#that is one massive big umbrella

[headspace-hotel]

There, in the sunlit forest on a high ridgeline, was a tree I had never seen before.

I spend a lot of time looking at trees. I know my beech, sourwood, tulip poplar, sassafras and shagbark hickory. Appalachian forests have such a diverse tree community that for those who grew up in or around the ancient mountains, forests in other places feel curiously simple and flat.

Oaks: red, white, black, bur, scarlet, post, overcup, pin, chestnut, willow, chinkapin, and likely a few others I forgot. Shellbark, shagbark and pignut hickories. Sweetgum, serviceberry, hackberry, sycamore, holly, black walnut, white walnut, persimmon, Eastern redcedar, sugar maple, red maple, silver maple, striped maple, boxelder maple, black locust, stewartia, silverbell, Kentucky yellowwood, blackgum, black cherry, cucumber magnolia, umbrella magnolia, big-leaf magnolia, white pine, scrub pine, Eastern hemlock, redbud, flowering dogwood, yellow buckeye, white ash, witch hazel, pawpaw, linden, hornbeam, and I could continue, but y'all would never get free!

And yet, this tree is different.

We gather around the tree as though surrounding the feet of a prophet. Among the couple dozen of us, only a few are much younger than forty. Even one of the younger men, who smiles approvingly and compliments my sharp eye when I identify herbs along the trail, has gray streaking his beard. One older gentleman scales the steep ridge slowly, relying on a cane for support.

The older folks talk to us young folks with enthusiasm. They brighten when we can call plants and trees by name and list their virtues and importance. "You're right! That's Smilax." "Good eye!" "Do you know what this is?—Yes, Eupatorium, that's a pollinator's paradise." "Are you planning to study botany?"

The tree we have come to see is not like the tall and pillar-like oaks that surround us. It is still young, barely the diameter of a fence post. Its bark is gray and forms broad stripes like rivulets of water down smooth rock. Its smooth leaves are long, with thin pointed teeth along their edges. Some of the group carefully examine the bark down to the ground, but the tree is healthy and flourishing, for now.

This tree is among the last of its kind.

The wood of the American Chestnut was once used to craft both cradles and coffins, and thus it was known as the "cradle-to-grave tree." The tree that would hold you in entering this world and in leaving it would also sustain your body throughout your life: each tree produced a hundred pounds of edible nuts every winter, feeding humans and all the other creatures of the mountains. In the Appalachian Mountains, massive chestnut trees formed a third of the overstory of the forest, sometimes growing larger than six feet in diameter.

They are a keystone species, and this is my first time seeing one alive in the wild.

It's a sad story. But I have to tell you so you will understand.

At the turn of the 20th century, the chestnut trees of Appalachia were fundamental to life in this ecosystem, but something sinister had taken hold, accidentally imported from Asia. Cryphonectria parasitica is a pathogenic fungus that infects chestnut trees. It co-evolved with the Chinese chestnut, and therefore the Chinese chestnut is not bothered much by the fungus.

The American chestnut, unlike its Chinese sister, had no resistance whatsoever.

They showed us slides with photos of trees infected with the chestnut blight earlier. It looks like sickly orange insulation foam oozing through the bark of the trees. It looks like that orange powder that comes in boxes of Kraft mac and cheese. It looks wrong. It means death.

The chestnut plague was one of the worst ecological disasters ever to occur in this place—which is saying something. And almost no one is alive who remembers it. By the end of the 1940's, by the time my grandparents were born, approximately three to four billion American chestnut trees were dead.

The Queen of the Forest was functionally extinct. With her, at least seven moth species dependent on her as a host plant were lost forever, and no one knows how much else. She is a keystone species, and when the keystone that holds a structure in place is removed, everything falls.

Appalachia is still falling.

Now, in some places, mostly-dead trees tried to put up new sprouts. It was only a matter of time for those lingering sprouts of life.

But life, however weak, means hope.

I learned that once in a rare while, one of the surviving sprouts got lucky enough to successfully flower and produce a chestnut. And from that seed, a new tree could be grown. People searched for the still-living sprouts and gathered what few chestnuts could be produced, and began growing and breeding the trees.

Some people tried hybridizing American and Chinese chestnuts and then crossing the hybrids to produce purer American strains that might have some resistance to the disease. They did this for decades.

And yet, it wasn't enough. The hybrid trees were stronger, but not strong enough.

Extinction is inevitable. It's natural. There have been at least five mass extinctions in Earth's history, and the sixth is coming fast. Many people accepted that the American chestnut was gone forever. There had been an intensive breeding program, summoning all the natural forces of evolution to produce a tree that could survive the plague, and it wasn't enough.

This has happened to more species than can possibly be counted or mourned. And every species is forced to accept this reality.

Except one.

We are a difficult motherfucker of a species, aren't we? If every letter of the genome's book of life spelled doom for the Queen of the Forest, then we would write a new ending ourselves. Research teams worked to extract a gene from wheat and implant it in the American chestnut, in hopes of creating an American chestnut tree that could survive.

This project led to the Darling 58, the world's first genetically modified organism to be created for the purpose of release into the wild.

The Darling 58 chestnut is not immune, the presenters warned us. It does become infected with the blight. And some trees die. But some live.

And life means hope.

In isolated areas, some surviving American Chestnut trees have been discovered, most of them still very young. The researchers hope it is possible that some of these trees may have been spared not because of pure luck, but because they carry something in their genes that slows the blight in doing its deadly work, and that possibly this small bit of innate resistance can be shaped and combined with other efforts to create a tree that can live to grow old.

This long, desperate, multi-decade quest is what has brought us here. The tree before me is one such tree: a rare survivor. In this clearing, a number of other baby chestnut trees have been planted by human hands. They are hybrids of the Darling 58 and the best of the best Chinese/American hybrids. The little trees are as prepared for the blight as we can possibly make them at this time. It is still very possible that I will watch them die. Almost certainly, I will watch this tree die, the one that shades us with her young, stately limbs.

Some of the people standing around me are in their 70's or 80's, and yet, they have no memory of a world where the Queen of the Forest was at her full majesty. The oldest remember the haunting shapes of the colossal dead trees looming as if in silent judgment.

I am shaken by this realization. They will not live to see the baby trees grow old. The people who began the effort to save the American chestnut devoted decades of their lives to these little trees, knowing all the while they likely never would see them grow tall. Knowing they would not see the work finished. Knowing they wouldn't be able to be there to finish it. Knowing they wouldn't be certain if it could be finished.

When the work began, the technology to complete it did not exist. In the first decades after the great old trees were dead, genetic engineering was a fantasy.

But those that came before me had to imagine that there was some hope of a future. Hope set the foundation. Now that little spark of hope is a fragile flame, and the torch is being passed to the next generation.

When a keystone is removed, everything suffers. What happens when a keystone is put back into place? The caretakers of the American chestnut hope that when the Queen is restored, all of Appalachia will become more resilient and able to adapt to climate change.

Not only that, but this experiment in changing the course of evolution is teaching us lessons and skills that may be able to help us save other species.

It's just one tree—but it's never just one tree. It's a bear successfully raising cubs, chestnut bread being served at a Cherokee festival, carbon being removed from the atmosphere and returned to the Earth, a wealth of nectar being produced for pollinators, scientific insights into how to save a species from a deadly pathogen, a baby cradle being shaped in the skilled hands of an Appalachian crafter. It's everything.

Despair is individual; hope is an ecosystem. Despair is a wall that shuts out everything; hope is seeing through a crack in that wall and catching a glimpse of a single tree, and devoting your life to chiseling through the wall towards that tree, even if you know you will never reach it yourself.

An old man points to a shaft of light through the darkness we are both in, toward a crack in the wall. "Do you see it too?" he says. I look, and on the other side I see a young forest full of sunlight, with limber, pole-size chestnut trees growing toward the canopy among the old oaks and hickories. The chestnut trees are in bloom with fuzzy spikes of creamy white, and bumblebees heavy with pollen move among them. I tell the man what I see, and he smiles.

"When I was your age, that crack was so narrow, all I could see was a single little sapling on the forest floor," he says. "I've been chipping away at it all my life. Maybe your generation will be the one to finally reach the other side."

Hope is a great work that takes a lifetime. It is the hardest thing we are asked to do, and the most essential.

I am trying to show you a glimpse of the other side. Do you see it too?

#american chestnut #hope #climate change #biodiversity crisis #climate crisis #trees #plantarchy #learning to imagine the future

[so-so-woso]

i wanna be the one | part 1

Edit: Changed title. Thanks to Dru for the suggestion. From the song "Things We Never Say" by the Bad Bad Hats. Great song, potentially relevant maybe who knows.

Summary: Reader is an English-American GK who joins the Arsenal squad and ends up in an interesting back and forth with Leah Williamson. This chapter is mainly set-up for the future. The vibes will probably be very different going forward lol

Warnings: Angst, swallowing self-doubt, and mentions of parental death in the first section.

Word Count: 3,284

London felt just like Seattle. You were expecting it to feel different, more European (whatever that meant), but when you stepped out of the airport and that familiar January rain hit your skin, it was a welcome feeling. It wasn’t quite Home – you hadn’t had one of those in a long time – but it was definitely welcoming, and nice enough that you didn’t bother with an umbrella. It would’ve been hard enough trying to carry one along with all your bags anyway, although by the look on your driver’s face he really wished you had at least tried. It was nice that the team had sent a car to meet you, especially since you didn’t really know anyone here that well, but you supposed they would do that for any new signing. The driver helped you get your bags into the car and then you were off to the club to dot some Is and cross some Ts to make everything truly official.

Wistful thoughts crept into the back of your mind as you were chauffeured through the streets of London, and you decided for the first time in a long time not to fight them. Not here, anyway – not now. Not after everything it took to get you here. Get you here again, technically. You were born in London after all, and raised in Sheffield where your mother had grown up. Your father was an American, from Dallas, who came to England for graduate school and stayed for the woman he fell in love with. He often teased her about “real (American) football” but she converted him to Sheffield United fan, though he would never admit it – at least not until you were born. Match days became a family event as soon as you could stand up on your own, even though you were still too young to really remember anything at that point, but by the time you could run you wanted nothing more than to play. You were always bigger than the other kids so they made you play with the boys, but you knew a lot of the women’s national team players had played on boys’ teams growing up, so you didn’t mind it. You were never upset about that, but you were upset when they made you move to the goalkeeper position when you were eight. It was the boring position and you never got to do anything, but you were the only kid on the team who didn’t seem scared of the ball when it came flying at you, so the job fell to you. Many years later, it would prove to be the right choice, but for a while you thought it felt like a punishment from the universe. Then you found out what that kind of punishment actually felt like.

You were only eleven when your parents died. It was a car accident; your mom was driving. She took the brunt of it and was gone by the time the ambulance arrived. Your dad was in the hospital for two days, but he never woke up. You had been in the back seat. Heavy bruising, a busted ribs, broken collarbone, and a big gash across the side of the head was it for you. You were in the hospital too, for a while. Your paternal grandmother came all the way from Austin to pick you up and take you to live with her. Your mom’s parents had been gone for a while now, and GiGi – what you had called your father’s mother – was all you had left. You had only met her a few times before, but you didn’t really have another option, so across the pond you went.

It would be a massive understatement to say that Texas was different from Sheffield. It was truly a whole different world, but kids are resilient enough. You were famous for a while, because of your accent, and then you were weird for a while, because of your accent, and then eventually you became just one of the kids. Your GiGi was supportive as well, more than you had expected her to be. You didn’t know much of the specifics as a kid, but you knew she and your father had had some sort of falling out and weren’t as close as they had been when he was younger. You always thought it had to do with him choosing to stay in England rather than come home to America. When you got older it seemed like maybe there was more to it than that, but GiGi wouldn’t talk about it. She did help you get into therapy, so that you could learn how to process what had happened and all the big changes that came with it. You didn’t like it at the time, but in hindsight it was probably the best thing she could’ve done. She even started trying to learn about football – soccer – too, because she knew you liked it, and she made sure to sign you up for the local league. You think maybe that time doesn’t heal wounds, but it sort of scabs them over enough that they only hurt when you pick at them, so eventually you learn to stop picking at them, and after that life became kind of normal.

You eventually played soccer in high school – goalkeeper, naturally – and were good enough to get recruited to the University of Texas. From there, the NWSL draft sent you to Seattle for the OL Reign. You spent a season as the third-string goalkeeper, then a season as the second-string, and then were presented with an opportunity you couldn’t dare turn down. It had been Kim Little’s idea, apparently. She had only played with you in Seattle for a month or so, and you never really hung out, but she knew you had grown up in England and that you had really wanted the chance to play football in Europe. She would tell you later that she was impressed with your resilience, something you had heard often growing up, and that you had a “dead brilliant reaction speed” which you guessed sounded good. So when Arsenal’s back-up goalkeeper transferred out and they were weighing their options, she suggested they give you a look. She had said it offhandedly, like it wasn’t a big deal, but you would wager she fought harder for you than she let on. You had only played a handful of games in two seasons, and while you were admittedly good, the offer from the English club still came as a massive surprise. They were up front and adamant about your status as a pure back-up to Zinsberger, and while you would’ve had a decent chance to win the starting spot in Seattle, you just couldn’t say no to European football, to England, to the Arsenal.

That’s how you ended up in the back of a dark car being driven through the streets of north London in the pouring rain. Your fingers fiddled absently at the chain around your neck and the two golden bands that hung from it while you considered everything that led you here, hoping that you made the right choice. Only time would tell, you thought, as the car squealed to a slow stop. You hesitated for a long moment before tucking the necklace under your shirt and moving to exit the vehicle. The driver met you at the car door, an umbrella extended overhead. You were taller than him, so you had to awkwardly bend your neck as he moved to close the door behind you.

“This shouldn’t take long,” he said, “Then we’ll get you home.” You thanked him and stuffed your fists in the pockets of your coat as you followed him up to the club, your stomach slowly rising higher and higher into your throat as the series of decisions you had recently made began to congeal rather quickly into a hard reality. It was some grotesque mix of nerves and excitement and fear that just fully slapped you in the face when you stepped inside the building. You hadn’t felt like this in Seattle, or on the plane, or in the car, but now that you were here, physically, it’s like everything else was physical too. It wasn’t some amorphous Choice floating in the metaphorical ether of your life; it was a foreboding Presence leering down at you, clawing at your shoulders from behind, and whispering ‘you don’t deserve this’ into your psyche. Nausea began to swell up, to the point you were just starting to feel dizzy. Out of instinct you reached forward and put your hand on the driver’s shoulder, who stopped walking to turn and see what you needed. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but was interrupted by a distinctly Scottish, “Oh ‘ey, Tex!” behind you.

You both turned to see Kim Little striding down the hallway, followed closely by Jonas and one of the other coaches. You swallowed hard, all the torturous feelings slowly fading away as you saw a familiar face. “Hey, Little Kim, “ you retorted. She scoffed and faked a jab towards your ribs before she reached up to hug you.

“Welcome to the party,” she said, stepping back to introduce the coaches, who shook your hands. They welcomed you as well and explained that the evening would be brief, they were sure you’d be tired from the flight, but just needed to finalize some things on the business side and then Kim would give a tour of the facilities. You thanked them, probably too many times, and went with them all to finish your paperwork and pick up your official training gear. Your kit wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow since they’d have to put your name on and weren’t sure what number you wanted (you picked 18 because it was available and made sense for a goalkeeper). Kim showed you around, asked about the flight, and made you feel as welcome as she thought she could. It was nice to talk to someone for a while. You weren’t exactly an extrovert, but you were Southern enough you enjoyed being around people, and being able to talk to Kim, even if it was more or less small talk, made you feel better, and by the time the tour was done all of the earlier feelings were forgotten. You started to think that maybe this whole thing was a good idea after all.

“So no rest for the weary – first training tomorrow, yeah? Text me your address and I’ll pick you up. Since you won’t have a car, Uber’s always an option, but until you get sorted, you can get rides with me,” Kim said.

“Sounds good. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Don’t thank me yet, I’m picking you up extra early tomorrow – the girls’ll want to meet you before kickin’ balls at your head.”

“Well, I guess that’s only polite.”

You both laughed and hugged goodbye before heading your separate ways, you pulling out your phone to look up your new address to send it to Kim. This was a good decision, you thought, this was a good decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your apartment – or flat? – was nicer than you expected it to be. You had done a Zoom tour while you were still in Seattle and it looked fine, but you had tempered your expectations to be safe. Turns out, you didn’t need to. It was a two-bedroom and furnished with the basics, so there was plenty of space for you and plenty room to decorate as you saw fit. You had what was sometimes described as an eclectic taste by your friends, mainly because you liked to decorate with things that made you happy. That seems like an obvious thing to decorate with, but you were kind of – literally – a giant dork, which meant you had a lot of “nerd shit” as your friends would tease. You expected the Arsenal girls would do the same if they ever started coming over, but all of that would be a long time coming. Tonight, all you wanted to do was collapse into bed, which is exactly what you did.

Kim wasn’t lying when she said she’d pick you up early. At least she had the decency to bring you coffee, but she was completely taken aback when you admitted you didn’t really drink coffee and actually preferred tea. “Guess there is some English in you after all,” she had joked as she drove. She asked about your night and how you slept, and pointed out all the important-to-know shops and stops between your apartment and the training center. When you finally arrived, you asked her if she accepted tips for her tour knowledge – to which she responded with “only big bills”. You laughed as you retrieved your bag from the back of her car, and the two of you headed in.

The next few days were an absolute blur. You were introduced to everyone, and they all seemed pretty nice. McCabe kept talking about how tall you were, but from how everyone else acted that was normal. Manu was happy to have another goalkeeper in the squad despite the fact you would both technically be competing for the starting spot, even though you were explicitly hired as a back-up. At least it didn’t seem like there would be any weird hurt feelings or anything there, so you were glad for that. All your other time was spent trying to discern personality types and team dynamics, and also actually training. The coaches had told you they wouldn’t expect you to go full on for the first few days to give you time to acclimate to everything. You thanked them, of course, but that didn’t stop you from diving in head first.

By the time your official day three was over, you wished you had taken it a little easier. It felt like jet lag hit you late, on top of the normal physical tiredness of training. But that evening as the team as the team filtered out of the locker room, Katie McCabe slapped you on the back and said, “Drinks on you tonight, mate!” You turned to look at her, but before you could ask, Kim interrupted with a sharp “Katie–“

“Hold on, hold on! I don’t mean a big to-do, but we gotta welcome the newbie right, right?”

A couple of the other players voiced their agreement and Kim rolled her eyes. “Two drink maximum.”

“Four.”

“Two.”

“Three?”

“Two, McCabe.”

“Two and shots?”

“…”

“Two…and shots?”

“…one shot.”

“Fuck yes, best captain ever! You’re riding with us, Y/N!”

A mix of confusion and amusement spread across your face as you looked between the two of them, and Kim just shook her head and waved at you to go with Katie, so you let yourself be pulled away into whatever the night would bring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite telling you that you were paying for drinks, Katie was nice enough to only make you buy the shots, and despite Kim’s hesitance at you all going out mid-week, it was a surprisingly calm evening. You ended up sitting at a table with just a handful of your new teammates. Most of them were joking around with each other, teasing and taunting. You sat quietly, unsure of how inserting yourself into the dynamic would come off. You thought of a few quips throughout the conversations, but made sure to hold your tongue, choosing to sip on your beer instead.

“You always this quiet?”

You glanced over in the direction of the voice, inadvertently locking eyes with Leah Williamson. You knew who she was, obviously – won the Euros and all. What you hadn’t known was that she was even more attractive in person. You didn’t even know that was possible, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise.

“Not usually,” you responded, drawing in a breath. “Just can’t get a word in edgewise with this one goin’ off.”

You gestured towards Katie, who didn’t even register the comment. It did get a chuckle out of Steph and Foord, though, which made you relax a bit. Looking back at Leah, she was still looking at you, but didn’t seem to react otherwise. You paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of your cheek, before deciding to just go for it.

“So in the summer do you ever get a weird tan on your forehead from frowning so much?”

That did draw Katie’s attention; you could tell from the way she practically guffawed.

“Oy, she’s got you dead to fuckin’ rights!” she said, leaning over to elbow at Leah. The Aussies had laughed as well, as did Kim. Leah didn’t look impressed at the remark, but from the twitch of her lips you would swear she was biting back a smile. She had nice lips. Were you staring at her lips? Your eyes flashed back up to hers and she was still looking at you. She would’ve been able to tell where you were staring. That’s…embarrassing. You swallowed hard, and quickly looked away, taking a long swig of your drink. If anyone else at the table noticed the interaction, they didn’t react. Katie started in on you immediately, dragging you into whatever she had been talking about before, and from there you spent the rest of the evening integrating yourself into the team.

The bar was really only starting to fill up when Kim decided it was time for you all to get a move on. There was some light-hearted grumbling, but everyone was professional enough to know how to behave. You had popped into the toilet before leaving, and when you came out of the stall, Leah was washing her hands. You hesitated for a brief moment before moving up to the sink next to her to wash your own hands, the little bit of alcohol you consumed tonight just enough to embolden you.

“Man, Williamson, what kind of a world is this where you’ve got those legs and no rhythm,” you teased, quickly busying yourself with the most thorough hand-wash you’ve ever done so you didn’t have to look over at her and see how poorly she took the remark.

“You spend a lot of time thinking about my legs?”

You froze. It would seem she didn’t take it too poorly at all. Taking a moment to compose yourself, you turned off the sink and turned to look at her. She was staring at you again. Seemed like maybe she did that a lot.

“Yeah, maybe,” you finally said. She hmmed a bit and cocked her head to the side. The glint in her eye was the only thing that kept you from worrying you were being too forward, and you silently prayed it wasn’t a trick of the fluorescent lighting overhead.

“You think you’re being all charming, with your little jokes?”

“No, not really,” you shrugged. “I think I have the personality of a 14-year-old boy and it’s the only way I know how to flirt with you.”

Leah changed at that. Her posture shifted. Her shoulders dropped slightly. The glint in her eye was gone. You fucked up, you thought. You’ve been here for four days and you already fucked up.

You moved to apologize at the same time Leah moved to respond, but both of you were interrupted by the door to the bathroom slamming open and a group of girls rushing in. You turned around and pushed yourself up against the edge of the sink to get out of the way, but Leah dipped her head down and shoved out past them, taking the opportunity to escape without you being able to stop her.

Yep. You fucked up.

#woso #arsenal wfc #arsenal women #woso fanfics #woso x reader #arsenal x reader #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

I realise you're HE, but any thoughts on how high school level education should be run/changed/etc? I'd love to know your views!

Oh sure, plenty, but they're not particularly informed lol

Well; Wales is actually massively and fundamentally changing secondary education atm, but we won't be getting students from it until the year after next, I think, so no real comment on effectiveness yet - but it's very interesting. They're getting rid of isolated subjects in favour of broad umbrella areas, as I understand it? So there's now Science and Technology (Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Computing, and all the various DT subjects like Woodwork, Electronics, Cookery, etc), Maths and Numeracy, Humanities (History, Geography, Ethics, Religion), Languages Literacy and Communication, and Health and Wellbeing (actually maybe Cookery comes under this one now? Dunno.) And there's a sixth to do with arts but I can't remember what it's called. But it includes Art, Drama, Media Studies, etc.

And then the idea is that a class will learn about a given topic at a time (I don't know for how long, so let's say six weeks), and this will be taught in each of those six umbrellas but via their own methods. So like... I dunno, let's say the Tudors:

That's fairly straightforward for Humanities, but in addition to giving you the historical facts you'd also explore historic trade routes and natural resources of the time and how they related to the politics (geography), the religious make up of the country and how THAT related to the politics (religion), etc.

Maths and Numeracy might explore how to use statistics to analyse Tudor era population or trade data.

Science and Tech could look at disease outbreaks and virology, or technological advancements and how they worked and get students to build one, or get students to construct a Tudor-era town using computer software

Languages can study plays from the era (Shakespeare), look at linguistic development, or use historical events as talking points to practice using vocab in conversations

Health and Wellbeing can explore stressors and challenges of the average Medieval peasant and how they overcame them, or play some popular Tudor sport or game, or make food to Tudor recipes, etc

The Arts one (god I cannot remember the name) can look at art history of the period, fashions, perform plays, etc

So everyone is still teaching the skills and knowledge of their subject areas, they're just united by one big case study. It apparently allows for far more integrated teaching, too, where two previously discrete subjects can join forces on a project.

All of which seems pretty good, on the whole, but also rife with issues if everyone isn't careful, so we'll see how it shakes out over the next few years.

From my own experiences of school though. Jesus. Something definitely needed to happen, fuck me.

What I should have learned in Textiles:

How to use a sewing machine

How to sew by hand to mend a tear

How to darn a hole

How to hem, dart, take in, and let out clothes

How to sew from a pattern

What I actually learned in Textiles:

How to use a sewing machine on its most basic setting

How to phone in creating a hand puppet out of felt because gluing was easier than sewing

How to badly sew an extremely makeshift and shit bag out of scrap fabric that you in no way want to then use

How to lose all interest in Textiles because it was useless and uninteresting

Like that is a VITAL skillset-imparting subject, and they fucked it, lads, they completely fucked it. Why did they never set us the task of buying a cheap shirt from a charity shop that we then amended in class? That would have been so useful.

Games and PE! Fucking hell! Here's what I should have learned:

How to stretch my body safely to target specific muscle groups, and in particular, how to cultivate a daily stretching routine I enjoyed and wanted to do

How to find a physical activity active enough to get me out of breath that I genuinely enjoyed, so that I wanted to continue it, e.g. salsa dancing or rope climbing or ice skating or hill climbing or assault courses or fucking anything at all

How to build my body up to doing particular activities safely and sustainably

How to find a physical activity to do on wet, cold, rainy days that would still be fun and I would still enjoy

Here's what I actually learned:

Physical activity is always uncomfortable and miserable and sometimes even painful

If you aren't enjoying running around in the wind and rain instead of the indoor gym The Problem Is You. Start Enjoying It.

Wanting to stay warm and dry and comfortable is a punishable choice.

You are only permitted to do physical activity in clothes that make you feel profoundly exposed and uncomfortable (a gym skirt and gym knickers in my school. Cycling shorts got you detention. Don't get me started on jogging bottoms.) Again, if you do not enjoy this, The Problem Is You. Start Enjoying It.

There are only three activity options. If you don't enjoy any of them, physical activity is not for you.

You should be able to Just Do physical exercise, without any training to build you up to it. If you can't and it hurts, this is because you're Bad At PE.

You will only be shown Once

Physical activity is only ever a team sport that you aren't good enough to be willingly picked for

LIKE WHAT THE FUCK

And you know what, LET'S round off with Food Technology/Cookery. Because I remember the things I was asked to make in FT. As a little baby Year 7, I still vividly remember two of the things we made.

Angel Delight. Easy, you might say! A simple treat, you might think! Easing the children into food prep, I hear you cry! But no, because the theme of the year was healthy eating, and so we were to add fruit to our Angel Delight. Any flavour Angel Delight, any fruit. Off you go. I don't know if any of you have encountered fruit, Tumblrs, but it famously has faintly acidic juice. This will prevent the Angel Delight from setting within the one hour lesson, no matter how well you mixed the pudding, or how quickly you got it into the fridge. It will result in soggy gross lumps of oxidising fruit in sloppy liquid pudding. Lesson learned: fruit makes food worse.

Cake. Easyish, you might say! A little harder than the Angel Delight but good training, you might think! A fairly straightforward process with a child-friendly food at the end, I hear you cry! But no, because the theme of the year was still healthy eating, so the teachers made it into an experiment; make four small cakes. One with sugar, one with sweetener, one with apple, and one with carrot. Then taste them and rank them in order. Off you go. I don't know if any of you have ever tried eating sugarless carrot cake, Tumblrs, but I have, and I can tell you categorically that it really puts the "Did you know" into the phrase "Did you know that fructose and sucrose are not actually equivalents of each other in a culinary setting?" It was rancid. It was disgusting. It was vile. It made me hate carrot cake for the next 12 years, in case my mouth had to go through that ordeal again. I'm still highly suspicious of the stuff even now. To (I assume) the surprise of fuck-damned no one, we unanimously put them in the order of sugar, sweetener, apple, carrot. Lesson learned: FRUIT MAKES FOOD WORSE AND CARROTS ARE ACTIVELY DISGUSTING

What possessed them?! No idea. Fucking hell.

Anyway this is getting long and I am still ill-informed. Peace out.

#asks #education

[aclowntiny]

How Ateez Confess To You (Gender Neutral Reader)

This is a sort of continuation of how they are around their crush & also part of a request for @art-herog 😄 hope you enjoy 🥰

Hongjoong

♡ Hongjoong overthinks this, like, a lot. He has perfectionist tendencies, so like anything else that has his name stamped on it his confession has to be perfect. But not for his glory, all because you deserve it. You deserve to have that perfect moment and feel like you bring the best out of him...which you do.

♡ He doesn't want to put on a show, make a big production of things, but his words have to come out right, so he writes them down again and again until he feels they're the best possible, just like lyrics. And then he practices because like hell is he reading his confession to you from a script!

♡ The next time you guys spend together it's evening. Hongjoong has probably been with you in the studio or working on an art project you were helping with, and even he is feeling cooped up. He announces that he needs to get out for a bit, would you join him? You, of course, say yes, ending up taking a stroll out onto a bridge late at night.

♡ The stars are out twinkling for you, but Hongjoong is too busy seeing them in your eyes as you two share ideas and goals. Finally, after a pause, he gets your attention, breath hitching at your eager, attentive smile. "It's been...such a pleasure- no, an honor- to get to know you, (y/n). You're an amazing person with wonderful ideas, and I hope to be there to see it when you achieve your dreams. And for all the fun in between, too," he adds with a grin, the way he's looking at you and his words sending a blush to your cheeks. "Ah, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to be by your side and care for you. I have feelings for you, (y/n)."

♡ Your heart pounds, but you waste no time in responding. "And I you, Hongjoong. I could say all the same things right back to you. Except I'd like to add that I'll be doing plenty of taking care of you, too. I know you can be hard on yourself, but there's no need to be." Shyly, Hongjoong reaches over, taking your hand and gently running his thumb over the back of it. His hand feels warm compared to the cold breeze of the bridge. His smile widens, head shaking in amazement as his gaze flits between you and the brilliant map of starlight above. "What did I do to get so lucky?"

Seonghwa

♡ He thinks about it a lot before it happens. Should he present you with a gift? Have a movie moment where you kiss at just the right time? Tell you every little amazing thing he loves about you before confessing?

♡ Then he realizes he's overthinking it and it'll all feel natural in the moment, so he resumes just spending time with you until that place to share his heart emerges.

♡ That opportunity presents itself in the form of an umbrella. You two are about to walk in the rain, Seonghwa pulling out his umbrella because of course he came prepared. He holds it above you two as you, laughing and dodging water, emerge. One umbrella with two people is a little difficult.

♡ Because of this, you end up pulling closer, holding onto his arm to keep in position, but then you realize and ask Seonghwa if what you're doing is ok and there's just something about the way you look at him, some great romance of this moment, and he just knows. "Yes, it's ok," he tells you with that soft, doe-eyed smile he always has for you, "I like it. I like you. I wish we could always walk like this."

♡ "Well," you smile back, tightening your loose grip, "we can." Seonghwa grins, rests his head on top of yours, and from there you two have a very special understanding.

Yunho

♡ He definitely doesn’t want to flash mob you or anything, but does want to make it A Moment™

♡ Yunho’s plan is to get you alone, maybe ask you to hang out one on one, which if you don’t usually do that is sort of sign number one.

♡ He just invites you to take a walk, so it’s not like massive date energy but you guys go to a really pretty spot, a place to walk under trees in blossom, and the way Yunho’s looking at you like the greatest gift he’s ever gotten has you blushing.

♡ “This is really beautiful, Yunho. Thank you for inviting me today,” you share your appreciation. “I brought you to a beautiful place because I think you’re beautiful,” he confesses with a warm smile, “I really like you, so I wanted to ask you on a date properly. (y/n), may I take you out?"

♡ The confession leaves you breathless at first, but when you gain your bearings, you nod. "You definitely can. I would love that." Yunho gently takes your hand in his as you begin to walk again, glancing over to you with a smile before pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. "I can't wait."

Yeosang

♡ He goes back and forth in his head a bit about if he should say something or not, but one day when you’re hanging out you give him such a genuine, reassuring compliment he knows he has to at least make his feelings known.

♡ He isn’t sure what to do, or at least how he wants to do it, at first. However, he realizes overthinking it is the problem and decides to just tell you how he feels and see what you say. This is DEFINITELY not something Yeosang is about to do with the guys around, so he asks if you wouldn’t mind meeting him for coffee.

♡ The moment you walk in, you’ll see that huge smile he always has for you and his little wave and feel immediately reassured that he didn’t call to discuss something bad. Instead, Yeosang seems warmer than ever even if his usually unfailing eye contact drifts down toward the table a lot more. He remembered your order too, giggling a little at your congratulations on that.

♡ The both of you chat for a bit. Right as you start to assume he only called you so he wasn’t lonely at the café, though, is when he says your name suddenly, intently, and the eye contact returns. “It’s been really fun getting to know you,” he starts, “I- I’ve really enjoyed hanging out.” “Me too!” Your smile spurs him on. “I don’t want you to feel pressured, but would you ever be interested in going on a date?”

♡ When you say yes, of course you would, he grins, reaching across the table to grip your hand. “Then I’m going to take you on the best date ever.”

San

♡ This man right here wants to make it romantic!!! 😤 If he’s confessing, he really likes you and wants it to show that he means it. It’s something that should be heartfelt and respectful, not just a casual ‘Hey, wanna go out?’

♡ With that in mind, he goes out and buys the prettiest bouquet he can find, presenting it to you when he sees you the next day. Your heart explodes at the sight of your handsome friend holding out an assortment of gorgeous flowers with a whispered “For you.”

♡ “You’re so sweet!” You exclaim as you accept the gift. “What are these for?” “Because I like you,” San blurts out with a dreamy smile, “you’re a wonderful person. I hope you know that.”

♡ San has always been affectionate to you. He genuinely seems to admire you, and the way he always tries to surprise you with things is so heartwarming. You just weren't expecting him to confess so spontaneously, so your jaw drops. "And if you just want to be friends, I'd love to still be your friend too, I can just not be as-" You shake your head. "No, San, I like you too, are you kidding?"

♡ The moment the words leave your mouth, San is scooping you up into his arms, his cheek against yours, and spinning you around. "Then I'm going to do my best to make you as happy as you make me, (y/n)!"

Mingi

♡ He has no plan in his head about confessing bro it just happens

♡ You guys are hanging out, his heart going !!! at every little thing you do per usual 😌 You're watching a movie with the guys, and your eyes are on the screen, but his are on you. Like, what movie? Your reactions ARE the movie.

♡ The rest of Ateez start filing out of the room as the movie ends, heading off to bed, to get ready, or just have their own time to relax, but you stay on the couch chatting. "It would be cool to have archery skills like that, right?" "Yeah, totally!" Mingi agrees as he does to 99% of things you say, imitating shooting arrows. It's late, you're both a little punch-drunk, and somehow his little invisible archery has you guys cracking up.

♡ "No, but seriously," you ask, "if you could have a superpower, what power would you have?" Mingi is looking at you with the most precious smile, his chin resting on a pillow as he peers up at you, your animated motions, the late-night laughter and rumpling of your clothes, and somehow his mouth is forming words before his brain is. "Getting you to like me back."

♡ You freeze momentarily, sending a shock of panic down his spine, but before he can frantically correct himself, your lips break into a smile. "Ok, wow, that was really smooth. You already have that power, you know, Mingi." "I do???" "Yes!" You giggle. He grabs both your hands in his, waving them back and forth. "Yahoo! I'm going to take you on a date, then!"

Wooyoung

♡ Oh boy…once again, no flash mob, but… You’re not getting confessed to by Wooyoung without some flair!

♡ He likes you so much, you deserve a show. Wooyoung decides to practice a whole entire choreography to show you, then invites you once he feels confident in it. He makes sure you have something soft to sit on, no hard studio floor for you 😌

♡ “That was great, Wooyoung!” You applaud as he finishes up. “Have you shown Hongjoong? Or maybe Yunho?” “No,” he shakes his head, sliding up to sit right next to you, eyes never leaving yours, “this was just for you.” “Well, I’m no idol choreographer, but that looked really-” “Because I like you.”

♡ Your heart leaps at the words, but Wooyoung jokes around like that a lot. He flirts a lot, so you assume he’s joking and just sort of laugh it off. That, though, is when he takes your hand. “No, I mean it.” He leans even closer, face mere inches from yours. “I really, really like you.”

♡ Maybe it’s something about the intensity with which he says it, maybe it’s the eye contact, heck, maybe it’s those dance moves you just were treated to, but whatever it is, it works. Between the rush of joy you’re feeling, Wooyoung’s big emotions, and your proximity, the moment he finishes saying that your lips are joined. You’re a bit surprised at how gently he kisses you, but that only cements the fact that he means it, he’s not just messing with you, he cares. And as he pulls away, he smirks, but pulls you close and tells you he can’t wait to give you the dream date you deserve.

Jongho

♡ Oh boy… so this is where both sides of Jongho’s nature sort of clash. He’s a very straightforward person, but he also has a hard time expressing deep feelings. It takes him a lot of consideration, and when he does it it's very simple, but playful. Nothing sappy or awkward.

♡ He starts with dropping subtle hints, things you wouldn't even take to be personal. He'll ask questions like how you would feel about getting into a relationship, just nodding and listening when you said you were quite open to that, trying hard to suppress the wide smile that keeps threatening to rise to his lips. He'll start giving you more compliments to see how you react, enjoying the sight of your smile at them.

♡ It ends up having when the two of you are having a deeper conversation, just talking about your lives and things that have happened. Jongho just can't help himself when you tell him a really funny story, finishing by saying you wished he was there.

♡ "I wish I could have been there, too." "Oh, yeah, it would have been hilarious-" "No," he smiles with all the simple pride of a man making a dad joke, "I wish I could have been there because I like you. I always like being around you."

♡ Jongho's words are so simple, so matter-of-fact like it was the most obvious thing in the world, that you're shocked. "Really? You like me?" "Yes. But if you don't feel the same, then we can just forget I said anything, ok?" "Nope, I'm never forgetting that," you tell him, "because I like you too!" You feel him jump in surprise when you throw your arms around his neck, but smile when his hand slides around your waist, drawing you closer with warm satisfaction. When you pull away, Jongho's looking at you with a wide, gummy smile. "In that case, that'll be a yes on the date, then?"

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #hongjoong #seongwha #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #gender neutral reader #fluff #requested

[ravenrune]

A little Luis x F!reader thing I've been working on for the past few days. I enjoy writing the reader meeting a character for the first time, so here is one for Luis. I went for she/her pronouns this time. I'm sorry I didn't go for gender-neutral. I will again next time! <3

No warnings. Fanfic. Not beta-read. Around 900 words.

The first step

Under any other circumstances, Luis loved to attend parties. The wedding he was at right now, however, had killed his joy very early on. Luis barely knew the couple and didn’t understand why they’d invited him. Politeness, he figured. He used to work with the man, and they had kept in touch after he’d left Umbrella, but to call them friends would be a massive overstatement. Vague acquaintances seemed much more fitting.

Except for this time, anyway.

Initially, Luis had looked forward to the wedding. Not because he cared much about the wedding couple, but because he always wanted to meet new people. This wedding, however, was boring with a capital B. It seemed as if everyone present was in a relationship and didn’t feel like interacting with strangers.

Luis himself had come alone. He’d tried to get a friend to join him, but nobody had been interested. Luis didn’t have any women in his life that he was romantically involved with, so he hadn’t been able to score a date, either. Didn’t matter much, though, because normally, he was pretty good at keeping himself, and strangers, entertained.

Bored and annoyed, he got up from the table, seemingly invisible to the people around him. He’d go out for a smoke, have another drink, and maybe then it would finally feel appropriate to leave. He didn’t think he’d ever be home before eleven after a party, but he really wasn’t feeling it this time.

“Ai, ai, ai,” he muttered, stepping out into the rain. He was pretty sure the weather forecast had promised clear skies, but apparently they’d been wrong again. “How hard can it be to predict the weather?”

“Surprisingly difficult, actually,” came a female voice from behind him. “Want to stay under my umbrella?”

Luis turned around and saw a woman standing there. Relatively young. Nice dress. It was too dark to see the colour of her eyes or hair. She was holding a big umbrella and gestured to him to come over.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Luis flashed her a big smile and stood next to her. “You mind if I light one up?” He held up his pack of cigarettes.

She shrugged. “Nah, go ahead.”

Luis lit his cigarette and placed the pack and the lighter back in his pocket. “Why are you outside? It’s a bit cold, no?”

“Cold doesn’t bother me much,” she replied. “It’s a bit too… crowded inside.”

Luis glanced at her. She had nice features, but he still couldn’t tell what colour her eyes or her hair were. “Is it too crowded, or is it just too boring?” He asked, only half joking.

She laughed and looked around to ensure nobody was close enough to hear her. “It really is very boring,” she groaned. “I kinda regret coming here. I could’ve stayed home and watched a movie. Would’ve cost me less money, too.”

“Yeah… I don’t even know why I was invited,” Luis muttered. “They don’t seem that interested in their guests.”

“Money, probably. They just want gifts. Isn’t that why people get married in the first place?”

Luis nearly choked on some smoke. “People get married for money? Where’s the romance in that, amiga?”

“Romance is dead,” she stated matter-of-factly, “everything is just a financial transaction nowadays.”

Wow. Luis wasn’t sure about what to say. How could someone think that way? He wondered if perhaps something had happened in her past, that someone had hurt her badly enough to turn her away from romantic interactions.

It was hard to imagine, and the thought made him feel a bit sad. His first instinct was to see this as a challenge. A challenge to try and conquer her heart. Then again, he also knew very well that that could end badly. He may consider himself quite the ladies’ man, but he wasn’t in it to hurt people. He didn’t hop from woman to man to woman just to satisfy his needs and move on. Not anymore, anyway. Not like when he was younger.

Luis had gotten so lost in thought, his cigarette started to burn his finger. “Agh!” He threw the thing on the ground and stomped it out. “That hurt!”

“Not the smartest thing I’ve ever seen,” she joked. “Do you need a plaster?”

Luis smiled. “Nah,” he muttered. “I just gotta pay attention.”

He liked hearing her laugh, he thought to himself. He wouldn’t mind hearing it more often.

“You eh… you got a name, amiga?” He asked.

“Y/N,” she replied.

“Good name. I’m Luis Serra.” He extended his hand, which she shook. “Encantado.”

“Same… I think?” She smirked. “How about we go back inside and get something to drink? I’m sick of the rain.”

Going inside for a drink. That seemed like a very nice first step for Luis. “Yeah, why not. I’ll buy you one.”

“Eh?” She frowned at him. “Drinks are free tonight.”

“Oh yes, of course.” Luis laughed. “Well, I’m sure that after tonight you’ll want nothing more than for me to take you out and buy you one elsewhere!”

“I doubt it,” she muttered while folding her umbrella. “But hey… surprise me, I guess.”

Now that was definitely a challenge, and Luis wasn’t the type to say no to one.

#luis sera #luis serra #luis sera x reader #luis serra x reader #resident evil #ravenrune writes

[worldgreatestarchersimp]

Dating the Hargreeves would include

Navigation | Umbrella Academy Masterlist

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The Hargreeves x gn!reader

Lila Pitts x gn!reader

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Gifs are not mine

English is not my first language

A/n: Guess it looks like I´m starting to write again. So my requests are open again. But trought my time and school schedule it could take some time, because I´m also having big exams comming.

Luther Hargreeves

You love hearing stories about his life on the moon. He mostly thinks that his stories are boring but you assure him that you like them.

Since he lived on the moon you are his first everything. maybe not his first love Like in everything. First kiss, first time, ... Because of that felt insecure. He tought you would leave him because of this.

He was also scared how you´d react of his condition. He kept it a secret until Diego told him to tell you.

You were shocked at first but you didn´t mind one more reason to hate his dad

He´s the biggest softy and very protective over you.

He alwyas takes you out to cute picnics.

Diego Hargreeves

Let´s say he has type: badass people

You both meet in the box club.

He teaches how to throw knives

You both are gym rats. And always competion each other.

He´s trying so hard to be the ´Alpha-Male´ but fails miserably.

You and him annoying the rest of the family with prankwars

He´s a big cocky wannabe who shamelessly flirts with anytime and everywhere.

His love language is physical touch. He´s a big sucker for cuddling and doesn´t if he is big or little spoon rigth now.

You are saving him from from stupid actions and descision he might would do.

Allison Hargreeves

Fighting with her together against rasicm (it does not matter if you´re black or white or idk)

Raising Claire together. Spoiler alert she absolut loves you.

Being always on your side. We are not supporting S3 Allison inthis household

Finding Luther weird. Not for his condition. but for hid behaviour towards your girlfriend.

Finding her power extrem cool. But after hearing that faked her whole life with her power, the first big fight began. She assured you she wouldn´t do that to you and only did it to het ex because she tought she was a failure.

You wanted to believe her but you were scared that you were also in her curse or whatever it got called.

It was suprisly Luther who brought you two back together.

Klaus Hargreeves

Spontaneous roadtrips somewhere in the world.

You are the only person who knows he´s non-binary.

You both are the funny duo everyone is annoyed of. Like recreating memes at midnight or laughing always by just looking at each other.

You´re taking his drug problemn serious and helping him to sober up.

You are his second and hopefully last love.

Going shopping and catwalking the new clothes all over the hous just to annoy his family more. The only one who seem to enjoy it is ghostie Benerino.

He tells you at random momtents how much he loves you.

Viktor Hargreeves

He had massive trust issuses at first thanks to that bitch

To his birthday you bought him a violin, so could find peace in his playing again. But he got lowkey scared to end the world again. But he tried it anyways one night. When you heard him playing it was so beautiful. Since then he plays every night for you.

You comfort him after his nightmares.

Teaching him some self-defense.

Growing from hating Luther to liking loving him. And starting to hate Allison.

He teaches you how to play violin.

You are always reading to him, because he likes your voice and it comforts him but this little bean sleps always in

Lila Pitts

SARCASM

Your realationship is full of sarcastic comments. What confussed the Hargreeves and other people.

You are the only one she trusts after hearing, that her ´mother´ killed her parenets.

You two meet, because you were her mission, but she fell for you. So your realationship started with trust issues.

Suprisly it was Five who got you both together and played wingman.

She´s very cocky, but so are you. One thing she loves about you.

Teaming together upwith Five, because he´s the only one who´s not a man-child, acording to you.

She´s saving you from stupid actions and descision you might would do.

#umbrella acedmy #umbrella academy x reader #tua #tua x reader #luther hargreeves x reader #diego hargreeves x reader #klaus hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x reader #viktor hargreeves x reader #lila pitts x reader #allison hargreeves x reader

[leclsrc]

Broooo your last Drabble was so good

If you don’t mind can I request a part 2 🥲

fin de siècle – cl16

genre: drabble, angst

auds here... a part 2 to this as multiple requests came through for it! listened to a lot of mid-air by paul buchanan for this one. hope u enjoy! :)

“Sorry. It’s bad luck for you to see the bride on her wedding day.”

Charles nods once, lips pursed in poorly hidden disappointment, flexing his fingers in the pockets of his slacks. The huge door to your room closes with a click that’s as soft as it is damning, leaving him alone in the hallway of this obsolete Sicilian property you’re getting married in later tonight. Outside, the Ionian sea crashes softly against the cliffs near the gardens, sun unrelenting and humid on the staff setting up outside. 

Maybe your friend doesn’t know this, but she should: Charles has always been afflicted with bad luck.

If being stuck with a slow car and slippery roads during vital races isn’t proof enough, Charles has much more to share. A stubbed toe occurs thrice a week, a hit head twice. He’s half-sure he should sue the universe for damages. He constantly runs into black cats, has looked up to find he’s underneath a ladder multiple times, and accidentally opened five umbrellas indoors. Call him superstitious, but to him, that’s quintessential bad luck.

His dress shoes click against the tile. He gazes down at them, remembers he needs to change them out for the ceremony later. He’s busy comparing the black of his shoes to the color of the tile, the contrast between light and dark. He hears slurried, anxious Italian and looks up. He’s under a ladder.

“Che sfortuna,” the staffer says apologetically, fixing the lights. Charles waves him off. He’s used to this.

Often, though, he remembers that being so riddled with bad luck means his moments of fortune are rare. Precious, like the gemstone on your finger. They’re individual, plucked out like shrines, orbs of love and overflowing happiness. Wins, successes, health. He pauses in front of the lobby, where there’s an assortment of hors d’oeuvres tables and signs pointing to the massive library where the main event will be held.

The main event for Charles has always been you. And he’s positive he was at his luckiest when you met.

You’d met at a race in Monza, back when Charles was just getting started in Formula 1. You’d never touched a mic, or conversed with a driver; both of you were getting used to growing up. Your clumsy French matched his clumsy English until you were both barely clumsy, sliding in and out of the two languages with natural skill.

Charles said he loved you just six months later. Distressed and a bit psyched out, it’d taken you a month to ease back into it and admit you loved him, too.

A year marked moving into Monaco, and infiltrating each others’ friend groups. You’d play poker with Max and Pierre, and Charles would play trivia nights with your friends, despite not understanding some of the references. (He confidently answered Lionel Messi when prompted: who discovered Facebook. He refuses to elaborate, to this day.)

There may have been fights and squabbles, but Charles always circled back to loving you. He stares now at the library from afar, still being tidied and rearranged. He debates entering, but figures he’ll surprise himself. He’s never doubted your insane organizational planning skills, and is sure this event is no exception.

He turns to explore the gardens and bumps into Will Buxton, of all people. “Charles?” Sharl, it sounds like, in the guy’s signature English cadence. 

Will continues. “What’re you doing here? And roaming around? You should be”—he pushes him toward the rooms area—“resting. Nobody’s allowed around here, let alone you.”

“Needed to talk to her,” Charles explains, his voice low and rough with unuse.

The elder laughs. He’s holding a big pile of organza, no doubt a decoration for somewhere or other. “I’ll bet my spleen you weren’t allowed to. That’s bad luck.”

He throws his hands up in defeat and walks outside, opting to take the long route. This way he’ll have scenery before retreating to his room. It’s quiet, but he suspects much of the bustle is inside each room, where everybody’s getting dressed and preparing.

He’s glad is isn’t overcast, is all—that’s the one thing you emphasized you would hate today.

Sometime in your third year of being together, you and Charles finally talked marriage, together drafting a list of yes-and-no’s. He remembers the night as clearly as he can, like he’s just staring passively at the back of his hand. You’d been fixing the apartment, because according to you, the sofas needed to be rearranged. 

Once they were, you claimed it didn’t match the coffee table. So the coffee table was moved to the balcony, the balcony table moved inside. Then a problem with the wall art, then the TV, then the curtains, then the decorations on your dining table. Spent and sweaty, you collapsed on the rearranged couch.

Equally tired from heeding your orders, he’d cranked the window open and flopped down beside you. Monaco was descending into a deep blue, after dusk had turned the room orange, set it on fire. You’d leaned into him. “I love it, but I think we just need a place together.”

That’d birthed the conversation of marriage. Neither of you were opposed to it. On a supermarket receipt and old prescription notice, you’d both jotted down what you wanted out of your wedding. He’d put: need a nice, tiered cake, with flowers on it. You’d put: bouquet of just lilies, baby’s breath, and two sprigs of basil, so it’d smell good when you pressed your nose to it. 

He’d put: no bachelor/ette parties. You laughed out loud and nodded. It’d be a trivia night for all your friends, you decided together. You’d put, then: ceremony in a library. “The one thing I’ve always wanted,” you swooned. 

He’d give it to you, he told himself then. He would. One of your big no-no’s was a rainy wedding day, which meant your previous dream location (somewhere in coastal England) was immediately out. You mulled over Greece, maybe even within Monaco, or France.

“We have time to decide,” he said. “Haven’t even proposed.”

“I expect the precious gemstone on my finger next year,” you said. “And no big proposals, please.”

“Oh, God. Must cancel the London Orchestra, Queen’s guards, and Coldplay’s special appearance as early as now, then?” You rolled your eyes, laughing before you kissed him. The list-making and subsequent reviewing had taken so long, your kiss was illuminated only by the full moon.

“Any other misgivings?” He’d chuckled, a kiss pressed to your jaw.

“We need to stay all night,” you croaked. “Leaving early is bad luck.”

Charles is by no means religious, nor is he superstitious, but he well and truly thinks luck and God might have been on his side when it came to being yours. 

He hasn’t seen you yet tonight, stationed beside Carlos and narrowing his eyes to predict when the big doors will open and let you through. Right then, the violin beats to life and everyone around him turns, faces blotched with tears and frozen with awe. Like always, you’re beautiful. Charles doesn’t need to see you in a veil and dress to realize this.

Your hair is pinned into a loose bun, your bouquet of lilies and basil green and lush. The big windows tint you a rosy orange in the Ionian sunset. You walk gracefully, slowly, swaying to the violin music. Your dress, like many of the ones you’d dreamed of then, is satin and simple. A high neckline, ending above your heels that click on the tile. You’re a brilliant force of nature, he thinks. 

You gaze up, smiling. Forget Sicily. You’re the prettiest here.  

Charles looks down, to remember if he’s changed his shoes, to remember the contrast of the tile. He needs to channel his emotions somewhere. Maybe if he looks down, gravity will just let his tears of overwhelm fall silently. His gaze is rooted to the floor, to occupy himself so he doesn’t feel his heart rip out of his chest when you pass him by. 

He takes a seat, with Carlos, watching you laugh and tear up yourself, your gaze stuck on your groom. The officiant announces the exchange of vows, and Charles can’t help but let his mind wander all over again, plant itself into memories long gone—like the day you’d mocked up your supposed wedding vows.

You had let him read yours, which willed him into a steadfast spot of never letting you read his, ever. He’d folded up the yellow pad paper he’d written it on and stashed it somewhere secret. It was the first thing he sought out when he sold the apartment after he cheated on you.

Later, at the reception, he loses his appetite but maintains a generally cheerful demeanor despite himself.

The small talk is stuffy, and Carlos is off dancing with Isa, so he’s alone. Halfway through a glass of Scotch, he turns and is met by your hand almost tapping his shoulder.

“Oh, my G—sorry!” He says profusely, downing the rest of it.

“All good,” you say with a laugh. “Lissie told me you wanted to talk earlier?”

“Oh, that,” he quips with faux nonchalance. Suddenly his whole plan, to give you a letter that had some of his old vows written into it, seems like a stupid, immature idea. “Well, I… was just going to wish you a great day. Considering everything, I’m just glad to be invited.”

“Don’t say that,” you insist softly. “Everything��s okay between us.”

“Yeah,” he says. It’s more of an attempt to convince himself than you. “Yeah.”

“Well, have fun. I hear the dessert bar is amazing.”

He watches you walk away again, and takes a tiramisu from the dessert bar.

Three bites later, retrieves his jacket from the coat check room, and ducks quietly out of the party when the third slow song of the night just starts to play, illuminated only by the full moon.

—

Being here To be able to I’ve been As nervous as 

If I told you and everyone here that I wasn’t poetic, I’d be lying. (People will laugh at this, honey.) Because although I’m not a wordsmith, in both my native tongues let alone my English, I seem to always find the best things to say about you and about our love. A dream that’s rivaled those of racing is my dream of growing old with you, and this is finally it. It’s finally happening. I wouldn’t trade anything for it.

Vows are about promises. I only have one. I promise to love you forever. Whatever it takes to keep it, I will. If it means letting you sleep in, I’m up by 5. If it means losing a race, consider the car unfinished. (Will Mattia like this joke?) If it means paving a walkway or building a library, I have the tools I need. It might get difficult, but in these moments of hardship, I promise everyday to make it easy for the both of us. 

(I think these vows are just me raving about you, bug…)

Call it luck, call it fate. I’ll call it my moves. (Yet another great joke babe!) How could I ever have gotten a woman so beautiful, so unlike any other? The idea that we are so small compared to the universe makes no sense to me, because the fact that you and I are both here, existing, now, is proof enough that the cosmos granted my wishes.

I love you— 

Even in my moments of bad luck,

Even when you’re giving me the cold shoulder,

Even when we’re 3,000 miles apart, and

Even if one day, you might no longer be mine.

#f1 #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc drabble #charles leclerc imagines #charles leclerc smut #charles leclerc imagine #f1 x reader

[littleeyesofpallas]

Bleach’s Issue with Queer characters (3/3)

So then there’s Giselle (and to a less canon extent Shutara) who I think Kubo erroneously categorizes as similar to both eachother and to the above gay men stereotypes.  And I think understanding Kubo’s approach to Giselle hinges on what he set up (but didn’t follow through on) with Shutara.

I’ve mentioned before, but I’m pretty certain think Shutara Senjumaru is meant to be a kabuki onnagata*.  Not in-world, mind you; I don’t think she is somehow employed as an actor in a literal kabuki theater. (i would hope that was obvious, but one can never be too sure...)  Just like Tier Harribel isn’t literally a light skinned, dark haired person doing gyaru/ganguro fashion, her presumably naturally tan skin and blonde hair is based on the general aesthetic.  Shutara likewise is channeling distinct look and feel that draws from a mix of oiran, geisha, and kabuki aesthetics. (granted all three are closely related in influencing one another’s aesthetics in the first place)

But while the look and even the demeanor tend to play all three ways, I think the particular fixation on clothes, costuming, and the somewhat adjacent theme of “disguise” that Kubo has shown to put emphasis on in this kinds of situations, as well as the fact that he gave her a distinctly masculine name, Senjuumaru, point to her being some form of queer, albeit something Kubo seems to pretty clearly lack the understanding to better articulate himself.  Is she a trans woman?  Gender fluid?  A male identifying transvestite?  There’s not enough real material for us to draw that particular line, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to conclude that she’s not a cis woman.

*Kabuki is traditionally an all-male theater form, and “onnagata” refers to actors who specialize in playing women roles.  Generally all actors train in the delineated masculine and feminine styles, but an actor’s career sticks to just one or the other...

...There is a whole big thing about how cultural institutions like kabuki and takarazuka theaters’ creation of socially acceptable and even celebrated, public and professional genderqueer spaces creates a myriad of gender dynamics that just don’t exist in the West, and it’s something that has made the attempt to adopt a globalized understanding of queer identity a little trickier in Japan:

In the West the gender binary was rigidly enforced such that to explore alternatives was basically uncharted territory (that’s an oversimplification, but you know what I mean; There’s a lack of contiguity with those who came before) but with japan there were already nonbinary spaces in place, and the lines around those don’t neatly line up with the ethnocentric western ideas some people try to pigeonhole those into.  In general, it gets dangerously close to just flat up colonizer rhetoric.

(forgive the outdated reference image, but honestly I don’t know what even counts as a recognizable example of a “““trap”” character these days.  And I use that term with GREAT reluctance, but I want to differentiate the exploitative cliche usage of a trans caricature from any actual representational trans character.)

Anyway...  That all just leaves Giselle.  And let’s be real, there’s no excuse for this one.  Maybe that seems like a weird anticlimactic place to take this series of posts... like, after all this, maybe it feels like I should’ve had some equally obtuse logic to explain this one away as a matter of escalation or as a Rule of Threes.  But no, not really.  I just think it’s a little unreasonable to treat the massive screwup that was Giselle’s portrayal as part of some sort of bigger ongoing trend, when it’s really more of an unrelated outlier in a bigger umbrella subject.

She is in fact a bad case of the long standing anime/manga fetishization of transwomen as a concept, as a spectacle to be gawked at and made the butt of jokes or to be included specifically as an anomaly.  And in Giselle’s case her specific depiction as a depraved, physically/sexually abusive villain on top of that is an explicitly toxic combination.

In spite of that, I still don’t think Kubo actually meant for it to reflect poorly (not that that matters or diminishes its harmfulness) I think he genuinely just has no real grasp of what that kind of characterization means.  I say that largely because of the way he treats a lot of her role in the plot.  Not that she’s integral to moving it forward, but that she occupies space and survives in the plot as long as she does, even when she could've been conveniently (and frankly more neatly) written out;

He seems to like drawing her and gives her a range of expressions and gestures (something he doesn't afford all his characters, even some of his major ones)

He likes to expand on her powers and gimmicks beyond what was necessary if he'd been aiming for minimum effort

He even paired her off against his personal favorite character, Mayuri.

Point being, Kubo seems to personally like Giselle as a character, but he took a horrible insensitive and ignorant path in writing her character.

But an undeniable fact is, she’s not alone as this kind of villain, she’s just the only one that happens to be trans.*  Mayuri himself, Aaroniero, Szayelaporro, Zomarri (just a little bit), Tousen (at the very end), Tsukishima, As Nodt, Gremmy (a little), and Askin all to some degree dip into this shtick Kubo does where his villains aren’t just sadistic but ecstatically so, to the point of intoxicated, gleeful derangement.  Yet in spite of that, those characters are all usually meant to be “cool,” not detestable.

Remember, Mayuri was initially written as, hands down, the most despicable characters in Bleach —he was abusive and sadistic, misogynistic, actually physically grotesque, predatory, dishonorable sneaky & underhanded, complicit in a genocide, just in general a clearly communicated mad scientist villain, and he was all of this in direct and deliberate contrast to Uryuu’s chivalrous personality type(already established in his defending Orihime from Jiroubou) as well as Nemu’s noble stoic subservient victimhood— and yet he’s also Kubo’s favorite character in the series.  Kubo doesn’t actually write Giselle any particularly worse than the others, BUT he also doesn’t disassociate her being trans from her being villainous, and again, even incidentally, that manages to perpetuate a harmful narrative in the overall.

*(Actually, I’ve kinda touched on it before but I sort of suspect Mayuri could be trans, in which case; OOPS, that makes two, and that doesn’t make it better....)

[1][2][3]

#bleach #bleach meta #KUBO TITE #senjumaru shutara #giselle gewelle #geez this thing is so old that bridget wasn't even reintroduced to guilty gear yet #in fact strIVe wasn't even a thing on the horizon this far back #also weird that preupdate drafts still adhere to outdated formatting #because typing these tags now and editing these drafts #is working on weird janky tumblr formats that i kind of forgot existed #anyway like i already said in the tags of part 2 #im kind of super not satisfied with the wording on a lot of this #feels muddled #and i think i sort of lost track of the root of things #where someone was calling kubo ''obviously'' transphobic #and i think that's not entirely accurate #even if the bottom line almost doesnt make any difference #but there's a difference between ignorance and insensitive #and just outright malice #but the former is very much fixable and even reclaimable #the latter is absolutely not #again tho i get why to a lot of people that doesn't really make a difference #even this far out i dunno how i thought i was gonna end this #or how id do it any differently if i tried now

[hannah-shipper-banana]

I, personally, will NOT tolerate any Ally Dawson slander. That’s my bby girl.

How can you say Austin cared more about her than she did for him? Girlie was most definitely in love.

Just for that, here are some things Ally did for him…

Season 1

. She forgave him for stealing her song.

.She literally forgave him for humiliating her on live TV AND agreed to be his songwriter even though they were literally like 14 years old.

. She fricking WROTE most of his songs for him despite the fact that she had a JOB and school and a life! She also went through a lot writing said songs.

. Everyone (especially Austin) was being a massive dick to her for not having a song despite that fact that she had a life of her own and a store to run and whatnot. That got me so mad. Poor girl was literally getting pressured by everyone.

. She encouraged Austin to do good things so that Tilly couldn’t get any bad footage of him.

.She attempted to perform,despite the fact that she had stage fright, so that Tilly would stop posing embarrassing footage of him. Even when he told her she didn’t have to go through with it, she still tried. (He eventually did it for her but its the thought that counts)

.Ally gave him Dougie the dolphin.

. She defended him and told him to hide when everyone thought Austin was the Mall thief. Home girl fully stood up to a whole mob by herself.

. She helped him overcome his fear of umbrellas.

. She forgave him for ‘accidentally’ playing her song on the radio and went through with his plan of Trish pretending to be her.

. She helped him get with Cassidy by writing him a song. (Yh the first one was bad but that’s literally what he told her to write. Heartbeat was a banger tho)

. SHE FRICKING GAVE UP THE CHANCE TO GO TO AN ELITE MUSIC SCHOOL (WITH A FULL SCHOLARSHIP) SO THAT SHE COULD CONTINUE TO WRITE SONGS FOR HIM! AND HE WASN’T EVEN THAT BIG YET!

Season 2

. She performed with him (despite the fact that she had stage fright) by pretending to be Taylor Swift.

. She bungee jumped off a bridge with him (yh it was to cover up her lie but…) so that he could make a good impression with the magazine editor.

. Ally was fully ready to accept her punishment from her dad so that Trish and Dez could buy Austin more time so he can run home before his parents get home (yh he still got in trouble but that was only because the fan page alerted his parents, he would’ve gotten away with it) Yes I know Austin was selfless this whole episode but Im trying to prove a point here ok? Also can I just say it was so obvious they liked each other from this episode

.She helped him plan a date FOR ANOTHER GIRL despite the fact that she started having feelings for him. And she pulled out all the stops too because she knew he liked Kira

. She could’ve outed him then and there to Kira that they kissed but she literally just walked away.

. Ally wasn’t petty or mad when she thought he chose Kira over her. She was accepting.

. Ally still wrote a song about him even though she was a little mad at him. (He then serenades her and wins her back with said song)

.Ally still offered to write him a song (the only time she could was 4am) despite having her own career to focus on, and he declined. And at the last minute offered to give him one of hers but he though they were too girly.

. Home girl was ready to give up her song (the most personal one she’s ever written) to Kira, so that Kira could consider asking Jimmy to sign Austin again. (Kira is a literal sweetheart and let Ally sing it herself but…) Also Austin was fully ready to let Ally take his place at Starr Records but Ally wasn’t having that either.

. Ally gave him his own songbook to write his music in.

. Ally wanted him to enjoy his youth, so convinced him to stay on the basketball team despite what Jimmy said.

. She helped him makeover his idol Jackson Lowe and get him back into stardom

. She forgave him for meeting with another songwriter despite the fact that he was being a drama queen and she had more of a right to be mad at him.

. She was ready to give up making her debut album just so that she could go on tour with him but Trish had to convince her not to.

Season 3

. Ally fully came just to see them (mainly him) despite that she was working on her own music. Even if she saw him for 3 days she was ready to drop everything to see him.

. She decided to stay on tour with him because she missed him too much and didn’t want to miss his first tour. He begged her to stay and she did.

.She distracted the tour guide and the press on numerous occasions so that he can escape with the silver shoes and not get in trouble.

. Ally fully adopted an ALIAS and risked losing her record deal, just so she could continue to write songs for him. Even when she had second thoughts, Austin convinced her to go through with it and she did.

.She then stood up to her FUCKING BOSS and risked losing her record deal because she refused to stop writing songs for him. She was not going down without a fight.

. She helped him with his Physics project and even made the paper plane for him. (He didn’t end up using it but he would’ve gotten an A if he did)

. Ally was the one who helped Austin overcome his stage fright and basically the one who pulled him out of his funk.

.Ally was such a supportive wifey that episode. Firstly she tried to hide the magazines with the bad review on Austin so he wouldn’t be hurt. Then she always convinced him to look at it positively. Then she became Swag Master Ally to pull him out of his funk.

.Then she gave him the ultimate pep talk which convinced him to perform in front of the critic.

.And of course she was his safety net when he was performing so he wouldn’t get nervous. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

.She knew something was off about Dwayne and started to investigate which led her to seeing that he was obsessed with Austin. She then came up with the plan to distract the butler so they all could escape.

. Ally helps him convince Dwayne Wade he wrote the song so he could stop being obsessed with him.

.She convinced him to go to prom and enjoy himself with Piper even though she still had feelings for him and she knew Austin was hesitant to leave her alone.

. Ally (and Trish and Dez) helped him escape Brooke.

. She (with everyone else, but especially her) didn’t want her dad to sell Sonic Boom because its where they had the most memories (its also where she grew up) and hatched a plan to convince her dad not to go through with the sale. (This is more everyone’s doing but still)

. Ally broke up with him (she really didn’t want to) because she didn’t want Austin to lose his record deal. And we all know how that turned out.

Season 4

. Ally gave up going on her tour so that she could stay in Miami with him for senior year because she knew she was gonna miss him.

.She (with Trish and Dez) begged him not to go to military school.

. She was the one who came up with the Music Factory idea so Austin wouldn’t have to work at his parents’ store forever, and he could get to do what he loves.

. She pushed him to do better in his exam so he could graduate with them

.She still made the giant pancake for him even tho he lost the bet, because she loves him and wanted to give him something for believing in her (🥹)

. Ally stayed up all night baking the 6 tier wedding cake he wanted but she really didn’t need to because everything was already done. She felt guilty that she didn’t help out more and wanted to make it up to him. (She even got cake all over her trying to get it to school)

. This isnt a point really but can I just say Ally was the only one who figured out that Flermy was Austin right away. Home girl knows her man when she sees him.

.Ally forgave him (and Trish) for not believing that she could pull off the performance at the awards show.

. Ally convinces him not to get in his head too much about his first performance since the break. She kept telling him not to listen to the fortune teller so that he wont get anxious.

.She tried to get him to think positively no matter how many things were going wrong. She even tried to lie when something the the fortune teller came true, so that he wouldn’t think what the teller told him would be true too. (That was a mouthful). Girlie was stressed for him this entire episode.

.She was the main one convincing him not to believe the negative prediction from the fortune teller.

.She tries to help him get out of the glass box.

. Ally lets the Austin impersonator stay in the music factory as Austin is coaching him. (Despite him making mess and making noise)

. Ally forgives him for losing her library book and lying about it (it almost didn’t allow her to graduate but she fixed that)

. ALLY GIVES AUSTIN HER SONGBOOK AS A GOODBYE PRESENT. Everyone knows her songbook is her firstborn child (sorry Ava). The songbook was basically her personal diary and contained all their memories she would’ve written down.

. Not to mention that the songbook had pre written songs in it so his career could continue while she was at school.

. Ally admits that she continued to write songs about him even though they were broken up.

. They sing a song she wrote about him, and that’s the performance that gets them back together.

. She agrees to officially become a musical duo with him. (Im now realizing this is yet another parallel to the pilot)

Just because Austin was more open with his love (and more dramatic) it doesn’t mean that Ally loved him any less.

Anyone with eyes can see that they’re both just as in love (and obsessed) with the other.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

#auslly #austin and ally #ally dawson #austin moon #ross lynch #laura marano #austin and ally really was that show #raura

[dorothygale123]

I just watched Yang Jian, soooo.... we're talking about that today.

More specifically these a-holes:

Buckle up.

Known as the 4 Heavenly kings, the 4 Diamond Kings of Heaven, or Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn (風調雨順; lit. 'Good climate'), these guys play a pretty big part in the Buddhist religion. They are often depicted on doorways, two on each side, and like many other groups of 4 in Chinese myth are linked with the cardinal directions.

Mo Li Hung/Duōwén Tiānwáng/Vessavana/Bishamon-ten: Protector of the North and ruler of rain, as shown by his fancy umbrella, the Umbrella of Chaos. Opening it turns the skies pitch dark, and turning it upside down causes massive storms. (Fun fact: also one of the Japanese Shichi-fujin/7 Gods of Fortune)

Mo Li Ching/Zēngzhǎng Tiānwáng/Virūlhaka/Zōchō-ten: Protector of the South and a god of plant life and growth. He has a super special sword, Blue Cloud, that can cause massive black winds and turn into a bunch of spears that turn people to dust.

Mo Li Hai/Chíguó Tiānwáng/Dhatarattha/Jikoku-ten: Protector of the East and god of music. As a result, his main weapon is his sick guitar that can mess up nature and cause all sorts of weird crap to happen.

Mo Li Shou/Guăngmù Tiānwáng/Virūpakkha/Kōmoku-ten: Protector of the East and an all-seeing deity that watches over everything. His tools are a magic bag and the goodest little guy Hua-hu Tiao, a white mink. His shoulder-buddy can also be a snake or dragon, depending on the version, but I like the fluffer.

Now, these guys have important jobs and are well respected in their own rights and stuff, but their most famous Chinese myth seems to be that time they got their asses kicked by Erlang Shen.

Okay, I guess that isn't entirely accurate as he and Nezha were mainly helping some guy named Huang Tianhua, but still. (Also don't expect any info on that Tianhua guy, I got nothing)

Anyways, the story starts when some guys pray for help in battle and for some reason the 4 brothers decide it's totally worth it to go down to the mortal realm themselves along with 1,000 celestial soldiers to kick some ass. Mo-li Shou sends his little floofer to go around and eat the opposing army's soldiers while the big boys kicked butt, but unfortunately one of the soldiers Hua-hu Tiao ate was Erlang Shen, here called by his other name Yang Jian. Erlang doesn't like that very much, so he rips his way out of Hua-hu, killing it, then transforms himself to look like it and sneaks back to his 'master,' waiting for the moment to strike.

Back at the plot, Nezha manages to break the 4 kings' divine weapons, making an opening for Tianhua to kill 3 of them, leaving only Mo-li Shou. Turning to his trusty fur-buddy to bail him out, Shou tries to sic Hua-hu at them, but surprise! That's actually Erlang Shen who bites his hand clean off. The ensuing agony gives Tianhua the distraction he needs to un-alive the last brother and win the day.

And then I guess they got out of the underworld on good behavior or something, because they continued to be important gods in the pantheon for many centuries to come.

￣\( ´-｀)/￣

Sh*tpost Masterlist

#mythology sh*tposting #chinese mythology #investiture of the gods #journey to the west #chinese myth character inspo #new gods yang jian #yang erlang #yang jian #erlang #erlang shen #4 heavenly kings #new gods #new gods nezha reborn #nezha #lego monkie kid #lmk

[haihaihaitani]

4:46 PM ~ *Chifuyu Matsuno*

Summary: You forgot your umbrella. Luckily Chifuyu has one to share.

Pairing: Chifuyu Matsuno X Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluffy Drabble

Word Count: 760

Warning: Tooth rotting fluffiness

Masterlist

Taglist: @soulangel

Rain. Of course it was raining. And of course you forgot your umbrella. Really, you should have known better. It’s been raining all week. Why would today be any different?

With a dejected sigh, you slid down the wall and sat in front of the door. It was the only thing you could do at the moment. There was no way you were going out in that storm! You didn’t want to get soaked or sick.

Another thing you didn’t want to do was wallow in your self pity. Sure, you had no one to blame but yourself but that didn’t mean you wanted to think about it. It was your own fault you were in this situation and you were the only one who could get you out of it. You searched your bag to try and find something to block the rain.

“Y/n?” A soft voice called out to you.

You glanced up to see Chifuyu looking back at you with concern in his eyes. “Oh, hi, Chifuyu. Heading out?”

He nodded. “Yes, I am. Did you lose your umbrella?”

“More like I forgot it.” You admitted with a groan.

“Oh, I see.” He pulled an umbrella out of his bag and you winced internally. It seemed you really were the only one who forgot one.

“You don’t live too far from here, correct?” He asked.

Blinking in shock, you hesitated. He wasn’t implying what you thought he was implying was he? “Um… yes?”

Apparently he was, because he said, “Well, you can walk with me if you’d like, since I have an umbrella. I don’t mind sharing.”

Matching blushes painted themselves on yours and his cheeks, so you decided to glance outside at the storm. Making your decision, you stood up. “Alright, thank you, Chifuyu. I really appreciate it.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome, Y/n.”

The two of you walked outside, Chifuyu making sure neither of you got wet. While he kept his eye on the umbrella, you helped avoid big puddles. It was an excuse to not look at him.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t have a little crush on him. Correction: a massive crush on him. But then again, who wouldn’t? He was smart, sweet, and strong. He could make anyone smile just by smiling first. Chifuyu truly was like an angel on Earth. Obviously, he was sharing his umbrella with you when he didn’t have to!

A truck was rumbling towards the two of you and you jumped out of the way so you didn’t get splashed. This caused you to grab the umbrella to steady yourself and knock shoulders with Chifuyu. He paused and grabbed your other shoulder to keep you both stable.

“Are you alright?” He squeaked out.

“I’m fine.” You nodded shyly, averting your eyes. However, you noticed that your hand was practically on top of his. That must have happened when you grabbed the umbrella to steady yourself. Your cheeks burned hot and you slowly removed your hand.

“Sorry.” You mumbled.

“It’s okay!” He answered a bit too quickly.

The rest of the walk passed in awkward silence. You couldn’t seem to shake the blush that was keeping your cheeks warm. It also didn’t help that your hands broke out into a cold sweat. Seriously, now was not the time to be acting like a shy, lovestruck child!

However, when you snuck a glance at Chifuyu, you noticed that he looked nervous as well. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought he looked positively flustered. But you didn’t have time to ponder that idea, as you had arrived home.

“Well this is me.” You muttered.

He nodded, still holding the umbrella over you so that you could fish out your key without getting wet. “See you tomorrow, Y/n?”

You nodded and locked eyes with him. All of a sudden you felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him. But that was absolutely crazy! He didn’t like you the way you liked him, right? Well, there was only one way to find out…

“Bye Chifuyu.” You said and then kissed his cheek. You rushed inside before he could answer, your heart practically beating out of your chest.

Chifuyu touched his cheek where you kissed him and felt his heart skip a beat. If he didn’t know any better, you seemed to like him too. As he set off in the opposite direction to where he lived, he silently hoped that you would forget your umbrella tomorrow so he could do this all over again.

#Tokyo Revengers #Tokyo Revengers Fanfiction #Tokyo Revengers Drabble #Anime #Anime Fanfiction #Anime Drabble #Tokyo Manji Gang #Chifuyu Matsuno #Chifuyu Matsuno X Reader #Chifuyu Matsuno Fanfiction #Chifuyu Matsuno Drabble #Chifuyu Matsuno Fluff #Chifuyu #Chifuyu X Reader #Chifuyu Fanfiction #Chifuyu Drabble #Chifuyu Fluff #Drabble #Fluff

[shiorimakibawrites]

One of Those Days

Okay, fair warning, this was written in a rush and is largely unedited. And I might have made Frank Castle out of character since I don't have a firm grip on his character yet but @bellaxgiornata isn't having the best day and was looking for Frank fics.

This is only a very short one-shot but I hope it helps you feel better, Bella.

Well, got to get back to writing Alley Cat.

Summary: You have a bad day but Frank makes it all better.

Pairing: Frank Castle x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Frank possibly being out of character

One of Those Days

You were having one of those days.

You had overslept and had been late for work. Your boss was in a fool mood and while he didn’t fire you for your lateness, he did yell at you in front of everyone. In front of her. That woman that shared your office space. The one who had taken one look at you, decided she didn’t like you, and proceeded to make your life miserable. Judging by the little smile on her face, she enjoyed watching you get humiliated.

You wanted to quit but you couldn’t. You needed this job. The rent wasn’t going to pay itself. So you swallowed your embarrassment, blinked back tears, and moved to your desk with as much dignity as you could manage.

Work was more tedious than usual. The computer had hiccup that corrupted the entire file you had been working on and forced you to re-do the entire thing. Which wasn’t difficult but was time-consuming. Which only irritated your boss further.

You ate lunch at your desk, trying to type with one hand while you ate with the other. And of course, ended up with mustard on your blouse. Somehow you managed to finish your tasks by the end of the day, which only earned you an annoyed ‘finally’ from your boss.

You had taken some pain relievers earlier but you could feel your headache sulking behind the medicine, threatening to turn into a migraine the moment said pain-killers wore off.

It decided to start raining when you were walking home. And not a little rain either. A massive downpour that had you soaked down to the skin within minutes. Because you had been in such a rush this morning, you had forgotten to grab your umbrella.

By the time you reached your apartment, you were tired, wet, cold, and really wanting to cry. Your hands were shaking so much that you couldn’t get your key in the lock. That was the last straw. You gave up fighting your tears and let yourself cry.

You didn’t know how long you stood in front of your door, bawling like a baby, before it swung open.

“Honey?” asked a familiar deep voice. Frank. Who wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow . . .

“Got done early,” he said, making you realize that you had said that outloud. “Thought I’d surprise you with dinner.”

Now that he mentioned it, you could smell the distinct odor of garlic and tomato sauce wafting out of your apartment. The thoughtfulness after such a terrible day did nothing to stop the tears but Frank seemed to understand that you were at the end of your tether.

“Come ‘ere,” he said, drawing you into a hug. He ignored your weak protests that you were going to get him wet, just wrapped his big arms around you and pressed you against his body. You gave in, buried your face against his chest, and sobbed.

Again, you don’t know how long you stood there. Frank didn’t complain, acted perfectly willing to stand there all day if that was what you needed. But when you squeezed, Frank loosen his hold enough to shepherd you into the apartment. He lead you to the bathroom before letting you go to turn on the shower. After adjusting the knobs, he stripped you out of your soaked clothes and gently encouraged you under the spray. The hot water felt so good that you almost started crying again.

“I gotta check on the food but I’ll be right back,” he said. You slowly nodded in agreement.

True to his word, Frank was back within five minutes. In his hands were a bundle of clothes that he sat on the counter.

“Do you want to wash?” he asked. You thought about it and then nodded your head. You watched as he striped out of his clothes, normally something that would have you getting wet in a different way but today, you were too emotionally wrung out for sex.

Frank seemed to sense this because he didn’t touch you that way. Just soaped up the washcloth and helped you clean the day off of your body. Just washed your hair and gently massaged your scalp, which eased the still pouting headache. He wrapped you in the biggest, fluffiest towel you owned before he dried himself and changed back into his clothes.

You were feeling steady enough to dry yourself off and start to dress yourself. He had picked out your most comfortable clothes. But with your pile of clothes was one of his hoodies. You sent him a questioning look as you held it up.

“Put it on, honey, it’ll keep you warm,” he said. What went unsaid that he knew you loved wearing his hoodies. Being loose on him and all his muscles, they were way too big for you but that’s why you loved them. That and they smelled like Frank.

You smiled at him. It was a little thing, barely a smile, but it was first one that you had all day. He smiled back and said, “There’s my girl. Let’s go eat.”

Frank claimed that he wasn’t much of a cook and maybe it was the stress of the day but it was the most delicious spaghetti that you had ever eaten. After you had eaten your fill, Frank had taken care of the plates and otherwise cleaning up the kitchen, ignoring your protests that he had cooked, you should be the one to clean.

“Pick us out a movie, honey,” he said, shooing you out of the kitchen.

Realizing there was no point in fighting him on this – especially when you didn’t especially want to do the dishes after a day like this – you settled on the couch and started strolling through the streaming options. You had picked one, a romance that you had seen a dozen times, when Frank came into the living room with one of your blankets.

Through you knew perfectly well that romance was not his favorite genre, he just nodded at your movie choice, and encouraged you to snuggle with him under the blanket. Warm, comfortable, and filled with good food, you fell asleep about halfway through the movie.

The next morning, while having coffee, Frank casually mentioned that he knew of a law firm that was looking for a new office manager. No pressure, just something to consider. After the day you had yesterday and how much you were dreading today, that little white business card he left with you was very, very tempting.

#fan fic #the punisher #frank castle x reader #fluff

[arvensimp]

You writing is amazing, you capture the character personality so well.

I found an secret beach while playing pokemon scarlet and I was wonder what will a beach date with arven look like? What swimsuit will he wear? Reaction to our swimsuit? What activity will arven and reader do?

Thank you! Also, ooh! Where is it? I found a secret lil cave by the ocean just between the glacedo mountain and the orange foresty area north of the lake that I thought was pretty cool. Is the secret beach the one north of the lighthouse on the west coast? Also forgive me for not replying to a comment if you leave one! I check all my posts for tags and comments constantly, but since this is a side blog, I'm not able to reply from here. Just know that I love everything y'all say!! If you ever want to chat my inbox is open. :)

-

Beach Episode

Arven x reader, no gendered pronouns

--

When you excitedly tell Arven about the secret beach you've discovered and offer it up as a potential date destination, he is delighted. You can count on him to take care of all the planning. Truth be told he's happier that way. "Too many cooks in the kitchen," as it were. You just need to worry about driving the lizard in the right direction and picking a nice bathing suit.

When you arrive, before you even start unpacking together, he examines the area and whistles, fists on his hips.

"This is pretty nice! Not that I doubted you, of course, but usually an untouched beach is way less sandy and much more rocky and uneven than this, I'd think. Good going!"

From there, the two of you set out a massive beach blanket, big enough for both of you and a few pokemon to lounge about on. Next come the umbrellas to provide a bit of shade, as well as the folding table to house the snacks and coolers.

Arven really goes all out when he has time to prep.

Once all the set up is done in terms of the "picnic site," Arven goes ahead and changes into his swimwear. He wears just basic trunks, nothing terribly fancy, but they do have a floette print similar to that of his phone case.

He doesn't outwardly make a huge deal out of anything you wear, not thinking it's appropriate, but he's really happy to see you in your swimsuit.

Before you rush into the water, he does get a little blushy. "We need to make sure we get some sunscreen on before we get into the water, okay? I-I can help you, if you like? Not to be weird or anything."

You, of course, happily accept his help, and squirm and giggle at the cold sensation of the cream before he rubs it into your back and shoulders.

You also help him apply his own sunscreen. He pulls his hair out of the way for you, and you get to basically give him a little mini back massage as you rub him down. Arven sighs and relaxes against you as you work...

Once you're all SPF'd up, you release your pokemon from their balls, and it's basically a free for all! You spend as much time playing in the sand and surf as you like.

Arven basically plays along with whatever games you're down for. He didn't really get to play much in the water as a kid, so he's happy to learn how you did it when you were little.

You also build a couple of sandcastles together with your pokemon, being careful to respectfully knock them down before you abandon them, just in case they turn into sandyghasts.

As with any date with Arven, the main event is the food.

Your man has packed all the best for your little group of Pokemon, and then for the two of you he has fresh squeezed fruit juices, along with some pastries, sandwiches, and a surprisingly delicious pasta salad that kept super well in his new cooler that he has been really eager to try out!

The date does eventually end around the time it gets dark, but you're able to spend a nice amount of quality time snuggled up on the blankets, cuddling and exchanging soft kisses before you go.

#arven fanfic #arven x reader #arven pokemon #trainer arven #arven #rival arven

[trashytoastboi]

⚔️Roronoa Zoro Masterlist⚔️

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Sir Crocodile, Katakuri x S/O – Reacting to them crying in front of them for the first time

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Katakuri reacting to a messy kitchen when S/O tried to cook for them

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Sanji reacting to seeing their timid S/O angry for the first time.

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Sanji, Crocodile x S/O who is afraid of thunder and being comforted during a heavy storm

⚔️ Headcanons: Corazon, Zoro, Mihawk x Royal! Reader – Working as their bodyguard

⚔️ Scenario: Zoro, Sanji and the Master of Disguise

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Ace, Law, Shanks - Reacting to their S/O baking a cake for them

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro befriending a polar opposite crewmate Reader

⚔️ Scenarios: Law, Ace, Zoro x Drunk! Reader - “Teach me how to kiss?”

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Hawkins, Apoo - Reacting to their crews throwing them a surprise party

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Ace x F! Keyblade Wielder

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Marco, Katakuri x S/O who is afraid of physical intimacy due to past trauma

⚔️ Scenario: Zoro and Crewmate stargazing on night watch

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Luffy x Crewmate who has a tendency to wander off

⚔️ Headcanons: Usopp, Sanji, Sabo, Zoro x S/O who has a hypersensitive sense of smell

⚔️ Scenarios: Zoro, Law, Ace x Small! S/O discovering their S/O has a massive bounty

⚔️ Headcanons: Ace, Luffy, Zoro x Tall! F! S/O

⚔️ Headcanons: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji - Reacting to crying S/O who tries to keep everyone happy

⚔️ NSFW Headcanons: Zoro, Sanji, Sabo x F! Dom! S/O

⚔️ Headcanons: ABO AU! Omega! Zoro, Sanji, Luffy + F! Alpha

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Kid, Zoro, Ace – Reaction to their S/O cosplaying as them.

⚔️ Scenario: Soul Mate AU! Zoro, Luffy and F! Soul Mate (Poly)

⚔️ NSFW Scenario: Roommate AU! Zoro, Luffy x F! Roommate (Poly)

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Kid, Law, Luffy - with a S/O who has a Buster sword

⚔️ Headcanons: Sanji, Zoro – With Male! S/O who possess a devil fruit giving him the abilities of a black cat.

⚔️ NSFW Scenario: Bratty Sub! Zoro x Hard Dom! F! S/O

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Ace, Katakuri, Robin, Zoro – Reacting to their crush that is super wary about sleeping around other people but is fine with them

⚔️ Headcanons: Sanji, Law, Zoro - With S/O who is afraid of wind

⚔️ Headcanons: X-Drake, Law, Zoro – At an amusement park with their S/O

⚔️ Headcanons: Sanji, Zoro, Law, Sabo – Meeting F! Nobody (Kingdom Hearts)

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Ace, Law, Kid – with a S/O who sleeps with their eyes open

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Robin – with Tiny! S/O who has a devil fruit with Number 5’s (Umbrella Academy) ability

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Luffy - #11. Making the other laugh & #28. Threesome

⚔️ Scenario: Zoro x F! S/O #1 Can I borrow your jacket/clothing?

⚔️ Scenario: Zoro with Nurse! Reader - #21. It’s just a knife wound no big deal.

⚔️ Headcanons: X-Drake, Zoro, Kid with S/O who has trouble falling asleep

⚔️ Scenarios: Buggy, Kid, Shanks – Meeting the girl of their dreams, but she is a marine

⚔️ Headcanons: Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Law – Meeting Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy

⚔️ Headcanons: Shanks, Zoro, Kid x Shy! Curious! S/O

⚔️ Scenario: Zoro x F! S/O - #10. If you steal the blankets one more time I’m going to put my cold feet on you.

⚔️ NSFW Headcanons: Ace, Zoro, Mihawk, Sabo, Law – Reacting to S/O being brought to tears of pleasure

⚔️ NSFW Headcanons - Ace, Sabo, Zoro, Law with S/O who uses their safeword

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Ace, X-Drake with S/O who can be very emotional

⚔️ Headcanons Law, Luffy, Zoro, Ace x S/O that loves horror

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Ace reacting to discovering their S/O is a Sea Dragon (Non-Devil Fruit user)

⚔️ Short Scenarios: Dad! Kid, Dad! Law, Dad! Zoro, Dad! Crocodile with extremely shy daughter who has the tendency to hide away

⚔️ Scenario: Law + Zoro x F! Keyblade wielder – A Matter of Heart

⚔️ NSFW Headcanons: Law, Sanji, Zoro

⚔️ Headcanons: Ace, Law, Zoro, Sanji x S/O – Hinting at some intimate time together with a S/O that misunderstands their meaning

⚔️ Headcanons: Kid, Zoro, Law, Sabo x F! S/O who has a cursed flower in her right eye

⚔️ Headcanons: Ace, Law, Zoro, Sanji x S/O – Who is very honest with their thoughts and feelings

⚔️ Headcanons: Yandere! Zoro, Yandere! Ace, Yandere! Law, Yandere! Sanji x S/O

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Ace, Law, Sabo x S/O who is unusual and mysterious

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro meeting F! Reader in Wano and her being jealous of Hiyori and Zoro.

⚔️ Headcanons: Ace, Zoro x F! S/O who has large breasts

⚔️ Headcanons: ABO AU! Alpha! Luffy, Alpha! Sanji, Alpha! Zoro x Omega S/O

⚔️ SFW AND NSFW: ABO AU! Alpha! Luffy, Alpha! Sanji, Alpha! Zoro x Omega! S/O Who is in heat

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Kid, Zoro x S/O who has given them a really sweet nickname

⚔️ Headcanons: College AU! Zoro x Male! Best friend! Reader - Attending College with Zoro and Studying Business and Japanese

⚔️ Headcanons: Dad AU! Zoro, Luffy, Ace - Sleeping with their infant on their chest

⚔️ Headcanons: Male! Keyblade Wielder! Training with Zoro under Mihawk, reuniting in Dressrosa and being invited to the crew by Luffy

⚔️ Scenario: Law + Zoro x F! Keyblade Wielder – Listen to Your Heart

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Sanji - Reaction to Seeing M! Reader and F! Reader throwing pick up lines at each other

⚔️ NSFWish Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Ace x F! S/O – Having an argument and ‘making it up’ to her

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Kid, Marco, Zoro x Short! Male! Crewmate who hides his injury after a fight and collapses as a result

⚔️ Headcanons: Law, Zoro, Crocodile, Luffy x Shy! Deaf! Male! S/O

⚔️ NSFW Scenario: Zoro x Chubby! F! Reader – Beauteous Endeavour

⚔️ Headcanons: Kid, Zoro, Law x S/O - Hiding an engagement ring in cake to propose to their partner

⚔️ Headcanons: Brother! Killer and Brother! Zoro react to Sibling! Reader who is dating their captains.

⚔️ Headcanons: Crocodile, Luffy, Zoro, Kid x Quiet! Calm! S/O - Losing their shit

⚔️ Headcanons: Kid, Law, Zoro x Stowaway! Reader - Escaping and hiding from Dr. Vegapunk

⚔️ Headcanons (Slightly NSFW) – Killer, Law, Zoro what they think about their S/O having nipple piercings.

⚔️ Headcanons: Zoro, Ace, Law confessing their love to Straw-Hat! Reader

⚔️ Headcanons: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ace with Sleepy head S/O – They just love sleeping and taking naps

#trashytoastboi #roronoa zoro #one piece #fluff #sfw #one piece imagines #one piece headcanons #gender neutral reader #gender neutral pronouns #one piece headcanon #female reader #male reader #unholy toast #character masterlist #masterlist

[plussizeappreciationfics]

One Shot: I wish I could take back my words

Pairing: Justin H. Min x Black Plus Size Reader

"You-you just don't understand..." Justin sighed in frustration, the room thick with the ongoing tension between you two. A delightful, relaxing afternoon of the two of you cooking together, talking for hours and making some sweet love now had turned into an argument.

It all had started with a joke you had giggled out, mentioned that Justin's racist fans would maybe try to boycott the final season of The Umbrella Academy due to him dating a gorgeous black woman like you. At first, you thought that he'd laugh along with you because the idea was actually funny but once you were met with Justin's cold stare, you knew that you might have struck a nerve.

A big one even.

"What don't I understand, Justin? It was a stupid joke, of course your show will air its final season. Hundred thousands of people are eagerly waiting for it. Netflix won't consciously fumble their bag like that..." you explained with a sigh, slowly getting annoyed too now.

The two of you were sitting on the couch, not cuddling anymore but shooting cold glares at one another now. You did miss the soft warmth of your boyfriend's chest, the soft thumping of his steady heartbeat near your ear.

"Babe, the joke is offensive. Imagine one of my fans saying that about you? Wanting me to dump you due to your skin color...".

Your eyes widened at this statement while a dark cloud of anger started bubbling in your stomach.

"Wow" you huffed, shaking your head in disbelief while clenching your jaw. "Would you dump me for your fans?". The question shot out of you before you could even realize it. Your boyfriend blinked in shock as his cheeks suddenly changed into a soft pink shade. He didn't say a word.

Justin was prone to blushing for 3 reasons:

1. Embarrassment

2. Sexual arousal

3. Being caught doing something

Your eyes didn't leave his rosy cheeks as he suddenly struggled to create a sentence, tumbling over a few syllables as his eyes avoided your face.

"Talk to me..." you whispered, an uneasy feeling now creeping under your skin, a part of you wanting to run and hide but this was not the time for such foolery.

"I-I wouldn't...", your boyfriend hushed in a whisper so light, you easily could've overheard it.

"But..?" , you added.

"I've been having some doubts." , Justin finished. It was quiet after his statement as you needed a few seconds to actually chew over his words. This was new. Not once had you noticed or thought about your lover having doubts about your relationship. About you.

"My love" he gently whispered, panic slowly rising within him. This was not how he had planned to address his fears. The sight of you sitting there, shocked and speechless was very unpleasant. He knew that he had hurt you. He knew that he had reacted in the wrong way.

"What are your doubts about?" you asked, fixing your eyes back to his face while your heart sounded in your chest. Your fingers automatically started to tap softly against your thick thighs, a habit you had when you felt hurt or vulnerable.

"What if my fans could never accept our relationship? I've never dated outside my race and don´t get me wrong (Y/N)- I love our relationship...But I also feel like I´ve somehow turned my back towards like....my people...you know?", Justin finished, anxiety seeping through his body like a massive tidal wave. He had finally voiced his deepest worries and based off the look on your face, he knew that he had also hurt you.

All you could do was blink slowly, his words replaying themselves in your head. The painful pressure you felt in your chest was hard to ignore, the lump forming in your throat very hard to swallow. You were hurt, deeply.

"If...If you-", you could barely form a sentence. This wasn´t your first interracial relationship, you had gained enough experience to feel secure about yourself and your cultural background. But this was new.

"If you feel worried about turning your back on your people, then maybe you shouldn´t be with me..." you whispered, the words slowly killing you inside while you quickly got up in search for your shoes and purse. The need to just disappear growing by the second while you were frantically looking for your things.

"(Y/N), baby it wasn´t meant like that" Justin´s voice sounding higher than usual, he had shot up from the couch and was following you like a dog that had lost its owner. His eyes teared up while he desperately tried to get a hold of your arm, almost sobbing on the spot when you hissed and finally had put your shoes on, now looking for your damn purse.

I should have never said anything, you stupid idiot. Justin thought to himself. He wished that that he had never hushes a word. He couldn´t stand the thought of the two of you breaking up. You were the best thing that had happened to him. He had fallen for you the second his friend Emmy had introduced the two of you. Hell, the love you had blessed his life with was too good to be true, so good that his insecurities tried to sabotage it. Now, the consequences of his stupid actions were creeping up on him.

"Justin" you whispered in pain when he tried to hug you, the tears now having made their way down his soft cheeks. He was holding your hands, swallowing the pain while staring so sadly into your beautiful eyes, he was silently begging you to stay. All you could do was shake your head and mumble a soft "I don´t want you to feel bad for dating outside your race. Stay dating inside your group of people", and with that you quickly made your way out of his apartment, holding back the tears while you quickly made your way to your car and drove away, while your now ex-love was staring defeated into the space you were just standing in, slowly sinking to his knees as a soft sob left his mouth....

...Part 2?

-Emmanuelle♥️

#ben hargreeves #the umbrella academy #justin h min #justin h min x reader #justin min #plus size reader #reader #fic #fan fiction #Spotify

[humornaut]

Chef Sunny’s Kitchen: Hobbies of an Unreliable Narrator

Hey all! Just wanted to do another little post that I’ve seen toyed with but never explored to it’s fullest potential. Spoilers for Omori ahead!

So Omori as a game is no stranger to the concept of unreliable narrators, but often, I see people using that term pretty liberally to explain away situations that don’t really make all that much sense (example, I’ve seen someone say that Sunny’s fridge isn’t actually empty, he’s just refusing to see the rest of the food because he feels he doesn’t deserve it). However, if you spend any amount of time examining the game, you will find that the ways in which Sunny (and Basil) are unreliable narrators are fairly consistent.

To spend a little bit of time on Basil, there are two main reasons that he is an unreliable narrator. Firstly, he is in a massive state of denial throughout the real world sections of the game, not that that is that big of a deal, since we already know the Truth by the time he gives his account of what happened the night of the recital. However, there is another big way that Basil is an unreliable narrator.

Basil’s photo album is one of the primary ways that the player, and by extension Sunny, is familiarized (or re-familiarized) with the past. But there are several ways that Basil’s photo album can be misleading. For instance, the photo album is from Basil’s perspective, so we don’t often get views of what other characters thought about certain events. In addition, things like Sunny and Kel sneaking out to go to Hobbeez or Sunny and Aubrey talking on the swing set aren’t going to be mentioned in the photo album, since Basil would not have been present. Beyond that, unhappy memories such as the Lake Incident won’t be included. Finally, Basil is often noted for enjoying the act of keeping secrets, which is something we see highlighted in nearly every memory during Memory Lane.

To give an example of where stuff like this comes up, we should start at the Rainy Day memory, or rather, the pictures that are associated with it.

(4/29): Just KEL being KEL again... We went to HOBBEEZ, but the shop owner told KEL to leave his jacket outside since KEL was getting all his comics wet. Sorry, SHOPKEEP.

From here, we know that after the Rainy Day memory ends, the four friends head over to Hobbeez to read comics, and then Kel had to leave his jacket outside. But what we don’t see, due to Basil not talking about it in the album, is that they actually split up afterwards, with Aubrey and Kel staying at Hobbeez, and Sunny and Basil going to the secret hangout spot and hanging out at the dock.

They don’t even have the umbrellas, showing that they are intentionally in the same outfits, since they couldn't just re-use the same sprites.

Likely, Sunny and Basil split off from the group to have some kind of private conversation away from Aubrey and Kel. It could’ve been related to Sunny’s crush on Aubrey, since this would’ve been the day that Basil figured it out. Sunny clearly never talked about his crush with Mari, since Mari is shown comparing Aubrey and Kel’s friendship to her own relationship with Hero, so perhaps Sunny was feeling a little frustrated at how close Aubrey and Kel were. He does canonically just walk ahead of the group after Basil calls out his crush, after all. It doesn’t really matter what specifically they talked about, because what does matter is that this is an event that Basil purposefully left out of the photo album, so we are completely left in the dark on what actually happened in this conversation.

But I want to get on to the main thing I wanted to talk about here.

Sunny

So Sunny is such an unreliable narrator that it is sometimes painful. There are two main reasons that Sunny is an unreliable narrator:

Sunny is repressing the Truth, so things like the existence of the closet are ignored, and within Headspace, how important Basil is to Sunny specifically is being repressed until later in the game. This causes quite a few oddities. The Headspace friends (and Hero in the real world) say that Omori has a good memory, but based on things we see throughout Headspace, it seems like a lot of the things that Sunny “remembers” are actually just things about Basil. (e.g. the Headspace photo album shows that Sunny has forgotten that Aubrey’s favorite fruit is watermelon. Meanwhile the least effective smoothie is the Banana smoothie, while the most effective non-dino smoothie is the Strawberry smoothie. Basil is shown in the real world photo album to dislike a banana popsicle, and outright says that he loves strawberries during the Birthday Memory. I may do another post expanding on this concept, because I think it is incorrect to take the statement about Sunny/Omori having a good memory at face value.)

Sunny is an imperfect human that hasn’t seen his friends in nearly four years. The way that his friends are portrayed in Headspace is in many ways, an ideal, and is not representative of how they act in either the current day, or back before the incident.

However, there is one last way that Sunny is an unreliable narrator, and that’s the simple fact that Sunny hates himself.

See, Sunny hates himself on a subconscious level throughout the game. Due to this, many of the things that Sunny does for others or himself were cast away, as they were just no longer important in the face of what he did. Even if he does remember that he did things for his friends growing up, they are never brought up because he no longer sees those things that he did as important. Within Sunny’s mind, the fact that he would listen to Basil talk about anything and everything is repressed until the player enters Blackspace, when Stranger uses that information to guilt Sunny for leaving the real Basil behind. The fact that he did this for Aubrey as well is something that is kept away from the player until he’s having a version of his friends remind him of their bonds shortly before entering a battle within his own mind to keep from losing the will to live in the battle against Omori.

Due to a mixture of all these reasons, Sunny’s relationships with each of his friends can often seem one-sided, especially when it comes to Basil, since so much more of him is being repressed than the others. You will often see the idea floated around that Basil’s liking of Sunny was one-sided, and that Sunny actually considered Kel his best friend, but this simply isn’t the case, it’s just that Basil kept a photo album and Sunny is actively trying to forget everything related to the Truth.

To illustrate what I’m talking about, I’d like to expand on a topic that I briefly mentioned in my previous post: Sunny has a small cooking hobby.

It wouldn’t be surprising for someone like Sunny to have an interest in cooking and preparing food. After all, two of the people that he looks up to the most are Mari and Hero, and both of their food preparation abilities are put on a pedestal within Headspace. Also within Headspace is an extremely wide range of food. A notable exclusion from the Snack list is steak, Sunny’s favorite food (according to his mom). Within the Foe Facts! journal, we can see that Sunny knows nutritional information for cilantro (this is attributed to Kel in the journal, but remember, this is Sunny’s mind, so Sunny would have to know it), and we can also see information about ginger and celery. According to the Headspace description for chocolate, we know that Sunny knows the difference between baking chocolate and regular chocolate. Sunny also has a concept of vegan food, and seems to be preoccupied with what can be considered vegan when it comes to several of the different Bunnies that appear within Orange Oasis.

Bread and toast are also given a large importance within Headspace, which likely stems from the summer before the photo album, when Hero and Mari were working at the bakery. He knows about different types of bread, has a technique called “Bread Slice” in Headspace, and is at least somewhat familiar with the process for making bread, as seen in the area where the Bread Twins are located.

In order to get any deeper into this analysis and talk more about why this information is somewhat hidden from the player, we need to get into just who it is Sunny cooks for.

The table that Basil and Sunny always sit at is one of the most adorable easily-missed details in the game, in my opinion, but I personally find that it connects to Sunny’s cooking interest quite well. After all, there would be no other reason for them to have this table in here if it was just for eating and homework and playing, as there is a full table in just the other room. The fact that this table is seen in a version of the house seemingly taken shortly before the incident is also relevant, because Mari and Hero would have been much more busy and likely wouldn’t be cooking or setting up picnics as much.

I’d like to put forward the idea that many of Sunny’s culinary escapades, outside of the group cooking situations that are mentioned by Hero, were shared specifically with Basil. This is because there are two primary food items that are associated with Sunny’s abilities.

Tofu

Tofu appears a whole lot in Headspace. It is loved by the Sprout Moles, and it is the cheapest food item, since you can get it for a single clam. The description for it calls it “Soft cardboard, basically.”

In the 2018 demo of the game, Basil’s grandmother directly states that tofu is Basil’s favorite food. Since this does not appear in the final game, I would like to point out that Basil’s fridge in Faraway is still the only fridge that has tofu in it, so it can still be assumed that this is intended to be the case.

During the Hikokomori route, there are two books that Sunny is shown to own that are relevant to this analysis. The first is one entitled “The Food Pyramid”, which is just another piece of evidence of Sunny’s cooking interest, and the second, “The Benefits of Tofu”. Sunny having this second book is very interesting, as he himself is shown to dislike tofu greatly. The only conclusion that I can draw from this is that Sunny specifically learned how to prepare tofu for Basil’s benefit.

And indeed, despite tofu healing the least amount of health and costing the least amount of clams, it is still the most clam efficient way of acquiring better snacks in Headspace, as 10 can be traded in Orange Oasis for a random other snack. I like to imagine that this references Sunny trading tofu with Basil for other foods, with the time commitment involved in the exchange referencing the fact that Sunny could’ve just learned how to make the other foods, but he is going out of his way to make something Basil likes, for his benefit.

Pictured: a normal amount of things about tofu for someone that doesn’t like tofu themselves to know

However, the other food that we know about Sunny’s proficiency with is far more interesting...

Strawberry Cake

So this is something that I’ve seen brought up a lot recently, the fact that Sunny knows step-by-step instructions on how to prepare a strawberry cake within Headspace implying he was involved with the preparation of Basil’s birthday cake in the real world, as it is the only time one is seen in the real world, but I think this idea deserves to be examined a little bit further.

First: Sunny knows how to make a strawberry cake, one way or the other.

Second: Sunny is not given credit for making Basil’s strawberry cake during the Birthday memory.

So, here’s what we know:

Hero is given credit for making the cake by Aubrey. However, Hero never actually responds to either Aubrey or Basil’s compliments during the memory.

Aubrey did not help with the cake, otherwise she wouldn’t have given credit to Hero specifically. In addition, we can assume Kel did not help, by virtue of him allowing Aubrey to not compliment him as well. Aubrey also likely does not believe that Mari was involved, because Aubrey would’ve complimented Mari if she knew.

Not everyone would’ve been at Basil’s house while the cake was being made, as this party was a surprise party being held at Basil’s house, so a few members of the group were likely on distraction duty.

Mari teases Sunny for being “camera shy” and tells him that he will get used to it soon enough. Indeed this does seem to be the case, as it doesn’t take long at all for Basil to take a picture of Sunny once he gets his camera back.

“Hehe...” indeed, Mari.

Finally, I would like to point out that just like the visions for the Rainy Day memory, there is a vision for this memory. In Faraway Park, you can find Hero and Kel playing, while wearing their outfits from the Birthday memory, implying that Hero and Kel were not spending their time before the party making a birthday cake.

There are two adorable conclusions that can be drawn then, from Sunny knowing how to make a strawberry cake. I’ll let you take your pick.

Sunny himself made Basil’s cake, either with instruction from Hero or on his own, then was too shy to take credit for it, or even appear on camera with it, with Hero and Mari covering for him and Hero staying silent as he is complimented by Aubrey and Basil. Aubrey is either also covering for Sunny, or is just mistakenly assuming that Hero made it. Sunny may have even told Basil that he made it later, because the photo album says “My friends surprised me with a strawberry cake”, rather than Hero.

Sunny, after seeing how happy the cake made Basil, decided to learn how to make a strawberry cake later.

Either way, Basil’s smile from that day is certainly something that stuck with Sunny, considering Basil’s birthday is covered in Memory Lane, and his own isn’t.

Sunny even has knowledge that Basil doesn’t really like sweets that much, as seen through what Mari says in Orange Oasis. This is something that Sunny only seemed to do for Basil. Sunny’s favorite food is steak, and his way of preparing that is to put it in the microwave. I would like to point out that most people would learn how to cook their own favorite foods first. You don’t have to see it this way, but you could read clear romantic undertones to this behavior. Sunny and Basil’s table in the kitchen is right next to the counter where Mari and Hero like to do their homework. Sunny also looks up to Hero a great deal, and if you interact with the stove in Sunny’s kitchen, he specifically makes a big deal about how Hero is always trying to cook for Mari but makes too much and the rest of the friends get the leftovers. Not to mention that the unknown ingredients involved with the Hero’s Kitchen area of Black Space 2 are linked to Basil in the game’s data, and the sprites are all tofu sprites.

To loop back around to the central point here, due to Basil’s love of keeping secrets, Sunny’s little hobby would not have been recorded within the photo album, because this was just for Basil. Sunny, in the modern day, doesn’t think about the fact that he did this for Basil, because to do that would be for Sunny to value what he brought forward to their friendship, and he can’t do that if he hates himself. And remembering how close he is to Basil at all would be to allow himself to feel guilty for leaving him alone to deal with the fallout of Mari’s death. Sunny and Basil are two unreliable little gremlins, so you need to look a little closer to see how their friendship went both ways, but I promise you, the game does give you a lot to work with if you just look for it.

#omori #omori analysis #omori sunflower #sunflower omori #sunnflower #memory lane #omori basil #omori sunny #food analysis #kel is not sunnys best friend #nor is it basil #its kim #berly calls omori her best friend in the prologue #and the actual best smoothie in the game is the dino smoothie #sorry boys #omori spoilers #also I guess I was lying when I said I wasn't gonna post much #didnt even last a week #sunflower is flour boy x flower boy #the real reason sunny has such a bread addiction #hero is to sunny for making bread what mari is to basil for making flower crowns