hip so tightly that you’re certain he’s doing it on purpose just to piss you off.
Not only that, but he also has your skirt bunched up around your waist. Giving him just the right amount of easy access to pull your panties to the side and tease his cock between your folds.
"Will you just hurry up and stick it in!?" You try to yell at him but, from the way he’s teasing the head of his cock at your entrance, the attempt comes out like a feeble whine.
Exactly on command, the scowl on your face quickly morphs into a wince, and the annoyed quirk on your lips disappears to form a small 'o' as Hyuck’s grip on your hip hardens and he pushes his cock quickly into your cunt. You can’t complain though - you did just tell him to stick it in.
"Shit," you squirm, hand coming up to his chest, pressing hard against the badge of his soccer uniform that rests on his right peck.
"Now look who’s needy," He teases. "I vividly remember you saying I’d be the shittest fuck on the soccer team."
"That’s what this is about!? You’re still mad that– uhh," you’re cut off by your own moan and your nails sink into the fabric of his shirt when he starts to move his hips. His pace is surprisingly slow - deliberately teasing - in comparison to his rapid first thrust inside of you.
"Christ! Even when you fuck you talk too much," Hyuck curses, his hand wrapping around your arm to free himself from the grip you have on his shirt.
"You're one to talk," You hiss back. "Even when you fuck you’re still an annoying little asshol– "
You gasp as he pulls out of you completely and then thrusts into you once again.
"You could've at least warned me, you dick,” You exhale, your walls readjusting to his size for the second time - and what a big size he was.
“Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture princess.”
You can’t believe that even when he’s buried to the hilt inside of your pussy he’s still calling you that stupid fucking nickname. It’s not the word ‘princess’ itself that bothers you per se; it’s Lee Donghyuck’s intention behind the name that makes your blood blister with anger. He’s been calling you ‘princess’ since your freshman year in college but you’d only ever inquired about it recently.
You were at a party, and even though you hate the bones of Lee Donghyuck, you’d be lying if you said your social circles didn’t overlap. It was inevitable, he’s on the soccer team, you’re a cheerleader; honestly, the two of you should be friends. But you’re not. And because of your strained relationship, it was no surprise that the minute you walked through the door he’d picked a fight with you.
You can't even remember what the argument was about now, but you know the two of you had gone back and forth in a boxing match of insults that always ended with him throwing the word ‘princess’ at the end of his rebuttals. And you really couldn’t quite understand why. In your mind, being called a princess was a compliment, but to Donghyuck, princesses were “spoilt bitches who have no grip on reality.”
Safe to say you didn’t think the term was one of endearment after that.
And it was at that same party where you’d insisted Donghyuck would be the shittest fuck on the soccer team – something you’re currently finding out as being not true as he fucks you senseless six ways to Sunday. In all honesty, even when Yuta had asked you the question in a silly little game of truth or dare, you knew Hyuck was the cop-out answer. Truthfully, your real answer would have been Jisung or Chenle. They’re both a little younger and act more awkward with you. But still, you’d let hell freeze over before letting Lee Donghyuck think he was a better fuck than somebody else. However, you’re pretty sure you’ve broken that promise to yourself from the way you’re breathlessly panting and gasping from the vigorous drilling of his cock. That or hell genuinely has frozen over.
But still, what did he expect? The two of you couldn’t go half a second without a petty argument. Sometimes you find yourself just doing it because you were bored and he was there. After all, it’s just the norm between the two of you.
That’s why you can’t quite understand why he’s taking a stupid comment said in a passing game of truth or dare to heart. You’ve said worse to him, you're sure of it.
Hyuck pulls out of your pussy and the emptiness that lingers between your legs has you groaning – even if it’s just for a second. He doesn’t give you long to harp on the loss of friction because he wastes no time dropping your leg from his hip, gripping your waist and slamming the front of your body against his locker.
You want to make another snarky comment about his roughness, but you secretly love it. Well, it’s not so secret actually — Hyuck is well aware that you like his manhandling because he feels your wetness becoming more slick on his cock as he thrusts into you from behind.
His pace in the new position is still tortuous, slow and teasing, and so fucking annoyingly good. But you don’t know how much longer you can take the tormenting leisurely pace. You want more - you need more. If he didn't have your arms pinned behind you and you flush against the lockers, you’d claw at his back to make him go faster.
You feel a warmth on the nape of your neck as he nuzzles against your ear, placing a kiss so gently, that you’re shocked at the sudden contrast in his demeanour.
“This the shittest fuck you’ve had, huh?”
No.
“Yes,” you reply and he growls deeply. There’s a rough snap of his hips and it catches you off guard so much you have to bite down on your lip to suppress a whimper.
“Fucking liar,” he scoffs.
The insult makes your face screw up in a glare, but still, all you can manage is a breathy, “Am not.”
No matter how good the length of his cock is making you feel, you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right – that he’s not the worst fuck on the soccer team. Not that you had much experience with the others.
But even though you refuse to use your words to tell him you’re loving it, your body betrays you by being so fucking responsive to his touches. And no matter how hard you fight against him, Hyuck never lets you gain an inch. In fact, every time you try to free your arms from his, he lets out a frustrated groan, and the sound only makes your pussy throb harder.
His hand slips up your body until it finds your throat, where his fingers dig into either side of your neck. He stops his thrusts.
“Well if you’re not lying, are you saying I’m a shitty fuck princess?” He asks innocently as if he’s about to be gentle with you, but you know better. After all, this is Donghyuck. “If you want to pretend like you don’t want this; if that helps you sleep at night, then fine, but your slutty cunt is so fucking wet, I can almost feel you soaking my balls.”
He ducks down to place a kiss on your jaw, and you feel his lips smile into it as you shudder from his words. Instinctively, you swing your head away from him, only to be yanked back by the hand around your throat. He chuckles against your skin, hips starting to move again, thrusting shallowly into your stretched cunt.
“If I’m such a shitty fuck, I supposed you want me to stop, huh?” He asks in a low voice, lips grazing your cheek.
Noises you’ve never heard yourself make before tumble from your mouth as you moan and sob shamelessly. You try to bite your tongue, try not to fuel his ego, but his rhythm is too good at tearing down your guard, which is why you find yourself crying out, “Please don’t stop!”
He laughs, fucking you harder and faster, the stings of pain from his cock hitting you so deep morphing into a hot ache of pleasure that coils tighter and tighter in your core.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he growls.
His fingers, still on your throat press into your skin, not hard enough to cut off your air supply but just enough pressure to force out strangled moans. Your shoulders rub against the coarse material of his soccer kit, grounding you against him as he fucks you in punishing thrusts.
You don’t want to admit it, but your body can’t resist it.
“Fuck, gonna cum,” you mumble, eyes squeezed tight together.
“Yeah? You gonna cum for me like a good little slut?” he murmurs into your temples
The low rumble of his voice has the tension in your core ratcheting higher, pushing you closer to your release. Your head feels like it’s floating as the tight spring in your stomach coils until it finally snaps and has your knees buckling beneath you.
Hyuck keeps his speed steady, fucking you through your climax and savouring the way your walls clench around him in rigid spasms. Your orgasm triggers his and he clenches his jaw.
“Fuck, I'm gonna cum,” he ruts into you harder, and all you can do is moan for him.
“Please,” you whimper.
He chuckles at your submission - he’s never seen you like this before - so needy and desperate. He didn’t think it was possible to love anything about you; but this right here, you fucked out and pleading for his cum, yeah, he fucking loves it.
He ruts into you a last few times with thrusts that are wild and more frenzied, his thighs slapping against your ass. He contemplates cumming inside of you, but he figures he’d save that for another day since the two of you had forgotten about a condom and hadn’t really discussed it.
And…did he just think about having sex with you again?
With a loud groan that rattles against the metal in the empty locker room, Hyuck pulls out of your cunt and jerks his cock until he’s cumming onto the small of your back. Unable to stop yourself, you moan softly and a stupid smile spreads across your face when you hear him sigh.
After that it's silent, only your rapid breaths echoing in the room. He’s pressed against you, face buried in your neck, holding you and your weak legs in place. You stay like that for a beat, but then you remember who it is that’s just fucked you.
Without any more hesitation, you shake his grip and push him away from you. "Christ! Stop breathing down my neck. Fucking gross."
If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s your arch nemesis you would have stayed tangled up in him a little while longer, letting yourself get soaked up in the fact that that was the best sex you’ve ever had.
As you turn around to face him, he looks at you with the softest expression you’ve ever seen on his face.
“There’s a towel in my bag if you want to…”
You scoff, “How chivalrous of you.”
You pull the towel from the bag in his locker and start wiping at his cum on your back. Your body is turned away from him but you can still feel his eyes lingering on you as you wipe away.
You stop to look at him, “What are you still doing here? We have a game in like 10 minutes. Shouldn’t you be like…warming up or something?”
“I think I’m already warmed up,” he mumbles and you shake your head with a smile, going back to cleaning yourself off.
“Seriously, get on the pitch,” you demand when you see him still lingering.
There’s a hand in his hair, scratching his head and he looks a little flushed. You never see him like this, it’s weird. The Hyuck you know and loathe is cocky, smug, arrogant, all of those kinds of words; but the one in front of you looks so awkward, flushed. Is it weird you kinda like it?
“Are you waiting for me to tell you you aren’t a bad fuck or something? Seriously Hyuck, get lost,” you try and joke, pulling down your cheer uniform.
“No..I…” he stumbles.
You groan, “Oh no, don’t do this. Don’t make things weird.”
“I’m not—”
“Can’t you just be like a normal guy and…I don’t know, say it felt good to fuck me like you hate me or some shit?”
His eyes sweep over your face as if he were studying you. His face softens and he steps closer.
“I mean I could say that, because it felt fucking amazing actually,” he says and you swallow thickly. “But you’re wrong about one thing.”
You pause, freezing as he comes towards you. You don’t even register how close he is until you feel his breath on your lips and his chest against yours.
“What?”
“I don’t actually hate you that much,” he admits, and your eyes widen.
“Yeah right, funny joke,” you roll your eyes and laugh sarcastically but he’s not laughing with you. In fact he’s just looking at you, deadpan, and it’s starting to freak you out.
When you realise that he is in fact serious, you cross your hands across your chest.
“You’re not gonna start doing all that cheesy shit they do in the movies, where you profess your undying love for me, and tell me you never really hated me and it was all just a miscommunication, are you?”
“Fuck no!” He almost gags at the mention of it. “Just because I said I don’t hate you that much doesn’t mean I like you? Are you crazy?”
“Well I’m just making sure,” you poke his chest.
He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, “But I do wanna do this again…” he trails off so quietly that you wouldn’t have heard it if there was anybody else in the room with you.
“This?”
“Yes, this. Us. Fucking,” he explains. “I fucking hate you, but fuck, I think I love your pussy.”
1K notes · View notes
coralinnii · 2 months
Note
Congrats on 2.7k followers!! You deserve it! :D For the event, may I request Malleus, Azul, Jade and Floyd with a gentle giant S/O? As you can already guess, S/O is super tall (you can change this detail if you’d like, but perhaps they’d even be noticeably taller than Malleus?) and maybe even kind of intimidating because of it, but they’re very friendly, quiet, and gentle. 
Again, congratulations on your achievements!! Keep up the great work you’re doing 🥳
‧₊˚✧ My Statuesque Sweetheart ‧₊˚✧
Tumblr media
↳ Tall Gentle Giant/Reader
feat: Malleus ❋ Azul ❋ Jade ❋ Floyd genre: fluff note: no pronouns were used with the reader, I love beluga whales (it’ll make sense in Jade’s ver.),
Sooo…being someone that can’t relate to being tall :I, I went around to ask some of my taller friends to know what’s that like, so this took longer cuz of research. I also got into Genshin to prep for another prompt someone asked me and dang, do I gotta research on that too.
Similar prompt: Tall!reader who loves hugs
2.7K Followers Writing Event 2023
Tumblr media
You were certainly a surprise to him. In his long years, rarely does he find people where he doesn’t have to tilt his head down for once.
Despite your height, you were as cute and friendly as a woodland creature, a contrast to Malleus who exudes regal power without much effort. He’s fascinated by you as your stature can command the room yet your energy has a rather soothing effect on him and those around you. 
Man is saying you have zero scary dog energy, and that is adorable to him.
If you’re the affectionate type, congratulations! You’d be one of the few to be able (and allowed) to reach his horns. What started as curiosity soon became a habit as you made it your love language to care and clean Malleus’ iconic features. As a bonus, everytime you are done it’s fun to lay your head gently upon Malleus’, between his horns which catches him off guard no matter how often it happens. 
Having a tall man with money certainly has privileges as you now have access to his personal tailor as well. Was there a pair of pants you really like but it only reached your ankles? Not anymore, let the royal tailor deal with that and add some matching accessories to that. 
However you feel about your height, you are a sublime creature of beauty to Malleus. When he looks up to you smiling at him with the shining moon behind you highlighting your tall outline, he hasn’t seen anyone more otherworldly than you. 
You stand out amongst every human I have encountered. Hm? Ah, I do not refer to your stature but rather… the way you effortlessly capture my attention and ensnare my thoughts with visions of you.
Tumblr media
Azul being around an incredibly tall person? What else is new? Azul doesn’t feel all that insecure about his height, before or after meeting you.
Well, you’re definitely the most pleasant person he knows that towers over him, at least. He knows that many, him included, would use your sort of stature as an advantage over others. Instead, he likes your rather sweet nature and way of conduct. 
If you have stretch marks due to your rapid growth spurts, Azul would feel absolutely touched if you trusted him enough to show it. Azul would genuinely praise your resilience to may have been an aching and painful experience to go through. If you let him, he could create a potion to get rid of the marks if it truly makes you insecure, but he finds you beautiful no matter what. 
Watch him flinch and get flustered anytime you wrap your arms around him, smothering him with your taller form. You would laugh to see him so easily out of sorts if you press your weight onto him. He can handle it of course, but the heat of your all-encompassing hugs is vastly different from his time in the cold sea. 
Azul would provide certain things that would suit your needs that others may overlook. Suddenly, you would find blankets that can cover you entirely, or you were gifted a coat that is actually a long coat that doesn’t awkwardly cut off at a weird length on you. Mirrors in Azul’s private room are always suspiciously up to your eye-level whenever you visit. 
He’s happy to know that you see him as someone reliable regardless of that. He has an interesting way of showing his appreciation
Do you like the new decor of the Mostro Lounge? The new additions are quite beautiful and eye-catching. The tall but dazzling designs were inspired by you, after all.
Tumblr media
Oh my. What a sight to behold, you are. 
Jade doesn’t seem like the type to brag about his advantageous height, but he is aware that not many can reach his stature and even fewer actually pass him in that regard. 
He still treats you as courteously as he always does, even more so as the two of you start to grow closer. 
A nice bonus about having a tall boyfriend is that most of the things in his room are perfect for you! Beds you can fully stretch out in, actual full-length mirrors that don’t make you bend down, and furniture that doesn’t require you to squish yourself into. Jade’s (and Floyd’s) has become one of your favorite places to visit.
He does find it amusing that some people may find you intimidating because of your height as he knows that you were far from any definition of that word. Jade would chuckle to himself whenever he sees you getting happy or excited, like watching a playful beluga whale squeaking in joy. Your gentle features and bright smile shines through any misconceptions of your intimidating form. 
Though not quite used to it, Jade doesn’t mind having to crane his neck to meet your gaze. Especially not when he could watch your adorable quizzical expression as he asked you to lower your head to him, only to whisper teasing words into your ear. He especially finds it fun to watch you jump to your full height in flustered surprise, even occasionally bumping your head on a hanging decoration. 
Really, how could he resist you? 
Do you need rest, my love? Perhaps a cup of tea can soothe your aches and joints while you sit.
Tumblr media
Oh, Floyd would have no issues with you being taller than him. Probably the opposite, really.
Don’t @ me but I fully believe Floyd has a thing for legs, be it his own or others. He’s so fascinated by these human features that you may even catch him blatantly staring appreciatively at your legs. 
“What’s the big deal? They’re right there, who can blame me?”
He will however, with full confidence, laugh his lungs out if you hit your head on the door frame or trip on an ottoman seat you didn’t notice. Maybe he’ll rub the ouchie away but he’ll be laughing while he does.
Be prepared for impromptu fashion shows with custom made shoes to show off your gorgeous mile-long legs. Floyd could spend hours looking through online shopping with you, showing you websites that specifically cater to tall drinks of water like yourself.
This man will be floored by the experience of being the little spoon of a hug. To be able to lean into your arms and rest his head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat while you  lovingly pat his hair? You can be unknowingly smothering him and he’ll be loving every moment of it. 
Regardless if you’re confident or not, Floyd loves to take you dancing. If you’re not confident in your dancing, Floyd is more than happy to lead you with every beat until you have fun. The man just loves to see the flashing lights paint your body, with your smile being the brightest of them all.
Did you get taller, Shrimpy? Aha ha, just pulling your leg there! Though, wouldn’t make a difference to me. You’re still a hottie even if you, hehe!
338 notes · View notes
sminiac · 3 months
Note
Heyy can we get soul bf if not its okay i really live your intak,theo and keeho ver.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
⋆ Haku Shota + Reader
💌 — Of course I can my sweets! Thank you sm <3!!!
Tumblr media
Bf!Soul who buys you the silliest gifts whether he’s travelling or not, the type to see ads of utterly ridiculous items that would have no practical value to it and still put them into his cart without hesitation and giggles to himself when handing the package to you when it comes in, wouldn’t say a word even if you repeatedly ask him what it is, just sits and waits patiently for you to open it.
Ex: Sometimes he even goes out of his way to buy you matching accessories, but sometimes it’s the most absurd looking thing you’ll ever see. Also yk how he has 2 custom rings of his dogs? He’d 100% get custom pieces for the two of you, the design pertaining to something that only you and him understand! Would also get a few pieces with your initials engraved in the back, another little secret only you’d know about.
Bf!Soul who doesn’t like messaging you when he’s away, he absolutely will when there’s no other option but he’d much rather hear your voice, and he makes sure to tell you too! “I just missed hearing you talk to me that’s why I called, it makes me feel better, you know?” He’d also send you little texts throughout the day to keep you updated on where he is, what he’s doing, but they’d never be in great detail, you’d look down randomly at your phone and there’s just: “Baby I ate a bug!!” and “Walked head first into a pole >ヮ< I’m okay I think”
Ex: He’d also frequently tell you “I miss you” but every time he’d explain why, and it would almost always be a different reason each time :,)
Bf!Soul who is such an affectionate person, hugs and kisses given to you for the smallest reasons, you open something for him? You’re suddenly being smothered in kisses, they’re so quick and gentle that before you know it he’s pulling away like he didn’t just leave you blinded and dizzy from his lips. Also the type to hug you unexpectedly, just slowly raises his arms leaving his chest open until you get the hint and pull yourself into him, the same with holding your hand, but instead he’d keep reaching, pulling, trying to dig his fingers to his designated spot between yours.
Bf!Soul who builds you the cutest, most aesthetic buildings you’ve ever seen in your shared Minecraft world, the amount of time and effort he’d put into making everything pretty for you is insane. Takes care of your cats, dogs, and other random plethora of animals when you’re offline, would also leave you random little signs with messages on them for you to find whenever you’re active again, sometimes they’re just silly nonsense, others you’ll find really cute ones of him just completely gushing over you.
Bf!Soul who I feel like is so “Guess what Y/n did?” To his members, a constant yapper about you, if you’ve done anything to your hair recently, that one makeup look you did, that outfit you wore, that thing you said, everything and anything he’s constantly connecting to you and then he just has to tell everyone!
Bf!Soul who lets you do anything you want to him, he’s just pure putty in your hands! You want to put his hair in cute pigtails again? He’s already finding a spot between your legs so you have easier access to his head. You want to see him in a certain outfit? He’s laying out all of his options for you to pick from, and he doesn’t complain even one bit throughout the process.
Ex: Small spontaneous photoshoots happen quite often with this, does so many poses for you, even refers to you as his ‘pretty photographer’ when crediting you in the caption of his posts for taking the pictures of him.
Bf!Soul who would request of you to send your favourite songs to him just so he can make a freestyle video for you :,)
Bf!Soul who I feel like puts an incredible amount of effort into conveying his love for you, he really appreciates someone who can even help him, whether that’s guiding him into the words he can’t seem to find or just simply being patient with him. Likes cuddling into you while you play with his hair as he rambles on and on about you, what you mean to him, how lucky he must be to have found someone so reactive to his energy that not a lot of people can match in the way he feels is genuine. When he has the time he really gets into the details about how he feels, the emotion behind it, I feel like he’d really like the deep, touching talks late at night where everything just pieces together right in front of his eyes thanks to your presence, your kind heart. He could talk to you for hours, things are just easy with you.
345 notes · View notes
ghostradiodylan · 4 months
Text
I subscribed to a Russian dataminer for cut content from The Quarry. You’re not supposed to share and I understand why and support paying people for their work! Buuuut I also understand why people might be hesitant to pay someone in Russia on a poorly translated website to access this stuff, so I’m gonna take my chances with potentially being banned because a couple of these things the Quarry fandom at large needs to see! Screenshots and discussion under the cut.
[you can subscribe or send tips here if you’re interested, they do have more SMG stuff including cut DPA content]
Tumblr media
Thank you @insertlovelyperson for this!
These are somewhat Ryan and/or Dylan centric because I find them the most interesting, but they also had the most story-impacting cut content IMO.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
RYAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO WARN DYLAN ABOUT THE WEREWOLF OUTSIDE THE RADIO HUT.
I know I’ve talked to a bunch of people about this. I know @andromaqves was one and I can’t remember who else but omfg, justice for Ryan!! I think they cut this because they made the werewolf more obvious than Justice's performance indicated but THAT MAKES IT WORSE. DO YOU NOT SEE HOW THAT MAKES IT WORSE YOU GUYS?!
Ryan also could have had the chance to actually get a shot off against Silas in the version of the radio hut scene where Dylan isn't bitten, and he'd think he had killed the werewolf.
Tumblr media
Then as he's heading back to the radio hut, Dylan warns him that it's coming back and we get the rest of the scene as it plays out in the game.
Tumblr media
I get why they cut this, because if they established for certain that regular bullets can't actually harm the werewolves, there's no stakes to Abi potentially shooting Nick, but it's a cool sequence, it's always good to see the boys work together, and it would have been AWESOME if Ryan could have been infected here instead of Dylan!
This exchange just made me laugh:
Kaitlyn to Ryan: you really look up to Mr. Hackett.
Ryan: Yeah, he’s always been nice to me.
Kaitlyn: Well, so have I!
Ryan: A few days ago I slipped on wet grass and ate shit and you laughed and shouted ‘Nice Walkin Christopher Walken' and everyone called me that for the rest of the day.
Kaitlyn: See, you get my best bits! 😂😂😂
Tumblr media
Dylan reads Ryan the synopsis of a romance novel they find in Mr. H’s office that appears to be a thinly veiled reference to the bonfire love triangle. 😂
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ryan and Kaitlyn: actually showing care and concern for Dylan post-amputation instead of pretending it didn't happen.
Dylan, in shock but still an asshole: I'm fine, I’m doing better than Kaylee Hackett. 💀
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Again, this is just funny and a great question from Emma.
Tumblr media
Abi can not be into the kiss with Nick, presumably due to the no-longer-in-place relationship system. I'm betting if you didn't get their relationship stats up you would get this result.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Laura claims to Ryan that Chris Hackett drunkenly admitted that his family was KILLING PEOPLE who were investigating them, but there's nothing else to back that up in the datamine that I've found so far (not that I think she made it up lol, just that it would have been interesting if the Chris scene was cut to remove that too).
Tumblr media
And the one my heart can't fucking take, Kaitlyn and Dylan on the way to the scrapyard variant where Ryan has kissed Kaitlyn at the bonfire and they actually talk about it because she asks Dylan if he's jealous of Laura getting to go off with Ryan. He says he's jealous but not of Laura...
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
"You're pretty awesome and I'm... just Dylan" 😭 😭 😭
And, "you guys seem like you've got a connection"?? Kaitlyn as Rylan shipper, confirmed. 💖
More details and discussion on the Discord @itscomingupaces made us: https://discord.com/invite/RHgdqBBXh7
149 notes · View notes
Text
The task of the Palestinian is to be palatable or to be condemned. The task of the Palestinian, we’ve seen in the past two weeks, is to audition for empathy and compassion. To prove that we deserve it. To earn it. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve watched Palestinian activists, lawyers, professors get baited and interrupted on air, if not silenced altogether. They are being made to sing for the supper of airtime and fair coverage. They are begging reporters to do the most basic tasks of their job. At the same time, Palestinians fleeing from bombs have been misidentified. Even when under attack, they must be costumed as another people to elicit humanity. Even in death, they cannot rest — Palestinians are being buried in mass graves or in old graves dug up to make room, and still there is not enough space. If that weren’t enough, Palestinian slaughter is too often presented ahistorically, untethered to reality: It is not attributed to real steel and missiles, to occupation, to policy. To earn compassion for their dead, Palestinians must first prove their innocence. The real problem with condemnation is the quiet, sly tenor of the questions that accompany it: Palestinians are presumed violent — and deserving of violence — until proved otherwise. Their deaths are presumed defensible until proved otherwise. What is the word of a Palestinian against a machinery that investigates itself, that absolves itself of accused crimes? What is it against a government whose representatives have referred to Palestinians as “human animals” and “wild beasts?” When a well-suited man can say brazenly and unflinchingly that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people? It is, of course, a remarkably effective strategy. A slaughter isn’t a slaughter if those being slaughtered are at fault, if they’ve been quietly and effectively dehumanized — in the media, through policy — for years. If nobody is a civilian, nobody can be a victim.
[...]
I don’t hesitate for a second to condemn the killing of any child, any massacre of civilians. It is the easiest ask in the world. And it is not in spite of that but because of that I say: Condemn the brutalization of bodies. By all means, do. Condemn murder. Condemn violence, imprisonment, all forms of oppression. But if your shock and distress comes only at the sight of certain brutalized bodies? If you speak out but not when Palestinian bodies are besieged and murdered, abducted and imprisoned? Then it is worth asking yourself which brutalization is acceptable to you, even quietly, even subconsciously, and which is not. Name the discrepancy and own it. If you can’t be equitable, be honest. There is nothing complicated about asking for freedom. Palestinians deserve equal rights, equal access to resources, equal access to fair elections and so forth. If this makes you uneasy, then you must ask yourself why.
160 notes · View notes
daisyjoyflower · 5 months
Text
My thoughts/theory on the socioeconomic status of the main characters in Danny Phantom;
Tucker Foley - Middle class
It would seem he has been to the Amusement Park that Sam refers to in “Attack of the Killer Garage Sale” (as he knows the price to get it and the food expenses) meaning it is within his reach to go there, but not on a moment’s notice and not frequently, as he declines her offer to go, due to the expenses.
He can afford things like his PDAs, however he mentions in one episode that his current PDA isn’t paid off yet. This shows, his family, like many, can afford to make payments on electronic devices, however do have to pay in monthly installments and it’s a big enough deal that Tucker, at 14, is conscientious of the fact that his device is not paid off yet.
While we only see a few shots of Tucker’s house, it seems to be a fairly normal house and his bedroom appears to be a standard size bedroom (unlike Danny’s and Sam’s which are larger).
Even though he can’t afford unplanned trips to the amusement park and needs to make payments on certain items, he is never shown to be struggling for necessities, such as food and clothes.
This therefore, leads me to the conclusion that the Foleys are a part of the middle class.
————————————————————————
Danny Fenton - Upper Class
In “Attack of the Killer Garage Sale,” Danny’s parents make the statement that, as Fenton’s, they have plenty of money (but tell Danny he needs to earn his)
In “The Ultimate Enemy”, Jazz is seen to be telling her classmates that she has to choose between Hartford, Stanford, and Yale (all of which are expensive schools). Never is the money needed to go to these schools, mentioned as a problem though. And that can’t be blamed on “the show not tackling such issues,” as after Valerie’s family looses their money, Valerie is shown to have to work a job in order to save up for college. Therefore, it seems to be implied that the Fentons can afford to send Jazz to such a school, and still pay for Danny to go to college, two years later. The only loophole to this would be Jazz having a full ride scholarship to the school of her choosing, which is possible, but not probable.
When we see Danny’s house, it on the outside appears to be a normal size two story house, however Danny’s bedroom looks to be bigger than the average bedroom, some shots even making it look like it could be the size of a master bedroom. As well, both him and Jazz (the two kids of the house) are shown to have their own tvs in their bedrooms, something that isn’t standard, especially not at the time the show aired.
His parents have to pay for their ghost hunting equipment somehow.
This all makes it seem likely that Danny is actually from the upper class. It’s just not glaringly obvious, probably because his parents, rather than spend money on typical rich people things, such as fancy homes, ect., choose to spend their money on ghost hunting and lab equipment.
———————————————————————
Sam Manson - The 1%
The Mansons appear to be rich far beyond the Fentons. Sam states that her family is filthy rich. She was also self conscious enough about the amount of money they have, that she kept it hidden from Tucker and Danny for a long time.
Their house is huge. They have a screening room, bowling alley, middle of the night access to delivery services, and are said to be able to afford a plane and/or a yacht, most of which are out of reach to average upper class citizens.
There is an episode where she rhetorically asks why her parents can’t have day jobs, like normal parents, implying that her parents don’t work, at least not in the traditional sense.
She mentions that their money comes from her great grandfather, which tells us that her family’s fortune is “old money,” and there is enough of it that it’s been around for generations (though that fortune has probably grown over the years from being invested in the stock market and such)
With all this in mind, it seems the Manson’s are a part of the 1% or close to it.
109 notes · View notes
merakiui · 2 years
Note
Feral octotrio finding reader or mc stuck in a breeding bench while she's begging them to ether get her out or leave her alone~ too bad the boys are in heat ~ XD I love imaging them being territorial, fighting amongst themselves for her like she's food before compromising ~
Octavinelle after hours sure are something. :)
(cw: yandere, nsfw, female reader, breeding kink/pregnancy mention, aphrodisiac use, implied dub-con, restraints, mention of blackmail)
They’re terrible. <3 they find you stuck in that bench and smiles sharpen on their faces. What a blessing this is. You’re really too generous, letting them use your tight, little hole for as long as they want. You might be overwhelmed with aphrodisiacs and by the time they’ve all had a go you’re probably too fucked out to even think coherently. If you think they’re all going to be satisfied with a single round, you’re sorely mistaken. Seeing your restrained body twitching and your chest rising and falling with every panting breath really has them pushing each other out of the way to get to you again. The visual is so very pleasing; you can be certain they’ll take a few photos to commemorate the evening. It also works as good blackmail.
You’ll be so exhausted and sore by the end of it, covered and filled to the brim with cum. You might even be begging them for more despite everything, and they think that’s so cute. If only you were more pliant and cooperative like this, but that’s what aphrodisiacs are for. Floyd stuffs any cum that’s dripping from your hole back inside, laughing to himself when you instinctively grind against his fingers. He tells Jade and Azul that they ought to keep you in the VIP room as stress relief. That’s all you’re really good for anyway since you can’t use magic and it’ll be much better if they can trap you in a contract while you’re so out of it, drunk on mind-numbing pleasure. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Having 24/7 access to you whenever they please is very ideal. You might not agree with it when you’re fully aware, but they’ll get you to see the upsides to it eventually.
Azul definitely told you he wanted to marry you in the height of his climax and you had nodded dumbly, broken wails spilling from your bruised lips. Maybe he’ll have you sign a marriage contract before you pass out. It’ll come in handy once you’re pregnant. Then you really can’t leave him. Floyd probably makes the salacious pictures he took of you his background on his phone so that he can stare at you whenever he wants (he’s notorious for whipping out his phone in class just to scroll through those photos and on full brightness, too). You can bet he’s hunting you down as soon as class ends to drag you off into an empty classroom so that you can take care of his hard-on. Jade probably enjoyed the fact that you were stuck in that bench way more than Azul and Floyd did. He’ll tease you about it whenever the chance arises. When you try to get out of working overtime at the lounge, he’ll pout and say something like: “I was under the impression you enjoyed our company. Perhaps we should consult someone a little more agreeable.” And he’ll play the video he took of you (at full volume with no shame) and you’re so cock-drunk that everything you say sounds like it’s come straight from one of Idia’s hentai doujins.
Speaking of Idia, you are never letting him persuade you into getting into that bench ever again. He quite literally fed you to the fish. </3 at least the photos make for good pose references. He’ll have to pay up if he wants to get a look at them. After all, pictures of Azul’s angelfish aren’t cheap. But since it’s Idia, there’s really nothing to fear. He’ll either use them for references or he’ll use them as visual aids when he masturbates. He’s really just as pathetic as Azul. orz
704 notes · View notes
nobody-for-sure · 1 year
Text
Language Barrier
Since there might still be some confusion: friendship levels dictate which words can be understood at any given time (which obviously increases by level). As a result, depending on the words used and the complexity of the discussion, characters of middle levels may be able to understand everything or almost nothing in a sentence.
Chapter 16
(~2.6k words, see chapter list here)
Tumblr media
You have to take a moment to reassure yourself that all those yandere fanfictions were way out of character, because otherwise you'd be running for the hills already.
"What do you mean, I can't leave?" you ask slowly. Already, you're getting a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.
"Just what I said," the yaksha responds blandly. "You saw, didn't you?"
It takes you a minute to figure out what he's referring to, but then it hits you. Ah. The cliff from before. "Do you mean the whole mountain is like that?"
He gives a single nod, and you grimace. In that case, you did see. Certainly, no one's getting up or down by foot; it was far too steep for that. Furthermore, a portion of the side of the mountain appeared to be delicately concave. You doubt anyone - much less you - could climb it. (In fact, given which nation you're in... you're starting to wonder if it was deliberately built that way. Perhaps this is intended to be a place only certain people can access?)
While you're wondering about this, Xiao reaffirms your initial realization. "If you can't use the thing, you can't leave. That's the only way."
"But- you don't use the waypoi- the thing, right?"
"No, I don't."
"So we can still leave that way, can't we?"
Xiao looks you in the eye and raises an eyebrow. "Can you?"
You pause. It feels like a trick question somehow, but Xiao's not really the roundabout type. "Well, uh... you can, right?"
"If you think I can take you with me, think again."
You feel like he's just pulled the rug out from underneath you. "What??? Why not?" But he's teleported with the traveler before, right?
"Your ikvuru is too kravxw."
"My what is too what?!" A note of panic creeps into your voice, now that your last hope is crumbling in front of you.
In response, the adeptus gives you a discerning look. "Qpog down," he says. His voice is not especially gentle, but it lacks the same harshness as sometimes. He purses his lips. "...I can't say it any vupsqyw. Think about it. You are far more pejvubas than me... even if you can't ipuuvj udypyxe your vubas. No one can ipywou uxopesyroq such poyxroxwfew poxruqupu ikvuru without ugruetuwrag, which is what you're asking me to do." He pauses. "Do you get it?"
Not even a little bit, you want to say, but you run his words through your head again. There's room for interpretation, for sure. The situation must be a lot more complicated than you expected, since he presumably explained the easiest way possible, and you still only caught half of it. But his end message is clear: one way or another, it seems what you're asking simply can't be done.
Is it because you're the Divine Creator?
"Think about it." Who would be capable of moving an all-powerful being through space-time on a whim?
"No one," you say slowly, uncertainly echoing the words you caught. "No one can do it."
Xiao nods once. "Ipxgocu. That's why the things were made."
Your shoulders slump. Welp. That's that, then. There's no way I'm making it down that alive. Looks like my dumb ass is finally going to suffer the consequences of my actions-
Your stomach suddenly gurgles unceremoniously.
-by starving to death on this mountaintop, probably. You grimace. Between the teleportation, the hilichurl encounter, and your time with Xiao, the sun has all but vanished from the sky. The last time you ate was around midday. By now, you probably would've eaten dinner with the others at the inn, but...
"Oh shit, the others." Your mind suddenly jumps back to your poor stranded escort squad back at the inn. You initially planned to send them a message once you got down the mountain, but now... "Xiao, at the inn - uh, the place I came from - there's some people who were with me. Can you please go and tell them what happened and apologize for me?" you say in a rush. "They-"
The yaksha vanishes in a flash of teal light before you have a chance to describe your companions. ...Well, you're grateful that he understood the urgency of the situation, at least. You gnaw at your lip, imagining their reaction to you suddenly up and disappearing. Fuck. Sorry, guys. I didn't think I wouldn't be able to teleport back OR get down. Have they stayed put at the inn, or did they spread out to search for you? What does one do when the person they're guarding literally vanishes into thin air?
Well, panic, probably.
You slide down against the cave wall, internally cringing and apologizing again. You're fairly confident Xiao will be able to find them if anyone can, but between this and the Mondstadt incident, you really need to stop disappearing on people who are trying to help you.
Well, this is the last time, I swear, you resolve. I will not randomly go off somewhere again without at least telling somebody I'm with where I'm going.
...Probably.
Tumblr media
You flick a pebble at the wall across from you. It bounces off a jagged edge, skittering across the floor and landing by your foot. You stare at it for a moment before picking it up and repeating the motion.
You're bored.
It's hard to say how long it's been since Xiao left. The last ray of sunlight disappeared shortly after he did, and the minutes crawl by in the darkness of the cave. You don't risk dragging yourself over to the entrance to see if you can catch a glimpse of the moon, though. If there are any more enemies nearby, you're fucked. You could call for the yaksha again, of course, but the two of you are on questionable terms as-is, so you'd hate to incur his wrath unnecessarily.
If you could handle the enemies, that would be another story. But, for whatever reason, whatever powers you apparently have don't seem to work like they're supposed to. Exhibit A: the waypoint. Which could be the fault of the waypoint and not you, but you have your doubts. Especially since...
"Wind," you say, willing a gust of air to sweep through the tunnel. "I mean, anemo. Air. Breeze. Come on, work with me here." You sweep your arm like a catalyst user, but nothing happens except an unhappy grumble from your stomach.
Exhibit B. You lean back against the wall again. You thought maybe if Xiao couldn't teleport with you, maybe you'd be able to teleport yourself in the same way, but it seems that's not going to happen. "That's why the things were made", he said. Are you not actually able to wield the elements, despite being the Divine Creator? Is your golden blood just for show? You already can't understand the language - not really, anyway. And after spending some more time here, it's as you thought before: even if you did manage to learn the language of Teyvat, you'd never be able to speak it. You can already imagine your vocal chords weeping after a single sentence.
Will you only ever be able to interact with this world through (formerly) playable characters?
You sigh, which turns into a shiver. Without the sun, and this high up in the mountains, it's understandably a bit chilly. Maybe you should give your powers another shot.
You sweep your arm half-heartedly. "Pyro-" The cave is suddenly bathed in warm light, and you excitedly sit up straight. Was that me? Did I do that?!
...But no, it's no doing of your own. A small wrapped parcel falls at your feet. "Here," Xiao says bluntly. His face is illuminated by the soft glow of a torch, which he's holding stiffly out, indicating for you to take it. His brow is furrowed slightly, but in this lighting it's hard to tell if he's irritated or if that's merely his neutral face. You take the torch quickly, just in case.
"Did-" you start, but he disappears before you can get any further. You slump a bit at being brushed off, but your attention switches to the abandoned parcel before you can dwell on it too much. It seems to have been wrapped in a haste, tied with a very elaborate-looking bow made of slightly frayed twine. Should I open it?
But then again, it might not even be for you in the first place. After all, the torch was the only thing Xiao specifically handed you. It's entirely possible the package is his, and he just dropped it on accident. If so, you're definitely better off not messing with it.
You eye the fancy bow some more. ...Not exactly Xiao's style, though.
Cautiously, you use your free hand to pull the package towards you. The contents shift - there's multiple things inside. You pull the end of the twine, and the wrapping falls open.
A sweet, smokey aroma fills the cave, and you inhale agressively. Food. Eagerly, you push back the edges and peer inside. Ham, bacon, and sausage are stuffed into the package, along with a pair of chopsticks and a single sprig of mint for decoration. One slice of ham has some kind of sauce drizzled on in the shape of a messy six-pointed star.
Your eyes widen. Die Heilige Sinfonie!
There's no doubt about it. It's Fischl's special dish: identical to the cold cut platter, except it's freshly made and piping hot.
You beam. He found them.
With impeccable timing, the adeptus reappears, holding a flask of water and a thick bundle of fabric in his arms. He barely spares you a glance before setting them down a few feet away and vanishing again immediately. You blink: it's a sleeping bag, along with a small pillow and an extra blanket.
Xiao is a puzzle. You know there's something he's hiding, and his initial cold reaction is admittedly concerning... but despite that, he actually seems quite willing to help you, even if he's being a bit prickly about it. He reminds you a bit of a cat, and you stifle a laugh with a bite of ham.
Thank you, Xiao.
You get about halfway through the meal before he returns again, this time with arms full of tinder. He dumps it all off to the side of the cave before squatting down and starting to build a campfire. "I hungulg the thing," he states.
Damn, he's efficient. Not only did he find your companions as you asked, but he's also anticipated your other needs and acted preemptively, AND he's had spare time to take a look at the problematic waypoint already. All feats made easier by teleportation no doubt, but impressive nonetheless. For someone who spends a lot of time by himself, he's better at taking care of someone than you expected.
"...So...?"
"...Things aren't looking good for you."
"Ah, fuck. It's broken, isn't it?"
He eyes you, and you belatedly realize it's the first time you've sworn out loud. Not very Creator-like of you. Perhaps he didn't understand that word, though, because he continues normally. "No, the thing is fine. Which means the qupfavs is you."
You pale when your mind fills in the blank, but his gaze merely shifts back to his work, completely unfazed. "If you used the thing to get here, you should be able to get back, too. I have no uepg what you did kravb."
You swallow your food. "I don't know, either." It was the exact same thing both times, wasn't it?
He sighs deeply and holds his hand out to you for the torch, taking it to light the now-built campfire. "We'll see bavvaqax. For now, eat. Then sleep." He summons his polearm and strolls toward the cave entrance. "I will be here." He speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, but it's comforting to hear, knowing how diligent he is. The vigilant yaksha truly lives up to his moniker.
It makes you all the more aware of your shortcomings.
"Hey, Xiao." The yaksha turns his head slightly in acknowledgement, but keeps his gaze fixed on the horizon as he takes his place guarding the entrance. You take it as a sign to continue. "I've been thinking. I'm... the Creator, right?" It feels weird to say out loud, especially since no one's been able to confirm it verbally to you yet. "Why can't I leave the same way as you?" Why can't I teleport anywhere in Teyvat at the drop of a hat? Why can't I levitate chunks of rocks and build myself a staircase to get down from this stupid mountain? Why can't I summon even the slightest breeze? "Why can't I do anything?"
He exhales through his nose. "Why could you?"
It's not the answer you expected. "What do you mean?"
He shifts his posture without looking back. "Why would you be able to do that if you haven't learned how?"
...Huh. That... somehow did not occur to you before. In your defense, you'd kind of assumed if you were an all-powerful being, you'd just naturally be able to do cool stuff by wanting it to happen. Apparently not. But then again, most of your assumptions so far have been wrong, so it's no surprise if what he says is true.
If anything, you think it might actually be good news. Now that you think of it, you have a vague recollection of the Traveler being instructed by Paimon, too. Maybe your situation isn't as hopeless as you thought it might be. "In that case, you can teach me, right? Then I can do it."
For a few moments, the adeptus does not respond. In fact, he gives no sign at all that he even heard what you said, merely staring off into the distance without moving. You can't see the expression on his face when he finally sighs.
"No. I can't." His words ring with such a sense of finality that you can't bring yourself to say anything else on the matter. In silence, you finish your (hot) cold cut platter and climb into your sleeping bag while he continues guarding the entrance.
Given your circumstances, you don't expect to fall asleep quickly. But you must feel safe, because it's not long before your eyelids start to feel heavy, and you begin to nod off. You were traveling the whole day, after all.
As you teeter on the edge of consciousness, you think you hear Xiao say something. But the words are distant and quiet, and you can't tell if you heard right, or if it was just wishful thinking in the first place. Or perhaps you're already asleep after all. Regardless, the words stick in the back of your mind.
"Also... I never said I wasn't happy to see you again."
Tumblr media
Dread curdles in your stomach at the familiar scene. Your friends and loved ones are gathered before you again, but this is isn't right. This isn't real.
It's a dream, you repeat to yourself, trying to subconsciously block out what you know comes next. A dream. But acknowledging that fact doesn't make it disappear. You are helpless to escape the inevitable, no matter how much you wish it.
No. Not again. I don't want to see this again.
A light breeze ruffles your hair, as if answering your plea. You stiffen at the unusual sensation. This isn't a part of the dream you know.
But the wind brushes your cheek softly, sweeping away a lone tear. Slowly, you begin to relax. And then, one by one... the people fade. The scenery changes, and you're left standing in a field of flowers with nothing but the sound of a distant flute for company.
Ah, is your last thought before you sink deeper into the realm of unconsciousness, it's you.
331 notes · View notes
hiskillingjar · 20 days
Note
Hey! I hope you're having a nice day. I'm the anon that asked about the inside names a while ago, I really appreciate you getting out of your way to answer me! <3. I was thinking, could you please write Ren x Strade where Ren gets jealous of one of the new victims and Strade "consoles" him by letting him watch TV with him in the sofa and *maybe* having some fun only the two of them? I firmly believe that Strade canonically did those kind of things (even if we didn't see it) to keep Ren closer and not make him want to escape. You're free to decline the request btw, no pressure intended! Hope you have a great day (:
huh…the poison really DOES drip through (that's a succession reference because i enjoy quality television)
1700+ words, she/her for a fem mc
Ren had grown accustomed to his new routine in Strade’s domain, for lack of a better word.
In the mornings (or early afternoons), he’d wake up, make breakfast, clean up after himself, then maybe, occupy his time with a new show or his filtered internet access. Mid-day, he’d eat lunch, take a nap, and, of course, try not to get himself killed (an important task!) In the evenings, if he made it that long, he’d make dinner, clean up, and maybe have a bath to balm his new wounds, before going to bed.
Then the cycle would start all over again, day after day.
It was easy, despite the danger, and it was stable, and though he was smart enough to know that this wasn't what a life should be, living like a captive animal, too scared to make even one mistake lest he be punished for it, there was a certain comfort to knowing exactly what he was going to do, every day for the rest of his life.
Hence, his irritation when a new pet had come in and fucked all that up.
And hence why now he was cleaning up after a dinner he hadn't even made (or enjoyed enough to warrant his exchange of chores. She was a vegetarian, for god's sake.)
He seethed silently to himself, dragging the metal scouring sponge up and down a greasy frying pan, sticky with brown sauce and burnt tofu, turning the dishwater a muddy brown colour.
This was just about the chores, he told himself, this was about the disruption to his routine throwing him out of wack and disorientating him, it was just that.
His anger surely had nothing to do with the beaming smile Strade gave her when she presented dinner, reminding the young man of a husband and a new (inexperienced) wife, or the way he pet her hair all the while as he ate, or even the way he complimented the meal, commenting that she should make dinner more often, because "Ren's got a routine about his cooking" and he’d grown bored of it.
It was nothing to do with that, surely.
No way. 
“God, I can see that scowl from the other room.”
Ren let out a surprised yip when he heard Strade’s voice, dropping the pan in the soapy water and soaking the front of his tank top.
He always had a way of sneaking up on him.
“S-Strade,” Ren replied, looking over his shoulder to the older man, who was idling in the doorway of the kitchen, picking his teeth. “Sorry, I, um…I’m just doing the dishes.”
“I can see that,” Strade replied as if it was obvious (and it was) before he crossed the threshold of the kitchen and paced towards the younger man. "You're looking pretty dour, Ren. Why the long face, hm?" He then asked, raising a brow and leaning against the kitchen island, his hip slightly cocked.
"It's…it’s nothing," Ren murmured softly, his gaze going back and switching between his shaking hands, bunched up in the front of his murky grey tank top, and the dirty dishwater where the pan was still waiting to be cleaned.
"It's not nothing, otherwise you wouldn't be in such a mood," Strade retorted with a huffed chuckle. "Come on, tell me what's on your mind. I can’t deal with you acting bitchy for the rest of the evening."
"I just..." Ren sighed, forcing himself to relax. He had a tendency to be on edge around Strade, though. 
“Just?” Strade drawled out. “Don’t lie to me, Ren. You know how bad you are at it.”
"I…” Ren’s voice was barely a whisper as he glanced off to the side, his face heating up and feeling hot. “I miss you, I suppose."
"You…miss me?" Strade sounded genuinely surprised as he took a step closer, encroaching on the younger man’s space, as he so often did. "Well, that’s pretty silly. We live in the same house, buddy. I see you every day."
"You know what I mean," Ren replied quietly, biting his lip, his sharp, little fangs hooking over his lips and marking them with stark indentations, about to bleed. "It’s like….since you picked up the new girl, it's just been...different, ya know. Like, with everything and not just…mm, between us."
Strade was quiet for a good while, his golden eyes drifting upwards with thought, before he let out a good-humoured chuckle (low and pleasant and rumbling), shaking his head fondly as he stepped even closer to the young man and slid his big palm along the exposed skin of his back. 
"Are you jealous, Ren?" Strade murmured, his voice low and almost teasing.
"Of course, I'm fucking jealous," Ren replied openly (he was never good at lying anyway), his voice an irritated rasp as his extremities bristled with nervous (quietly delighted) energy at being touched so intimately. "I’m all alone and you've got a new...thing to play with. She's even doing all my chores, like...like you're husband and wife or something"
"Mm," Strade hummed with subdued amusement, resting his stubbly chin on Ren's shoulder and rubbing at the space where his skin and tail met. It was incredibly sensitive. "See, I always thought you didn't like my games...you fought back hard enough that I thought that way, anyway..."
"I-I don't," Ren said, his fingers curling into tight fists, trying to ignore the little jolts of pleasure that shot through his back as Strade pressed his thumb against the nub of flesh at the base of his tail. "But I, ah...i-it was worth it when you were nice to me, you know. Now, you just...ignore me. I hate it."
"Hmph," Strade huffed out a chuckle, so effortlessly charming, so easily likeable, no wonder he had no trouble picking up new prey. "Come now, there's no reason to be jealous. You know you're my first, don't you, fuchs?"
Ren said nothing but shivered as he felt Strade lean in even closer, felt his hot breath on his skin, the warmth and lowness of his accent when he said his pet name for the younger man enough to make every part of his body throb with desperate, needing want. 
He was a sucker, that was for damn sure. 
"You'll always be my first. Having someone new here doesn't get rid of that." Strade's hand ran further down, stroking over his tail before landing on his backside, giving it a firm grope. "There really is no reason at all to be jealous of someone new...though I have to admit, it's incredibly cute."
"Strade-" Ren whimpered, shaking hands gripping the edge of the marble counter (expensive, bespoke, how much blood had been spilt for him to afford this kitchen, this house, this life?)
"If I were a worse person, I'd use that to my advantage, you know." He continued, his fingers greedily palming Ren's ass before slipping beneath his shorts and reaching to the front. cupping and squeezing his slowly hardening cock as he pressed his cheek to Ren's, stubble-dotted skin against his, smooth and youthful and ripe for the taking. "Take this opportunity to see you really rip into my new pet, tear her apart, just for you to prove how loyal you are to me."
Ren bit his lip hard enough that he felt the slow trickle of blood bead down his chin, but the pain didn't deter him from shifting his hips forward and seeking more of Strade's warm grip.
"But, well..." The older man mused. "I'm pretty bad, but I'm not that bad."
"Mm," Ren moaned, bringing his fist to his lips to keep himself quiet (and to wipe away the blood) as Strade worked his cock to full hardness, his knot swelling with blood. "You're awful..."
"Ah, I don't think you mind," He quipped with another low chuckle, pressing his lips to Ren's cheek and squeezing him a little tighter. "Otherwise you wouldn't be jealous."
"Ngh-" Ren's hands went down to Strade's, his weak grip pulling at his wrist and his hips shifting forward even more, desperate for any degree of attention that the older man would give him, no matter the cost.
"You're my boy, Ren," Strade reminded him, his lips trailing down his trembling jaw, in a gesture as close to a kiss that someone like Strade could manage. "My number one. I'll never be able to replace that. You do know that, don’t you?"
"Mmhmm, yeah," Ren stammered, his voice weak and quiet and so utterly submissive that it made his legs (and cock) twitch. "I'm...mm, I'm your boy..."
"Yeah, you are," Strade growled indulgently, pushing his own hips forward and letting Ren feel the growing hardness of his cock through his khakis. "I hope you don't forget that, fuchs...I'd hate to have to remind you."
"Mm...n-no, sir," Ren replied quickly with a jerked nod of his head. "I won't forget, promise."
"Good boy," Strade praised, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head (right next to his twitching ear) and prying himself away, idly groping his cock as he did so but looking as casual and easy and so fucking untouchable, like he always did. "Hey, how about we have a night together, just us two?"
"H-Huh?" Ren looked towards the older man with a confused look (apparently unaware or uncaring just how much his cock was tenting his loose shorts).
"Yeah, I've got one of those, ah…those nature shows you like recorded." He beamed, just as he had with the girl when she'd made dinner, and it was enough to make Ren’s heart hurt. "How about it? Boy's night?"
Ren didn't care about nature shows. 
But Strade did, and it was one of the few things they actually did together, before the girl had interrupted their peace. 
So, Ren smiled back, his tail wagging and his ears perked up high on his head.
"Y-Yeah! That sounds...really great." He nodded eagerly. "Um, let me just finish the dishes and then we can...yeah, watch it."
"Wunderschon," Strade laughed handsomely and crossed his thick arms over his chest. "That’s great, I'll get it queued up.” He turned to leave the kitchen. “But don't take long, buddy, or I'll start without you."
"Sure, won't take long." Ren smiled to himself again, turning back to the dishes.
"Oh, and Ren?"
"Hm?"
"You really should warm up to our new guest already, hm? I never said I minded sharing her with you...and she's a better fuck than you probably give her credit for~"
27 notes · View notes
passionesolja · 2 months
Text
Ima speak on some shit, because I’m past the praising BG3 period. Ima be blunt, I’m a Pathfinder fan first and foremost. I like the setting and Pathfinder 1e rulebook more than anything DnD does. But this ain’t about that, this is about an opinion I have, hear me out.
The continuous praise and celebrating of BG3 is hurting the game in the long run.
I bring up Pathfinder because those games aren’t perfect that launch. They’re the opposite. But it’s a community effort, like I bought Rogue Trader but I’m not going to dive fully in until the enhanced edition. I did buy Pathfinder: WoTR before the enhanced dropped, it was alright. It’s gotten better with age. Even now, the blood kincetist class is broken. So it’s not a 10/10, but I think it’s good. Not tripping over one sub class in 100 being broken. It is what it is.
What I’m tryna get at here, is that Baldur’s Gate 3 has way too much Yes Men. The entire wider gaming community is Yes Men for Baldur’s Gate 3. That’s not good, not this early in it’s life cycle. And yeah like BG3 is a fledgling game despite the early access time. This is the most vital time in its life cycle and I think that Larian doesn’t realize how fucked certain areas of the game are because they have a community of dickriders. I don’t like to use that word, but I have to for this content.
This is why they’re going all this victory lap-esque fan service bullshit when they should be fixing quests and adding the cut content. The game isn’t fixed enough for a bunch of randomized kiss scenes and a fan service epilogue. That’s shit that you add in Patch a year or so from now when all the flaws are ironed out and Acts have been fleshed out. I can’t even fault Larian for this because they’re doing right by their fanbase, but their fanbase isn’t knowledgeable. Their fanbase is full of people who don’t know shit about cRPGs. So they can’t compare and contrast notes, they don’t have a reference point to even help BG3 improve.
That’s fine, it’s not a bad thing, what’s bad is how defensive and bootlicking the fandom is to Baldur’s Gate 3. This is their golden idol game because they don’t have any further experience with cRPGs, so they can’t see all glaring flaws. And don’t understand that there are companies in the cRPG space that can and will crush Larian if they ever get the Baldur’s Gate 3 type of resources and funding. That day will come, best believe.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a good foundation and frame but the fandom needs to stop acting like it’s fully built.
30 notes · View notes
v4mp1res3verywhere · 2 years
Text
Darry taking care of you after getting your wisdom teeth removed would entail;
tags/warnings: [no warnings really besides Darry being a little shit and also being completely in love with you, cringe dialogue ahead, established relationship, fem reader, he’s in college in the film so it’s not really college AU! But]. genre: 🧸fluff
a/n:this is kind of a random starting point lmao, I’m slowly wading back into writing but alas, I fear I’m a bit too discombobulated and unfocused to write out an entire fic so here are some headcannons to work through the writers block and also because we all deserve a Darry, i think 🧋⌨️
* If he had access to you right afterwards he’d definitely be recording you.
* “How’re you feeling baby?” He’d snicker while eying you through the Lens of his cam-recorder , waiting for you to say something stupid having not realized that those failarmy videos tend to be outliers and you were most likely just gonna be tired.
* He’d also probably try and tell you weird lies to see if your sense of reality was off enough for you to bite.
* “Hey babe? Holy shit- is David from the lost boys outside the car window?”
* He’d insist on being your designated driver and would pay very close attention to whatever discharge instructions you were given so he knew how to best care for you.
* Dude has the absolute biggest soft spot for you, seeing you all loopy would just trigger it even more .
* “Aww, c’mere sweetheart, you okay?” He’d ask softly , wrapping his arms around you to steady you.
* After asking five more times how you were doing in the car, he’d ask you if you wanted anything on the way home as though you truly had a choice; a milkshake would be mandatorily bought.
* He’d cancel anything just to make sure he could say with you. Classes, work; he even asked his strictest professor for time off.
* “An excused absence? For what, exactly?“
* “My girlfriends getting her wisdom teeth taken out, I just need to make sure she gets home okay and everything.”
* He always feels his heart swell a little anytime he refers to you as his girlfriend to anyone else.
* As corny as it is it just forces him to re-conceptualize the fact that the two of you are together and it hits him all over again.
* even using the title with his grumpy physics professor gives him a weird sense of pride.
* In general darry is a very attentive lover.
* He’s a sensitive person and along with that comes a certain level of intuitiveness , he can often read the room to see how he can make you more comfortable, to think of anything you need etc.
* if you’re missing classes and there’s things you can’t access online he’ll be sure to get them for you.
* you want a bag of Cheetos? An iced coffee? It’s yours, doesn’t matter what time of day or night, darry is an absolute simp and would get it for you though depending on his mood he may get a little whiny (as though it hadn’t been his intent to get it for you the entire time. )
* So as you can imagine, the above applies even more so if you’re sick or need to be taken care of.
* Trish, who sees her brother as immature and selfish (albeit, in an endearingly annoying kid brother way) would be flabbergasted once she witnessed how tentative her brother is around you.
* She’d never admit it to him directly but it’d make her proud to see how much he’d matured though she’d probably tell you as much, jokingly asking what you did to straighten him out.
* He’ll literally get you anything you’d ever want or need and would stay with you throughout the period of your recovery.
* Even things that you deemed as gross or embarrassing wouldn’t deter him from wanting to be at your side.
* “Darry, don’t look!” You slurred around the gauze you were attempting to pull from your mouth, looking up at his reflection appearing behind you. He scoffed, holding you against him by your hips as his eyes met yours in the mirror . “What?“
* “I don’t want you to see me like this it’s gross”
* “You getting shy on me?” He’d snake his arms around you at that, laughing into your hair.
* “Relax, sweetheart. Only embarrassing thing is you can’t kiss me, fuckin loser.”
* But make no mistake, he’d 100% be teasing you the whole time.
* If your lips and chin are numb at first he’s gonna constantly tell you that you’re drooling on him since you can’t tell whether it’s true or not.
* “Shut up, man.” He laughed as you elbowed him lightly once your the back of your hand came back from your chin dry.
* Darry is pretty clingy so this is ideal for him (well, minus you being in pain), he’s happy to have an excuse just to spend time with you.
* He wouldn’t even playfully banter about which movie you should put on, he’d let you have full reign over the remote .
* He’d also make sure you had the appropriate snacks that wouldn’t exacerbate your condition as well.
* “Shit, uh…what do old people with no teeth eat? Ice cream, yeah?”
* “what the fuck Darry”
* You guys don’t fight a lot but playful banter is a staple, just like it was before the two of you started dating .
* Since he knows you better than anyone else, both as a lover and as a friend, he’d gauge how facetious to get with you and would be much gentler if need be, his banter would be for the benefit of your amusement rather than to engage in the usual back and forth you’d grown accustomed to.
* Especially seeing as how your capabilities for speech would be limited.
* (He would tease you a little on that though, for sure)
* He’s touch starved, you can’t tell me otherwise and would just completely bask in your company as he spooned you on the couch or where ever the two of you happened to be.
* He’s pretty gentle by nature but he’d make sure to be extra careful with how he held you, making sure not to put pressure against your face when you laid against him.
* Would let you wear his clothes if you wanted, might steal one of your t-shirts to make you laugh.
* “What? You gonna call me a poser because I don’t listen to…” He trails off, stifling a laugh and pulling the fabric from his midriff to make out the writing on whichever one of your band shirts he’d grabbed.
* Stroking your hair from your face as he looks at you, teasing you for having “chipmunk cheeks” from the swelling while simultaneously touching you with the most tenderness you’d ever been Handled with.
* “Y’know, you look cute this like this”
* “Hm?”
* “Quiet, for once.”
He’d literally squeal as you dangled a gross bloody tissue at him in mock reprimand of his comment.
* Even softer than usual, calling you all the most sentimental pet names he has for you (and the sillier ones as well of course, that can’t be helped )
* Sweetheart, baby, pretty girl, princess etc.
* He’s definitely the type to verbalize it often, but his actions are blatant testimony to how much he loves you.
415 notes · View notes
ephxmerrxl · 1 year
Note
I loved the tanjiro + inoske x tall male reader. The only problem is that I'm not tall. I'm actually really short. So, could you make HCs of tanjiro and inoske for a really short reader that can easily carry them?
For reference, I'm 5'2", and I'm the oldest sibling, so I carry people often.
HI ANON! thank you for such a nice ask! I haven’t written for the demon slayer fandom for awhile but I totally should and I think this is the perfect time, especially since I haven’t had an ask regarding a request in forever lol (i’m so sorry to the redactedasmr fans who follow me and see this lol i am returning to my prime for a bit)
link to tall m! reader here!
Tanjiro + Inosuke x short M!reader
Tumblr media Tumblr media
You were the same height as his sister so seeing the two of you next to one another always made him happy
it also gives him easy access for head pats if you like those
hugs are also a big thing you guys love doing
being held in his arms oh the luxury
you can’t help but pout whenever he does something that you would need height for
but you also can’t really blame him
only genes 💔
but that also doesn’t mean he wouldn’t gladly put you up on his shoulders to reach something you can’t
yet you also can’t help but try to do it yourself occasionally and I mean you do succeed…
sometimes
it’s only then one day he caught you trying to reach something in the butterfly mansion and your contraption of a chair and something to help extend your reach in your hand
only issue is that
well
one can only lean…so far
and wam
the chair came down and you swore you saw your life flash before your eyes
luckily you had your hero catch you before your rather untimely death
“Woah are you okay? You need to be careful when you do that! Plus i’m more then happy to help you.”
“uh- so maybe can you perhaps help me get a certain something…?”
“of course!”
Tumblr media Tumblr media
When you two met he couldn’t help but mock your height
all the time, “HAHAA MAYBE IF YOU WERE GIFTED WITH HEIGHT YOU COULD DO _____!”
but no matter what he does he somehow will lose when you two fight
because of course
it’s inosuke
HE WANTS TO FIGHT 24/7
despite small height you packed a punch
but it was rather difficult because Inosuke is extremely flexible so both of you were rather evenly matched
but somehow you always get him on the ground with you on top
“Maybe if YOU were gifted with…lesser height? you would’ve beat me” *insert smug smile*
“SHUT UP DAMN”
but despite all the yelling and fighting occasionally you two always have your sweet moments
What’s better than sitting under the shade of a tree as you two speak about whatever
nature?
whatever the next mission may be
nevertheless his arms around you and your head tucked perfectly on his chest
you two embrace the serene setting around you guys
387 notes · View notes
Note
thanks for the updates from Maddie and Twitter! I can’t believe whats going on. The relaunch of Magnus in combination with stopping so many cool ongoing shows is so weird
You are very welcome! I actually revived my Twitter account to be able to check regularly for new posts, either from Maddy or others. There doesn’t seem to have been anything new in a few hours now, even if I personally missed it, I’d have heard about it via one of the multiple discords I’m on.
Yes, RQ has made incredibly strange decisions this past year (or even beyond that) which leave me as a fan - and highest tier Noble - incredibly frustrated.
When they shut the discord down, they said they’d reevaluate six months later. RQO recently “celebrated” its first death day. Personally, I don’t want RQO back. But I would have liked to have that promised reevaluation.
The reason the discord had to be shut down can apparently also be traced back to shit communication between RQ and the team of volunteer and unpaid mods.
When Chapter&Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, and Cry Havoc (Ask Questions Later) were announced in late 2021, they were projected to air within the first half of 2022. Instead, only C&M aired “on time”, Trice has a change in director and was delayed until summer, and Cry Havoc has now been pushed back until 2023. It’s great that they don’t want to burn out their cast and crew, but they’ve also been releasing Enthusigasm episodes twice a week and C&M main campaign and specials in parallel earlier this year. Clearly, someone didn’t think their schedule through properly.
Instead of making sure their new shows are taking off, they instead drag TMA’s corpse out of its grave. I love Magnus as much as the next person, it was an incredible show. Writing, acting, soundscaping… but the way RQ keeps pushing it into the limelight and down our throats to the detriment of their other shows (formerly only RQG and STL, but now even more shockingly also new shows like C&M and Trice), has fostered a real resentment towards TMA in me and others.
When the transcripts were put out, after literal years of delay, they were - and still are - full of errors, inconsistent, or incomplete. There have been no responses to feedback given via the appropriate feedback form, there have been no responses to emails, and there have been little to no corrections made to the transcripts, whether for old shows or new ones. Transcripts are Accessibility tools and should fulfil certain standards. Apart from that, the quality of these transcripts offends me on a professional level. RQ has referred to an agency multiple times in their updates. That agency clearly didn’t work to professional standards and RQ didn’t have any quality assurance process internally either. What an utter waste of (my and other patreons’) money.
Some of the TMA transcripts were apparently taken down this week for maintenance, which was ridiculous timing that made people think it was related to the ARG. Again: shit communication.
They’ve lost so many great people in the last two years: Auto and all the mods, Bryn, Mike, now Maddy. I didn’t listen to RQ podcasts, because they were RQ podcasts. I listened to them, because I enjoyed the content and creators. If the creators leave RQ, I’ll follow them to their next endeavours. Go check out @re-dracula for Karim, Jonny, Beth, Alasdair, Sasha, and Ben; @thekilda for Alasdair, Ben and Sasha; @faustiannonsense for Alasdair, Ben, Tim, and Jonny. I hear Mike is in Tiny Terrors. Sasha and Jonny create TTRPGs. Jonny just published his second book. Also check out everyone’s streams (I particularly enjoy Bryn and Auto struggling to solve puzzles together) and individual patreons and kofis.
Sorry this reply turned into a rant. I’m just fed up at the moment. I’ll go to bed and probably feel better in the morning.
241 notes · View notes
howtofightwrite · 11 months
Note
Recently saw a post about streltsy. Was wondering on the upsides and downsides of using long guns and what is essentially a two handed axe at once.
Would you toss the gun to the side when the enemy got to close Or just hold it in one hand and use the axe one handed?
I can’t imagine it was terribly effective since we didn’t see copycat designs and formations all over the place…
So, an important piece of context, I'm not exceptionally familiar with the streltsy in particular. The streltsy were an early Russian gunpowder unit from around the 1550s until the 1700s. The name itself translates (basically) to “rifleman.” These were soldiers armed with arquebuses. Technically, the organization itself had both infantry and mounted units.
An important detail, that's not a two-handed axe, it's a bardache. These were a shorter polearm designed to function as a stabilizer for a handgun or arquebus. (Keep in mind, in this case, the “handgun,” refers to a longarm.) I'm not sure how many nations used this specific combination, but Russian and Polish forces both fielded units armed with arquebuses and bardaches. (I think the Austrians did as well, but I'm not certain of that.)
The general combination of melee and gunpowder was very prominent at this point in history, so in the contemporary context, the streltsy weren't that unusual.
Starting in the mid-fifteenth century, European militaries fielded “pike and shot” units and formations. The firearms of the time were single shot and required considerable time to reload. The were also not particularly accurate (by modern standards), and not particularly powerful. This created a situation where handgunners would be vulnerable while reloading. A number of units (including the streltsy) practiced various forms of volley fire, where one group of gunners would fire, and then fall back and reload while another line would step forward, and fire, before repeating the processes. However, even under the best circumstances, units of handgunners were vulnerable to melee infantry, and didn't have the firepower necessary to keep enemy soldiers from wandering over and poking them full of holes. The implementation of pike and shot was specifically intended to provide a counter to this. Instead of a unit of handgunners (or arquebusiers), pike and shot formations would include a mix of handgunners and pike infantry. If the enemy attempted to engaged the handgunners in melee, the pike infantry would move in and intercept those attackers. (Specifically, pike and shot units were often arranged with the pike wielders in the center of the column, flanked by wings of handgunners. Alternately, the pike infantry may be located directly behind the firing line, and able to move forward to counter any advancing infantry who reached the handgunners.) The exact mix of pike and gunpowder varied wildly over the centuries. But, the basic concept of a mixed melee and gunpowder unit wasn't that strange historically. As firearms became more powerful, and with the development of the bayonet, pike and shot units became historical footnotes.
The most unusual element with the streltsy was simply that they had both a melee weapon and firearm. Normally in a pike and shot formation, a soldier would be equipped with one or the other.
If attacked in melee, I suspect the proper response would have been to sling or stow the arquebus and then fight using the bardache. Though, some streltsy carried sabres, which would have been another defensive option. Also (somewhat unsurprisingly) some streltsy units included actual pike infantry. So, there were conventional pike and shot streltsy units.
Ultimately, for the time, the combination of a melee weapon and firearm was not particularly strange, and the specific combination of an arquebus and bardache wasn't random. Those were weapons that worked well together.
-Starke
This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get access to new posts three days early, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’re already a Patron, thank you. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.
66 notes · View notes
reynita9 · 1 year
Text
I can’t stop thinking about how Cocomelon is damaging babies because the fast pace scene changes can “interfere with the development of executive functions”, and how thin parents are spread in capitalism that they rely on television to entertain/keep their babies company just so they have some time to complete domestic tasks. I am thinking about disintegrated Community Care/structure. I am thinking about how Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, Tumblr, all media are engineered to be addictive and alter the executive functioning of kids, tweens, teens, and adults of all ages. How malleable our minds are..bread and circuses. Everything we consume has the power to heal or destroy us. I think about Congress Bill 686, and feel discouraged and powerless. You may have heard of it as “The TikTok Ban” of course, the media intentionally oversimplifies it as a ban on TikTok, but really it is the means for The State to restrict the sharing of information on the internet and to censor us, keep us misinformed and suppressed. The State knows that knowledge is power so they keep us intentionally in the dark and distracted, plucking away human rights one by one while we are watching the stage. The Restrict Act would require the Department of Commerce to “identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, and mitigate transactions involving ICT products and services” 🤳🏼👁️ (ICT means Information and Communications Technology, ICT Products and services refers to social media) When COVID first hit, my friend said “this will be like 9/11, there was the world pre 9/11 and post 9/11” I am not one to believe we are “post-covid” because we are still in the grips of the Covidian information wars, which I feel will be one of the main long term take aways from The-Covid-Years. Bill 686 harms all, because any group of 1 million people organizing or sharing information online can be persecuted, banned and shut down under the guise of “prohibiting certain transactions between persons of the United States and foreign adversaries” Congress Bill 686 establishes both civil and criminal penalties for violations of the bill, meaning anything that they consider an “unacceptable risk to national security.” Please don’t forget we live in a police state which is meant to protect the empire. In The United States privacy is not sacrosanct, and actually American big brother corporations like Meta and Google are investing millions into anti-TikTok propaganda, because it clears their competition and allows them back into the palms of citizens, so they can personally be the ones to steal our time and data. It makes me angry, it’s painful. How can we organize against the faceless enemy? It’s all subversion and censorship, anything to get the undiluted power to be placed back into the hands of an American corporation. It will always be The State, Corporations, and Colleges keeping information tucked away and inaccessible to the masses. We must do what we can to preserve the internet as a place of free information sharing and connection. The infrastructure of our communities in real life are generally weak. Weekly I hit a paywall online, and I have seen my own words be instantaneously given an AI generated COVID misinformation banner before. It’s insane, and most people are not comfortable admitting out loud that we are alive during fascism. What’s funny in a way is, I have long hated TikTok, but now that it risks being banned in this “land of the free” I find myself urgently realizing how important it is to preserve and protect.. It is on the individual to use the internet wisely and with boundaries, not the state to restrict people’s access to information. Privacy is important and data-preservation is important, obviously, but if this is what 686 was truly about, we would be having different conversations. All legislation is created to build a precedent.
81 notes · View notes