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dismas-n-dismay · 2 days

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Hi! It's me again (I'm transferring to a bachelor's in biology this fall and I love the science that goes into the series so I love that you're exploring this)

Do either of them have hoarding instincts or dietary preferences or are they pretty much human in that regard?

They'd possibly be born with baby teeth, at least in Haze/Hazel's case, would that change anything? (Hazel would probably fit better because Falin is half French on her father's side from what I remember from the Adventurer's Bible and it feels even that they'd both get to name a kid but that's just my opinion)

Haru with his mouth full: Checkit!! Blegh!! Haize: Gross. Good job, Haru, you're a natural hunter!

Welcome back to part 10,000 of me talking about my silly ocs. Hi. hello. Thank you sooo much for coming back with more biology questions for these two hehehe >:]c

Diet Preferences?

These two are quite the oddballs. Haru is an insectivore by simple dragon nature while Haize is a carnivore by hers, though their elven and tallman sides balance them out to be closer to omnivores! Light dragons commonly eat bugs as they're the easiest prey to attract when ur big and flashy though this keeps them very lithe and they typically have more slender builds, though the proteins do help a lot. Conversely, red dragons being mostly carnivores results in their larger build and their obvious frequency to be the most dominant and persevering dragon species- y'know. Because they murk the other ones due to their weaker diets and builds.

Haru started to eat bugs right around the time it was warm enough for him to go outdoors without getting sick, I imagine he would've eaten a butterfly or a dragonfly much to Marcille's horror. Like that vine of the pug eating the butterfly with his owner screaming no! Backtracking a bit though to give some cool facts about baby light dragons because I decide the lore. I'm making them weird half mammal half bird-lizards because I think the variety is cool but this also means that - up until baby light dragons can open their eyes and properly attempt to hunt - they drink milk from their parents! (Whether or not this is crop milk like birds produce is entirely up to the reader's imagination, I will not judge but I will choose either one if asked)

So up until he started going outside, Haru was perfectly content just drinking milk like any other baby- Haize was not. Unlike Haru she was born with baby fangs!! Just little milk teeth to help her get a headstart for the world and such, but she grew hungrier for something more diverse than milk very quickly. Red dragons, unlike light dragons, don't do the whole milk thing so Haize was only partially satiated due to being part elf and tallman but the minute she was allowed to eat soft meats she basically refused to go back. So just imagine like a 1 year old eating various lunch meats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Honestly it was probably for the best, Haize's fangs bit into Marcille a lot and they were worried she might grow a taste for blood if she kept accidentally nicking her mom while trying to eat. She probably would have and it would've been a really bad habit to get rid of because she hadn't developed that big girl brain to be like "Hey maybe drinking blood isn't super cool."

All in all, the Touden-Donato sibs have slightly preferenced diets! Though Haize prefers meats, nectar, and citrus fruits while Haru prefers bugs, ground vegetables, citrus fruits, and any/all milk based desserts (he just really likes them). God if these kids ever got their hands on sorbet it would be a disaster, Falin and Marcille would literally spend a week trying to explain why they cant have ice cream for every meal and have to deal with whining dragonets the whole time.

2. Hoarding Instincts

They do have hoarding instincts! Though this is one of those things that differs from dragon to dragon on how they react with it. Light dragons tend to go for the flashiest treasures to make themselves more appealing and alluring, naturally they like the attention they draw in just from an instinctual standard. They frequently discard rusted, unpolished, or just not as eyecatching treasure all the time. They really just arent particular about the whole thing unless they see you have an interest in something they were previously disinterested in- then they're smug assholes who see their treasure as still having some renewed value. So essentially Envy = Worthy to them, but they arent extremely vain creatures despite their hoarding preference and are actually particularly generous within reason. It's very common for light dragons to gift their young, mates, or siblings with treasures from their own hoards or that they've taken for themselves to gift. Typically though the gifting of treasure is to help younger dragons start their own hoard and have an idea of what to go for when out and about for themselves.

That being said, Haru is a greedly little fucker who wants every single new treasure possible, fuck you. He's very grateful for being part elf and tallman because he's aware that he can make his beautiful treasures last long if he polishes, dusts, and cleans them! So his hoard isn't too huge if only because he's good at maintaining things. Still, if he sees something he tends to want it and is often reprimanded for trying to steal shiny gems, jewels, or artifacts just because he likes them- as Haru often gets tired with his new finds extremely quickly if they begin to bore him or don't compare to his other treasures. When it comes to his hoarding he essentially has the dragon equivalent to having eyes bigger than your stomach.

Haize, however, has your more traditional dragon's hoard of miscellanous treasures, artifacts, coins from birthdays, and prized family gifts. Much of her hoard consists of trinkets Haru grew bored with but that she still saw interest in and wanted to give renewed purpose, she isn't nearly as picky but is very curious and likes to inspect an item before taking it in. She'll often let Haru have a treasure knowing that he'll get tired of it within the hour- though she has been known to assert her place as the eldest sibling if there is a gift for her she particularly wants and Haru usually shies off. Haize doesn't assert herself as the eldest often so he knows it's business if she does for things like food or treasure. Haru keeps her hoard partially in and around the her nest as well as the family nest in Falin and Marcille's room! Her nest in the guardian is where she keeps most of her baby clothes, toys, trinkets, and cloths/blankets. She just feels they're safest there and prefers to sleep near them <3.

Also, fun tid bits on how dragons train their kids to gain treasure!: Typically young dragons get the urge to grab and snatch at shiny things as soon as they're able to crawl around functionally and protect themselves- which is pretty early due to them being predators of a mythical variety- so they'll often try and steal treasure from their parent's hoard! Older dragons use this as stealth training for their young and will often guard their treasure, sitting stop or nearby and continuously removing their children until they manage to sneak by successfully to take a trinket. Typically the larger/shiner/whatever is more impressive for the type of dragon you are is what is most rewarded for by parents but they do punish thinking a bit too big. It's good to know your limits! better to have 5 gold coins than 5 gold bricks you cant carry.

so Falin was very often having to train Haru and haize to amass their own treasures which was much easier for Haize due to her slinky and stealthy body allowing for quicker and quieter movement! Haru had to learn to fight, due to his regular baby limbs and range of movement, which didnt really work because he's so itty bitty but the thought was appreciated by Falin, learning to stand your ground is good too!

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geekforhorror · 2 months

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imagine riding aj GODDD

rodeo

pairing: aj x fem!reader

warning(s): SMUT (DNI IF YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT!), dom!aj, sub!reader, riding, unprotected p in v sex, dirty talk, pet names, fluff, etc.

word count: 725 words

a/n: not proofread since i wrote half of this at 12 am

"Just like that baby, just like that..." AJ groans while you're currently on top of him, bucking like a stallion.

He had quite a rather stressful day which was made quite clear when he came home to your guys' city apartment. You had noticed how tense his muscles were when you went to go hug him. You had asked him what was wrong and he told you about all the shit that had gone down while they were planning their next big heist. It had already been stressful enough with how little time they had to make this heist successful. He usually was good with dealing with stress, but the guy he had fought today in order to obtain C-4 really did it for him. When he finished telling you about all of it, you made him an offer that he wouldn’t and couldn’t refuse in a million years. You wanted to ride him.

Here you guys were, now ten minutes in, and both of you had been reduced to a moaning mess. Moans that couldve been mistaken for being in porn had begun to elicit from both of your guys' lips, but both of you were too much drunk on each other to care. You didn’t care about the noises that would for sure surface off the walls or your neighbors filing countless noise complaints.

"Jay...fuck," you breathily moan. Your hands had found their way to his beautiful locks to maintain your balance through the wave of pleasure given to you by riding his cock.

“You’re gripping me like a fucking vice, doll,” he grunts.

He wasn’t lying. Your tight cunt was more than inviting when it came to sliding his dick into it. It was like two pieces of a puzzle that fit so well together. He gently forced you even lower on him, which resulted in you taking in more of him. Despite having been together for a long time and making love more times than either of you could count, you were never used to how thick he was. You could feel him every inch of him sheathed inside your aching pussy.

“Fuck baby…don’t stop,” he moans while guiding your hips with his gorgeous hands.

“I don’t know how much longer-“ you raggedly pant.

“You’ve got this, sweetheart…I know you do,” he reassures you at which you frantically nod your head. “Come on baby, be a good girl for me,” he coos.

“Anything for you,” you whine.

“That’s my fucking girl,” AJ says.

You continue to glide on his cock like you had been doing, but he takes it one step further by moving his hips faster against you, giving you no choice but to feel him bottom out. You feel yourself unravel as he jerks himself deeper into your tight little hole. Molded to him.

“Such a big dick Jay…gonna cum-“ you cry out in ecstasy.

“You’ve done so well for me, darling. Cum on me… gonna feel so good,” he praises.

He then speeds up even more, which you didn’t know was even possible. AJ had gone from being passionate to becoming animalistic with his thrusts. That’s the effect only you had on him.

With him jerking faster inside you, you could feel your vision start to get blurry and pool with stars. You felt the hot coil start to form in your abdomen as he rutted like a man gone wild. Finally, his movements sent you over the edge and you felt your release spurt out of you and onto his dick. He could feel the way you spasmed around him and he swore he was going to pass away on the spot. The feeling of your cum smeared on him only made him want to cum faster.

AJ makes his hip bones meet yours and in doing so, he finally finds the right spot inside you that brushes his sensitive cock just right. He finally lets the hot rope of cum gush onto your already slick pussy. He rides out his high along with you and pulls out shortly after. You both then lay down accordingly on the now ruined sheets and look at each other with loving eyes.

“I love you, baby,” he whispers with his lips touching the ridge of your ear.

“I love you too Jay. Forever,”

“Forever sounds amazing if it’s with you.”

#aj takers smut #aj smut #aj takers #hayden christensen #anakin skywalker smut #star wars #anakin imagine #anakin skywalker x reader #star wars fanfiction #anakin star wars #anakin skywalker #anakin smut #star wars fandom

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man3at3r-mp4 · 2 months

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖇- 𝕳𝖍 𝖝 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗

Chapter 3- Family feud

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 (𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞)

𝐁𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐧

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47

Prologue Chapter 3.5

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!"

Liam's loud, shreeky voice called out to you. But you could care less, as you stormed out of the ball room, practically ripping off the uncomfortable and itchy gown you were forced to be fitted in.

The clicking of your hooves tapped against the crystal tiles of the floor, as you stomped off. You didn't know, you just wanted to get out of there. You picked up your pace as you heard the door slam open, and three pairs of footsteps following after you.

"Oh c'mon babe, where are you going?" You heard Adam call after you.

"Somewhere away from the three is you!" you snapped back, as you crossed your arms, one of your ears flicking in irritation.

"Your highness!" Liam spoke up, following not far after you, Adam and Lute.. "I understand your frustrations, but you shouldn't run off like that!" he clutched the schedule to his chest.

"Your highness, don't act to brash" Lute scoffs. Your eyebrow twitched at her words, but you continued to walk.

"Well I sure don't.." the exorcist angel quipped, "not to be a dick or anything, but you running off mid way through my sentence was a bitch move"

Your eye twitched, as you shot Adam a glare over your shoulder, causing him to blink as he shrugged his shoulders in confusion, "what?"

That got you to stop, you swiftly turned around and gave the other male the harshest glare you could muster, "What the hell do you mean WHAT?!?" Your ears were slightly pinned down. Apparently your yelling caught them both off guard.

"I just found out that my sister agreed to give you my hand in marriage and no one bothered to FUCKING tell me!" You growled, stomping your hooves on the ground, you were so enraged you didn't notice how you actually created a dent in the floor from how hard you were stomping.

"Your highness, language-" Liam interrupted.

"OH KISS MY ASS LIAM!" You pointed your finger at him, as steam huffed out of your nose. This caused the said Angel, to squeak as he shrieked back.

"Woah babe, chill out-"

"CHILL OUT?!?" You only got louder, "I'M BEING MARRIED OFF LIKE SOME FUCKING 16 CENTURY PRINCESS!! NO ONE EVEN BOTHERED TO ASK ME!" as you continued on with your rant, you were unaware of how you were actually getting taller. Actually, you were growing in size, as your usual e/c were now replaced with a golden glow, your horns elongated and sharpened, as you continued to grow. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO ASK ME! YOU WENT STRAIGHT TO SERA!" Your voice deepened and became more echoey as you finally stopped growing. Your head touched the ceiling, as you had to get on all fours and duck your head down to Adam and Liam's level. You blew a puff of steam out of your nose at the exorcist, as you finished.

"Holy shit..." Adam murmured, his eyes wide in surprise. Liam and Lute held similar expressions. You expected him, to apologize and be a bit scared if not intimidated of you but this is Adam we're talking about.

"YOU CAN TURN INTO A FUCKING KAIJU?!?" He shouts, "oh that's so fucking sick!".

Liam and Lute shared a look before the female exorcist sighed, "Sir...I don't think this is the right ti-"

"Shut up Lute." Adam cut her off, resulting in Lute groaning and rolling her eyes. You blinked, taken aback from his response.

"Really is that what you're focusing on? And not the rest of what I said?" You asked, in a deadpan voice.

"Well duh, you never fucking told me you could do this" he says, as he placed his hands on his hips, glancing at you up in down. "Fuck, this is kinda doing it for me. I'd thought I'd never be into the whole size difference thing but maybe for our honeymoon you could-"

You growled again, your hooves scraping against the ground as you released another puff of steam from your nose. Liam took notice of this and shrieked, "Adam! Cut it out!" He pleaded. "You're making it worse!"

Lute nodded, "Sir, you're only angering him even more! Can you save your horny bullshit for later!" She said through gritted teeth gesturing over to you.

Adam huffs, "Fuck, fine..whatever I'll wait for him to be done with his little temper tantrum.."

"TEMPER TANTRUM?!?" You roared again.

"Oh no..." Liam squeaked, shrinking back into his wings. Lute only face palmed, at Adam's stupidity.

Fortunately, before you could do anything a familiar voice interrupted you.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A motherly voice spoke, It was Sera. Her voice booming throughout the room, as her wings folded gracefully against her back.

"Is everything okay?!?" A familiar younger looking angel called out, it was Emily and it was obvious she was concerned by her slight pout and furrowed eyebrows.

They both gasped as they noticed your monstrous form. "Y/n!!" Emily cried, as she quickly flew over. "What happened?" She frowned.

Meanwhile Sera was a lot less gentle with her tone. "Y/n! Stop this nonsense at once, whatever you're angry at shouldn't warrant this reaction!" She scoffed. "You're shaking the entire palace! Everyone in heaven can hear you!"

You huffed, "Well maybe I wouldn't be so fucking angry, if I didn't just find out I'm getting married!"

Sera's eyes widened,"how did you-" she cut herself off, as the realization settled into her brain, she shot a quick glare over to Adam. "Adam! I thought we agreed we'd tell him after he finished with his duties for the day.."

The said Angel shrugged, "You really expected me to wait the entire day? No bitch, it's not my fault you're so fucking busy..". Sera only rolled her eyes in response, she then turned back to face you.

"Y/n, I know this isn't an ideal situation to learn about your engagement but you must stop this nonsense at once." She sounded stern, as she still tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy in her tone.

"No! This isn't nonsense! I'm justifiably angry!" You groaned. "You always do this Sera! You make decisions about my life and never fucking ask me!"

"Language."

You growled in response, you went to speak again but Emily interrupted. "(Y/n)...please, I know you're angry but don't lash out at anyone, please. I'm sure we can resolve this if we just talk..?" She suggested. Your eyes softened a bit, as you looked into your sister's eyes. You let out another huff before, you began to shrink back into your normal size.

Sera and the others visibly relaxed as you retreated back to your regular size. You fixed the crown that laid sideways on your head, before soothing out your clothes. "Okay...I'll let you explain yourself..." you grumbled, crossing your arms.

Sera sighed, "I know you're upset" 'upset is an understatement' you thought, as you listened to your sister speak. "But, I made the decision to accept Adam's proposal because I knew it would be good for you, it would be good for all of us."

You raised a brow, "how exactly?"

"Your union with Adam, will provide a good service not only here but on earth. Love is a fundamental part of heaven, your marriage with Adam will symbolize love and happiness to the human. It'd help spread hope across the globe and help mortals stray away from sin"

"But what about my happiness??" You asked. "I don't want to seem selfish..but everything I've ever done has been for the humans or for heaven...I don't even know half of my subjects? I've never even been to the earth." You scoffed. "How do you even know this'll work?"

"I have faith it will." She responds, though it felt like there was something else she wasn't telling you.

"Faith?" You repeated. "I'm in an arranged marriage all based on your faith?" You growled.

"(Y/n) don't.." you heard Liam meekly whisper.

"(Y/n)..," Sera warned, narrowing her eyes.

"Y'know Sera " you spat out your sister's name like it was venom. "It seems like you're willing to do A LOT of things for faith huh?" You scoffed. "Like when you forced all your societal expectations on me !." You watched as everyone in the room stiffened.

"Y/n!" Liam said, "you can't-"

"I can! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of everything! You always treat me like a child! All of you do! I'm 23 years old! I'm not some naive little boy anymore Sera!" You huffed.

"You throwing this outburst isn't really helping me see that, is it now?" Sera replied, matching your sass.

Your eye twitched, as you glared up at your sister. "Go to hell, Sera." You spat. Causing her eyes to widen, and for Emily and Liam to gasp. You could see Lute narrow her eyes a bit.

"Y/n you do NOT speak to me that way!" Sera commanded, as her anger grew so did the eyes that began to appear in her hair as she retained a slight glow to them. "Being angry is one thing but you do Not raise your voice at me!"

"There you go again, you're treating me like a child! I-" Emily then finally butted in.

"Y/n I know you're up about your engagement to Adam but we think it'll be a good idea.."

Your form slouched, as your tone grew quiet. "Wait...we?..." you frowned. "Emily..." you glanced down at her, obvious hurt in your eyes. "You knew...did the others-" Emily frowned, averting her gaze as he hesitantly nodded, giving you confirmation the rest of the seraphim knew and signed off on your engagement.

Your eyes welled with tears, as you backed away. Everyone knew about your apparent engagement, except you. It was one thing for Sera to make decisions for you but for Emily and the others too...it hurt. Emily was usually your aid for guidance and knowledge when you couldn't get it from Sera. She always told you the truth....but she made this life changing decision without even asking you about it.

You sniffled, you felt a bit embarrassed for beginning to cry in front of everyone. It sent you back to your preschool years when you remembered being scolded for being a crybaby and too emotional. But you couldn't help it now, you felt betrayed and you didn't know how else to handle this.

At the sound of your sniffling, Sera's glare softened as well as everyone's posture. Instead of being tense you could feel them begin to pity you.

Surprisingly, Adam made the first move. "Y/n babe.." he began, his voice unusually soft. "Why don't you relax and we meet up later and-" he reached out to place his hand on your shoulder, but you slapped it away.

"Don't fucking touch me." You spat, hiccuping on your words as turned and dashed down the hall. You heard shouts of your name but you didn't care. You just wanted to get away from everyone right now.

Emily reached out to stop you, but Sera held her back. "No, let him go. Maybe some time alone is what he needs to digest everything" she sighed. "I hope..."

You slammed the door open of your room, shutting it behind you as you slugged your way over to your bed before face planting against the soft silk sheets. You let out a loud sigh as you did.

Skelly, who was happily snoozing in the corner of the bed perked up. He tilted his head, before stretching his body and trotting over to you. He seemed to notice your down mood and whimpered, nuzzling into your hand as he gave you puppy eyes.

You frowned, "Not now, Skelly..." you mumbled, as you sat up from your slumped position on the bed, causing the puppy to let out another whine.

"Can you imagine? Me," You huffed, "The wife of that, boorish brainless..." You stood up from your bed, walking over to your vanity, placing the engagement ring on your finger. "Madame Adam, can't you just see it?" You continued, as you sang to Skelly, who watched you in confusion.

"Madame Adam, his little wife. Ugh!" You growled out, as you ripped off the ring and placed it on the vanity. "No, sir! Not me! I guarantee it!" You walked over to the balcony doors, pushing them open. As you made your way to the balcony you gripped the railing as you sighed, " I want much more than this provincial life!"

You hesitantly took the golden crown that laid on your head, as you glanced over it before setting it on a nearby table. With a determined look, wings sprouted from your back as you bent your knees a bit to boost yourself off the ground.

As you soared into the sky, you glanced over the city, before making your way to the roof on the tallest tower in the palace. " I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!" You grinned, as you felt the wind blow through your hair. "I want it more than I can tell.." you glanced at a few residents of heaven you were able to see from the height as you held onto the golden pole that held the flag of the seraphim.

"And for once it might be grand.." your voice softened, as you did a small twirl around the pole. "To have someone understand..." you made eye contact with the bright golden gates of heaven before your eyes softened, glancing past the gates as you leaned against the pole. Your cheek resting against the cold surface, "I want so much more than they've got planned..."

Sorry for the lateish update!!! I was preoccupied with my other hazbin hotel book that was in the works!!!!

@mixplara @lukerycyja-reblogs

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#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x male reader #vivziepop #vivzieverse #hazbin angel dust #hazbin alastor #adam hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #angel dust #sera hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lute #adam x reader #emily hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel husk #x reader #x male reader

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maniculum · 2 months

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Bestiaryposting Results: Shonweak

This is an unusual one in terms of whether people have preconceptions on what it looks like. On one hand, the medieval interpretation of this animal is widespread and generally known, at least in comparison to other bestiary material -- shows up in modern fantasy and everything -- so it's possible that people familiar with medieval stuff recognized it on sight and had to work against those preconceptions. On the other hand, the medieval interpretation is pretty much completely divorced from reality, so anyone coming at it from a background of Actually Knowing Animals rather than one of Knowing Medieval Nonsense is likely going to be baffled.

Anyway, as usual, if you're confused by what I'm talking about, please refer to https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. And you can find the entry that artists are working from here:

Art below the cut, roughly chronological, &c.

@silverhart-makes-art (link here) says that they wanted to draw a Weird Little Creature, and... mission accomplished, that creature sure can Weird and Little. I kind of love it; it's got that vibe that makes something simultaneously cute and kind of unsettling. The linked post goes into some detail about design decisions and the real-world animals they used for inspiration. Something I think is particularly clever is how they not only incorporated the carapace from the beetle they were inspired by, but they also made the profile of the head fit with that, so that it also looks kind of beetle-like despite being obviously mammalian.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) also had Beetle Thoughts and decided to just run with them, creating an impressively-realistic-looking drawing of a beetle. (I think I'm just a sucker for black-and-white naturalist-style art, because lately I keep looking at CheapSweets's work and going "ooh, look at the stippling and everything". Plus I'm perennially impressed that they do this with a fountain pen.) There's some detailed discussion in the linked post about what specific beetles this design takes inspiration from, as well as how they envision this animal functioning in general, and that's really interesting, so I recommend checking it out. (Did you know there was a beetle known as the "diabolical ironclad beetle"? Delightful.) Additionally, they note that we should imagine bright warning colors, but they didn't have time to add them. Also, thank you CheapSweets for providing alt text.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) also notes that this critter would have bright warning colors if she'd had time to color it. Apparently this design is inspired by poison-type Pokemon, which I can definitely see: that's a credible Pokemon design. It's all gloopy for putting out fires. I find it interesting that there's a degree of consensus on this entry being interpreted in this way -- replies on the original post expressed that That Is A Pokemon, and seemingly SweetlyFez agrees. I like the side-eye it's giving, too. (And thank you for including alt text.)

@pomrania (link to post here) was the one to label this a Pokemon in the replies, and we can see that they've run with that a bit, as this is also a credible Pokemon design. It's a little bit cat, a little bit dragon, and a little bit liquid so it can put out fire. I like that it looks so pleased with itself while causing problems.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has decided that the Shonweak is an armadillo. This illustration shows some very nice Stylized Trees, I must say, and I particularly like the visual effect showing that the Shonweaks are poisoning the one on the left. (Coolest-Capybara also makes note of the Pokemon thing.) For an explanation of why they are armadillos, please see the linked post.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has drawn a very charming little creature. I love the puffed-up cheeks & throat sac, and the effect that has on its facial expression. If you check out the linked post for a proper description of this beast, you'll find it's quite interesting -- I particularly like the idea that it spits poison by filling its throat sac with water and then allowing its natural poison to seep into that water. I think that's pretty clever.

Now, to the Aberdeen Bestiary, where the illustrator has done a Scene that takes up most of the page:

That's a heck of a thing, right? I really like it, to be honest. We've got the cool Stylized Tree with critters wrapping around the branches, we've got the ones in the fire doing kind of a flame-like pose, and of course we have a dead guy at the bottom. The last of these just strikes me as funny for some reason.

Anyway, as I think multiple people guessed, this is the salamander.

No, the illustrator had apparently never seen one, so they've drawn snakes instead, probably because of the association with poison.

Anyway, I was surprised to learn (just now actually) that salamanders really are quite poisonous. I have no idea whether they can poison food and water in the way that the author describes -- that seems a bit extreme -- but I don't think I know enough to rule it out.

The fire thing... well, that's definitely not the case. I'm not really sure where that came from. I've heard the explanation that people in the past would occasionally see salamanders crawling out of fires, and thus form the idea that they were fireproof, unaware of the fact that the salamanders were just hiding in their firewood and are fleeing the fire as a result of being Definitely Not Fireproof. I don't know how credible that is, though.

This fire association may have been amplified by... well, look at this:

That's Salamandra salamandra, aka the fire salamander. It's pretty common and widespread in Europe, and is also among the largest salamanders on the continent, so it's reasonable to think this is the one that pre-modern Europeans would have in mind. And you know, that coloring definitely gives the impression of "this is a Fire Guy". If one were to see this salamander crawling out of a fire (worth noting that the Wikipedia article does say they like to hide under fallen wood, so maybe that idea tracks), and knew nothing about zoology, you could see how they might think "yes, that looks like something that was supposed to be in there."

#maniculum bestiaryposting #shonweak

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vinxhwrites · 5 months

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note: this is the result of a crazy writing frenzy I was in last night, I went a bit feral over this idea and I don't know where this story is going. Also I spiraled after I read this. anywayyy hope you enjoy this drabble.

pairing: f!reader x price (x ghost - maybe eventually?)

summary: After going to work in the military you develop a weird relationship dynamic with your captain, and soon you find out you're not the only one.

word count: 2.7k

cw: 18+, daddy kink (!), probably inaccurate job descriptions/situations, pet names, a little bit of angst, a little bit of h/c; reader is kind of a crybaby; not proofread;

You couldn't explain the story of how you got yourself in this situation if you tried. You were barely able to understand it yourself. Yet, here you were, sobbing in your captain's arms at his office, way past your working hours, calling him daddy and praying that he'd kiss you.

You had a hard day, as it was pretty common nowadays.

You certainly weren't fit for this work environment and you were painfully aware of it. It didn't matter how much you tried you couldn't get past this fact: you were an academic. You weren't used to the discipline, the hierarchy, and the life-engulfing aspects of the military.

When you had accepted the job 8 months prior, it really was the salary that convinced you, if you were being honest about it. You had been living on scholarships most of your adult life and it was getting kind of tiring. A part of you wanted to refuse out of a moral stance, but you didn't.

You were fresh out of a linguistics PhD program at the time, and you excelled as a student and researcher, but your skills were very specific and not that marketable. Your mom was probably right when she tried to dissuade you from dedicating your time to mostly dead and made-up languages, but you were too stubborn to listen at the time, although her greatest concerns were, as usual, well-founded. Needless to say, the opportunity came at the right time.

It seemed urgent and they tested you relentlessly. It was clear to you from the beginning that no one there was thrilled to resort to a civilian linguist. It was fun, though, and you passed the tests as if they were silly little puzzles you do to relax. And you were the only candidate to be able to decently decipher the completely made-up languages and codes that were used in the telegraphs they gave you.

They hired you on an 18-month contract for two different jobs: translating and decrypting intercepted messages for a task force, and also training their own linguists to do what you did. If you were good at it, you wouldn't be needed anymore.

The task force was nice enough, all four of them treated you well and didn't bother you much. At first, it was a bit disconcerting, but by now you've gotten used to how attractive they all were to the point where it almost didn't affect you anymore.

All of them called you birdie. You liked it, it made you feel included to have a little nickname. Soap was the one to come up with it on the second week you were working with them "Some birds know many languages." he had explained, clarifying: "Bird languages, ye know". The original explanation made you smile, but the addition made you blush "Plus, ye're cute like a little birdie"

The training part though wasn't going so well. You were almost 100% sure that all six of the students hated you. It seemed offensive to them to have to sit down and learn anything from you. In the beginning, you did your best to be pleasant, to do the best job you could, and maybe win them over. But at this point, you just wanted to be done with it and never look at any of those people ever again.

They were building a computer program to do your job apart from the classes. You felt offended at first at how they didn't even hide the fact that you would be used and then replaced by a more efficient machine, but you were now praying that they'd get it done as quickly as possible. The program was really good at pattern recognition, but it still wasn't good enough at semantics, and it lacked any nuance of interpretation.

The only thing that made you want to stay a little longer was this thing with Captain Price. It had started innocent enough, he took pity on you when he noticed you struggling with the new environment. He said some kind and assuring words here and there when he noticed how much the students tormented you, and he'd reprehend anyone who dared to disrespect you in front of him.

Eventually, Price casually invited you to work in his office if you wanted to, being away from other people seemed to ease your nerves a bit. He didn't mind, he assured you, it was nice to have some company. More than that, he genuinely found your job fascinating and always asked you to show him how you did it in his free time.

He sometimes brought you tea the afternoons you spent there, he'd accidentally brush his arm against yours, or touch your leg with his knee when you sat beside him. At first, he'd correct the movement, but it evolved to not correcting it, to then doing it intentionally.

They were simple touches, a little pat on your shoulder here, brushing your hair out of your face there, every single one made you shiver. One day he made a comment about how uncomfortable you looked on the chair and pulled your legs to rest on his lap while he worked. That was the first night you allowed yourself to fantasize about him to sleep.

John had a warm and comforting presence, and you were genuinely disappointed when he wasn't around, finding comfort in the fact that he gave you a copy of his office keys, so you could work there even when he wasn't present.

Ghost was there sometimes, seemingly preferring to work from Price's office as well. At first, he seemed to get disconcerted by your presence, probably a bit annoyed that he had to share the space with you, you thought.

He was never rude to you, just awfully quiet, even when it was just the two of you there. He nodded at you when you greeted him, and often sat on the big sofa on the corner or even on the floor. You offered him the desk many times, feeling a bit guilty for taking up so much space, but you noticed he only accepted when he seemed truly tired. Despite the unsettling silence, you thought he was a gentleman.

You first thought that John had somehow hypnotized you when you noticed the subtle ways in which your heart lost its pace whenever he commanded you to do something. He rarely asked without a smile, a polite inclination "dear, will you please file these reports for me?" "can you please grab me a cup of coffee?". He'd only deviate you from your tasks like this when he seemed to be in a bad mood, you noticed. It was never about anything urgent, and it was always when you were clearly already busy. In spite of it, you were never able to say no. He seemed to derive pleasure from bossing you around like that, but you knew he didn't have to remind you of the power he had over you, as it always hovered on your mind. Either way, soon enough you were painfully aware of the fact that you'd do absolutely anything he asked you to.

But you knew, for sure, that you were in trouble when you realized you got aroused anytime he'd compliment your work. Getting his praise started to be a more important goal to you than anything else. Earning a "good girl" was a rare occurrence, but it never failed to make your day.

One day he found you crying, and you couldn't quite explain what it was with words without feeling ridiculous. After what they called a "successful mission" it dawned on you that the information you were extracting out of those telegraphs really was being used to kill people. Those weren't your silly little puzzles.

"Criminals" Soap had corrected you as you tried to articulate your despair, much to your dismay. He wheezed as if your frame of thought was absolutely hilarious. "Shouldn't be here if you'll react like that, birdie" he had said and you wanted to scream.

"You'll get used to it" Gaz had assured you, sending a disapproving look towards Soap.

Later, the more you tried to express your frustration to John the more you cried, sobbing pathetically. It was the first time he hugged you, shielding you from the world around you for a minute.

"You don't understand..." you tried to explain, but you cut the sentence short at his stern look.

"I do understand," he said frowning, keeping his hand firm on your back. He took a deep breath and leaned down a bit to look you in the eyes "Listen, you do a good job, sweetie. You're doing good things, even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes" he assured you.

You nodded and tried to get the crying under control, suddenly aware that you probably looked terrible.

John cupped your face in his hands.

"Why don't you get the rest of the day off and get some rest, huh?" he suggested kindly "come to me if you need to talk."

After that, he got more and more comfortable being physically close to you. It quickly evolved, as you enjoyed being close to him a bit too much. Sometimes he'd squeeze your hand in his when you sat beside him behind his desk very casually and, sometimes, you'd rest your head on his shoulder while he worked. Saying you were in love felt like an understatement, but you'd never make it real by saying it out loud.

You once made a joke in passing about how your dad left you and your family, but he didn't laugh. He tilted his head and looked worried instead. I'm here if you want to talk he said, and it made you want to bury your head in the dirt.

Price called you many things, at first it was dear, sweetie, birdie, love, and finally, he settled with baby.

"what are you doing there, baby?" he just asked casually one day, and you almost gasped, feeling your heart attempt to leave your chest.

Although your relationship with him wasn't sexual in practice, it certainly was sexualized in essence. To you it was, at least. Oedipal if you were to be honest with yourself.

The first time he called himself your daddy it simultaneously broke and healed something in your brain. He chuckled at your reaction, how you looked at him wide-eyed and full of hope, hiding your face on his chest next.

"thank you, sir" you whispered then, pathetically.

You feared at times that your affection to him was one-sided, that he saw comforting you like this as a part of his job, a strange but effective one as well. You wondered if it made you weak, you didn't even try to be brave and deal with things alone anymore, you were aware of how childish it was to knock on his door looking for daddy's embrace at the slightest inconvenience. But you couldn't help it, it was too comforting to give up.

And that's the exact position you were in now. You had a bad day so you came running to him. He was awfully kind to you, as usual, and you prayed that it was a sign of enjoyment, that he actually liked comforting you like this.

You didn't notice when Simon came in. He froze by the door, and the captain just signaled for him to close it. John still had his arm wrapped around you, a hand stroking your hair.

"Shhh, it's ok now" he cooed at you "daddy's here."

Simon watched as you melted in his arms at the words, your breathing easing instantly. Again, you felt as if hypnotized. Your body responded to his words before your mind could catch up with them.

You wanted him even closer, you wanted to curl up on his lap, and have him rock you like a baby. Most of all, you wanted him to kiss you. You craved the touch of his lips on yours and the thought clouded your mind. Just that week you had already masturbated to the thought of him twice. Although you always reprehended yourself afterward, it didn't work to make these thoughts go away.

You rehearsed in your mind the idea of looking up and kissing him but didn't build enough courage to do it. You thought you'd die if he ever rejected you.

"That's it, you're ok," John said when he noticed the pace of your breathing ease, with his cheek pressed to the top of your head "I've got you, baby" he pressed kisses to your hairline. You sniffed, using your sleeve to clean the tears from your cheek.

"Now, be a good girl and go get some sleep," he said and you nodded against his chest, inhaling the warm smell of his shirt and suffering with the upcoming separation already "Ghost will take you to bed".

You raised your head and blinked at him, and that's when you finally noticed the tall figure close to the door, unmoved. You wiped your tears, distressed. For how long had he been there?

"Will you guide her to her room, lieutenant?" John asked him calmly, as if you didn't find yourself in the most embarrassing of situations.

"Yes, sir" Simon responded in the same tone.

The walk back to your room was painfully silent. The corridor around you was dark and empty. Your entire body was tense, and you walked fast trying to keep up with Simon's pace, hoping that he'd just say something and put you out of your angst, but he didn't.

When you finally reached your door, he opened it and waited for you to go inside.

"I'm sorry that you saw that" you blurted out, cheeks flushed pink "I-I don't know what to say. It's really not like that...-"

"It's OK" he interrupted when he noted the despair in your voice. He tilted his head a bit, evaluating your expression "I get it." there was something mischievous in his eyes, and you wondered if he was smiling at you behind the mask.

"Do you?" you asked, your voice was almost a whisper.

He nodded, and you relaxed a bit "I'm sorry you had a shitty day, birdie"

"It's okay"

"Tell me if you need anything." he said before signaling for you to enter your bedroom again, you thanked him quietly and closed the door.

Simon went back to Price's office in hurried steps, letting out a sigh when he entered. He was exhausted.

His captain was seated on the sofa, reports spread on the coffee table in front of him and a cigar put out on the ashtray beside him.

"Come here" John said, his eyes didn't move from the papers in his hands.

Simon took off his boots and mask before curling up on the sofa, resting his head on the captain's legs, and finally taking a deep breath as John started to brush his fingers through his hair.

"Don't know what to do with her" John murmured, more to himself than to start a conversation.

Simon hummed in response, his eyes felt heavy, and he could no longer keep them open.

"She's such a sensitive little thing..." John continued, seemingly lost in thought.

"She's cute" the lieutenant murmured, the drowsiness that flooded his brain making it almost impossible to form a coherent thought.

"Yeah" John chuckled lightly. "Well, don't worry about it." he assured, taking his attention back to petting Simon's hair "How are you?"

"Fine" he purred, getting comfortable on the sofa, even though it was a bit too small for him.

John hummed as he stroked Simon's cheek lightly "my pretty boy"

He watched Simon as he let his eyes rest completely and his body relax, being taken by slumber in a matter of seconds.

John continued to read reports well into the night, only waking Simon up, gently, when he finally decided to get some sleep himself. He accompanied Simon to his bedroom before moving to his own, patting him on the shoulder before sending him to bed. It was easier for Simon to fall asleep on his own then, as it usually was, after he had already been nursed to sleep beforehand.

#don't look at me!!#my dad died before my brain fully developed guys :/#i have serious daddy issues #cod x reader #captain price #john price x reader #ghost x reader #ghost x you #simon riley x reader #captain john price

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petermorwood · 7 months

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An old article, but amusing regardless.

First it was James Lileks and the Gallery of Regrettable Food. What were the photo editors on these cookbooks thinking?

I'm well aware the colour quality of old pictures degrades and yellows, to their detriment, but IMO the images on that website can't have looked very appetising even when new.

There are ways to assemble variegated foodstuffs on a plate that looks attractive, and then there are these.

Dimly-lit meals for one and Sad desk lunches are yet more shuddersome antidotes to lovingly-photographed food porn erotica (porn would be messy close-ups of eating it).

However, despite what the article suggests, food photography doesn't need "the highest-spec kit while dangling from light-fittings for just the right angle" to look good.

*****

Using a phonecam while out with your friends in a crowded pizzeria isn't going to give the best results, but then neither is a joyless packed lunch on a rainy Monday in February, even if shot with a $33,000 camera like this Hasselblad, and full studio lighting.

@dduane's hobby site European Cuisines (down for maintenance) did just fine for years with a Sony W17, a compact digicam with a superb Zeiss lens.

Here are Sony shots of an apple upside-down cake made with Beauty of Bath apples from our own tree (they really are pink all the way through) and a quiche Lorraine just out of the oven.

After a while I got a second-hand Nikon D40 DSLR; the money saved on second-hand let me afford an excellent lens, a top-of-the-line flashgun and that neat little flash which is so much better than the camera's built-in one.

Here's the Nikon's take on last year's roast-goose-and-all-the-trimmings Christmas Dinner, as well as bacon (corned beef is the Americanised version) and cabbage for St Patrick's Day.

Now we're mostly using HTC U11+ smartphones whose cameras are not only top-notch but have excellent low-light capability.

This is good, because our lighting has always been mostly natural daylight with occasional flash and reflector-screen assistance.

Here are U11+ images of soda bread done in a cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, and Geflügelragout (a stew of roast chicken with red wine and lemon) with saffron-pumpkin noodles.

This has become Brightwood Vintner's Chicken in the Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms project, and why not? It's delicious! Here's DD and U11+ in action, and the noodle close-up she was shooting in that pic.

None of the food we shoot is "styled" for photography with varnish for glossiness, paint for cream, machine oil for honey, microwaved cotton-wool for steam and lots of other cunning but inedible trickery.

Our stuff is all for eating - so much so that getting "photograph the food" and "eat the food" in the proper order can sometimes be a struggle.

Like these crumpets, for instance.

You would, wouldn't you?

I nearly did, giving DD conniptions because she hadn't photographed them yet, and the Kerrygold butter was melting Just Right...

In a choice between shooting Have To Eat images and Want To Eat ones, we'll stay on the Want To side of the fence, and if people looking at those pix also Want To take a bite out of their screens, we're getting the job done.

And we're not hanging from the light-fittings to do it... :->

#food and drink #food photography #food and cooking of the middle kingdoms #gallery of regrettable food #james lileks

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erina-leah · 1 year

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Hi, I just saw your recent dating headcanon and they are so cute! Could I request a little scenario when shanks manages to get his s/o to laugh in front of him for the first time and that leads to their first kiss?

Title: Third Time’s the Charm

A/N: That’s so nice of you to say!! Thank you sm! 🥹This scenario sounds super cute and I love it! We love our little red hair dork. I hope you don’t mind the personality that I gave the reader, I wanted the laugh to be extra special! Hope you like!

ANOTHER NOTE! Sorry this took SO DAMN LONG to come out! I had a bad fit of writers block and school was killing me and I didn’t want to put out anything that my heart wasn’t in. But here it is!!! I hope you enjoy <3

CW: fluff, mentions of alcohol, Shanks has a hangover, Shanks x GN!reader

Ever since you first joined the Red Hair pirates, you were always known for being quiet and stoic. You weren’t rude, and you surely weren’t devoid of emotion, but you were a very serious person when it came to the life of piracy. For a crew that loved to party often, you rarely let yourself fully unwind.

This was something that your spunky captain aimed to change. He didn’t want to change you, per se, but he had a very specific goal in mind. He wanted to hear you laugh.

He had realized not long after you joined that he had never truly heard you laugh. It was a quiet night, and the crew was settled around a campfire on a remote island telling stories. During moments filled with uproarious laughter, the most anyone could get out of you was a sharp exhale. He was originally worried that you were uncomfortable with the crew, but he quickly learned that it was merely part of your personality.

Now, do not misunderstand, Shanks adored your personality and the way it contrasted with his yet fit so perfectly like a puzzle piece. He loved working with you— hell, he loved you, but he wasn’t ready to admit that quite yet. His first goal was to get you to laugh, because he wanted the bragging rights.

He was honestly putting in effort every day, but there were two major points in which he came close.

The first time was a horrible failure.

Yassop had told a really dumb dad joke, which he did often, and it resulted in you doing that little nose exhale that Shanks thought was so cute. Seeing that reaction from you gave him hope, so he started making every terrible pun imaginable.

“What’s a pirate’s favorite letter, Y/N?”

…

“The C!”

The rest of the crew couldn’t help but laugh at how stupid his attempts were, but he was unsuccessful with you. You simply shook your head and smiled at the crew and their shenanigans.

The second time, Shanks was sure that he would do it! They had just completed a successful raid and the crew took the opportunity to celebrate. Drinks were being handed out left and right, and Shanks got an idea.

He declared a drinking competition, knowing how you enjoyed a good challenge, and thought that a little alcohol in your system would encourage you to let loose and maybe let out a good laugh!

As the night went on, you weren’t exactly winning the contest, but you were certainly enjoying yourself. You had drank more than you had in a while, and your cheeks were a deep red. The crew began to tell stories, and Shanks watched you intently in hopes of catching a giggle or two.

However, all he saw was you gently swaying back and forth as your eyes were half lidded.

Of course you were a sleepy drunk…

At this point, Shanks was starting to give up. It had been a while since he had made any big attempts, bringing us to the present.

It was a quiet afternoon, the ship gently swaying in the soft breeze. You sat on the deck and gazed at the horizon for a while as a specific thought plagued your mind. Something about the crisp air gave you a boost of confidence, and so you went to find your captain for a word.

You found Shanks sitting and chatting with Benn as his first mate forced him to drink water as opposed to another round of sake, because the poor man was still terribly hungover from the night before. A common occurrence, really. You were reluctant at first, but you approached your captain with his cherry-red cheeks and asked him for a word alone.

Of course, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. He guided you with a hand on the small of your back as he led you to his room, laughing to himself as he complained about his splitting headache. He looked like a bumbling idiot, but you supposed that was why you felt the way you did for him…

However, what he was about to do was going to make him look like a lot more of an idiot.

He began to walk backwards so he could look at you as the two of you walked, a slight stumble in his step as he smiled and stuttered some more, asking about what you wanted to talk about. How he could look so adorable and silly at the same time was a mystery to you…

You were about to give some obscure, avoidant answer before you realized that your captain was about to run straight into a—

BANG!

—wall…

Just before he went to open the door, Shanks had smacked his head right into the door jam. He grabbed his head, barely phased, and grunted about how that was definitely not gonna help his headache.

You had to take a moment to process what had just happened. To think that you were about to confess to this man. You were so worried about making yourself look foolish, but he took that title way before you could. A bubbly feeling filled your chest and spilled out of you before you could think about it.

“Pfft- hahahahha!”

As you doubled over, losing yourself in an uncharacteristic fit on giggles, Shanks suddenly felt pretty sober. He fell silent and looked at you, a dreamy look in his eyes, as he held his head and blushed. The sound of your laughter was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. It was like music to his ears, like the first song of the morning birds.

He was in love with it. Almost as much as he was in love with you.

“Wow…”

Once you caught your breath, you looked up at your captain, ready to apologize for laughing at him. How rude of you, right? Except, when you looked up at him, you were met with a pink face and a dreamy yet sober expression. Your words immediately got caught in your throat. You had never seen him look at you like that…

The two of you were silent for a moment, still standing just outside of his room. Suddenly nervous, you began to stutter out some word vomit of apologize and asking if he was okay or something to fill the void before he just interrupted you and blurted out:

“I’m so in love with you...”

Once again, you were thrown into stunned silence, and now you had a face to match the redness of his. It felt like minutes before you were able to find your voice again.

“That’s… what I was coming to tell you…”

Shanks’ expression softened even more as he processed your words. He was pretty shocked, but he was simply overwhelmed by your beauty and perfection to even care.

He didn’t waste another moment before pulling you close to him, wrapping an arm around your waist until your faces were almost touching. He didn’t move any closer than that, though. He simply gazed into your gorgeous eyes and waited for you to do the rest. He would hate to do anything you didn’t want.

But you definitely did want this— more than anything actually. You let your lips meet his, offering a kiss so soft and gentle it was like it was barely there. Shanks was pretty much putty in your hands now as he pulled you closer, deepening the kiss ever-so-slightly. You faintly taste the sake on his lips as his stubble tickled your chin. You couldn’t help but smile into his lips.

The moment the two of you pulled away for a breath, he pulled you into a warm hug and buried his face in your soft hair. He felt like he was in heaven… and he was stone-cold sober. He whispered how much he loved you with his lips on your ear, and he didn’t plan on pulling away anytime soon.

All in one afternoon, not only had he gotten his true love in his arms, but he even got to hear them laugh. Those were some pretty serious bragging rights, and he planned to use them until the crew got tired of it.

#one piece #anime #manga #one piece x reader #red hair shanks #shanks x reader

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y-vna · 5 months

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hi lovelies! Final results for #shortcake : the event is in!

I had soooo much fun making this event im so glad you guys liked it! I loved all the mood boards a lot, please don't be discouraged if you didnt get picked. I'll probably host another event at 300 (and we're already at 240!) but more creative, so you always have more chances :33

if you don't dm me to claim your prizes, I'm not responsible for remembering to give you your rewards. (Scroll to the end for prizes)

anyway the winners areeee:

( i tagged all the mbs and then like only two of the links saved and im lazy to do it all again cuz its a lot..aorwy TvT)

1st place

🍒 : @p-oisn 's ADORABLE Cherry Jam and Rei moodboard!! OKAY, LISTEN TO ME GUYS BEFORE YOU THINK: "But Ari, this is clearly rigged! You cant pick your pookies first just cuz u wanna!" I swear this is all fair play, JUST. LOOK. AT. THE. MOODBOARD. LIKE OMGG ARE YOU FRRR?? ITS SO FRIGIN GOOD!!!!!!! icons match great, everything looks cohesive, and for a strawberry shortcake event, the dark theme stood out in a good way! Still matched the theme, met my expectations and exceeded it even, and overall deserves the win <33

🍑 : @dollries 's little appricot and chaewon mb! I'm so fr, the color and vibe are everything squeeeaaaal! Matches perfectly, the hues are literally in sync, I love this one a lot :3

🍨 : @wcnbear 's cute suzette crepe and yena moodboard! I immediately fell in love! Maybe I'm just a sucker for pink, but the cute sweet vibe i got and the icons fitting together like puzzle pieces making a pretty picture. I heart this mb fr.

2nd place (THESE 2ND PLACE MBS ARE SO CUTE IM FRFR THEY WERE SOOO CLOSE TO 1ST! )

🍎 : @bellelovesyou 's super cute apple dumpling and rei moodboard! Fits adorable together, really honored the theme and made everything work. I admire how the icons were all made to look more pleasant overall!

🫐 : @c-hance 's Blueberry muffin and sakura moodboard! The gif is saur cutieee!! The concept is adorbs. the color of the blue was pretty and consistent, and I loved it :)

❄️ : @jenfaery 's frosty puff and chaewon moodboard! The icons were so 5 the striking blue to match frosty puff's color scheme, combined with the elegant white reminded me of the cold weather outside now and I could feel the season winter in this moodboard :>

3rd place

🍇 : @19kisoir 's giselle and sour grapes moodboard! The purple is stunning, the Taylor swift lyrics made me dizzy on the groundsd!!! Yeah, super cute!

🌱 : @lovveons 's coco calypso and chuu moodboard! The messy aesthetic was done nicely, some subtle green, smart use of colors! There's nothing else to say besides that, it's pretty!!

🌸 : @sakkurify 's hayoung and cherry cutter moodboard! I can clearly see the effort put into this! Cute, not overcrowded or empty. Pleasant to look at, and fits the theme well!

STANDOUT HONORABLE MENTIONS: @jaes1lvr @yuqi-luv @mxlly143 @i0hyein ALL DID AMAZUNG FR EVERYONE DID GREAT :33

1st place:

70 reblogs, follow back, 2 moodboards from me, 2 gifs, or/and headers from me if you choose.

2nd place:

50 reblogs, follow back, 1 mb, a gif, and/or header from me if you choose

3rd place:

30 reblogs, follow back, 1 mb, one gif OR one header if you choose

Honorable mentions:

Fllw back, disclose blog, 20 reblogs

Participants:

5 reblogs

I'll make better prizes next event, and hopefully I can finish all the reblogs and stuff in about a week or so. Tysm all for joining ilyasm <33

#shortcake : the event #y-vna signing out #for now...#tysm to all who joined honestly i love you all so so much

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aspd-culture · 2 months

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aspd and adhd(/possible autism) culture is realizing only once you're out of high school "ohhhhhhh wait, so i thought i wasn't abused growing up, but actually i was and it only stopped due to covid, and that resulted in my osdd system and aspd?"

buckle up, this is Long and definitely classifies as a Vent. honestly, you can ignore the middle section and jump to the next blank line of space if you want.

jesus christ. i was punished more harshly than my peers, i struggled to make friends, i was put into a little school program where board games were used to reinforce good behavior in problem kids which i only realized two months ago, my memory issues (which were always there, but only noticed in fifth grade) got me into so much shit with every authority figure ever, i broke a window using one of those mechanical hamster things that were popular at the time by accident but i didn't care at all, that's just scratching the surface

memories of things have been coming back to me lately. according to my mom i was such a nice little kid, always shared and was polite and highly empathetic, all the goods.

school came along, flipped everything on its head. i remember harassing and hurting animals, and people, and sometimes telling those people not to tell—not because i felt bad but because i didn't want to get into trouble again, it was an inconvenience. my home life was pretty good but other kids left me out of things a lot and sometimes called me names, even the neighbors' kids i liked to hang out with would make me the monster of their games and that does something to a kid (one of them is also the reason i'm a victim of cocsa). when i did something wrong or bad there was only punishment because i "should know not to do that" and so i had to teach myself how to be a functioning and good member of society. i got good at lying towards the end of third grade, the skill got better from there with every punishment i faced

when a former friend told me "hey, you have aspd traits/might have aspd" i went and found the checklist, because thorough research is how i work, went through it. at the time i didn't think it fit very well because "yes, i experience that but that's pretty normal for people, i learned how to manage it under several layers of creating a socially acceptable person just like everyone else"

i've gone back to it a couple times since and wow, surprise surprise, everything applies! the "this doesn't apply to me because i have a system to help with this thing" mindset means the thing still applies! there's some stuff, namely the destruction and truancy, that i didn't do but that's solely because i knew i couldn't get away with it and therefore didn't bother trying. so thanks to aaaaaaall that stuff and more, i definitely grew up with both conduct disorder and odd, and now it's aspd

i can't say i'm mad about having aspd? it causes problems in my life, yes, but i've spent so long wrangling myself into a form small enough to fit into society's box that it's not the worst thing anymore. i think i'm more mad at society, my peers, for not helping me with this and being kind where they should've, especially my mom as of recently

that said: it is fucking hard-wired into me that there's only good people and bad people in the world. harmful behavior towards me (or someone else doing something i can't forgive) is automatically met with hammurabi's eye for an eye. the coping mechanisms i use work very well, are generally healthy, and people who don't do anything to calm themselves down and think rationally tend to piss me off. i have been fighting those things for a while but they're the ones that simply won't go away. hamburger help me.

aspd-culture-is

There's a lot of good information in this ask. Too many people see ASPD as a direct result of physical abuse or CSA/SA, when a lot of ASPD symptoms really develop around things that are seen as smaller issues, where a child's problems get diminished by the people who are supposed to help that child to the point where they feel the only person that will help them is themself.

More than anything else, I personally think a very quick and simple way to decrease the number of people who end up with ASPD would be to get parents and other caregiving adults, and honestly society as a whole, to understand that regardless of how simple, silly, or insignificant it may seem to someone older, these "silly" things are often the worst thing the child has experienced up until that point. Someone always having to be the monster sounds like nothing to an adult, leading to no response to help besides maybe "they're just teasing you, ignore them". But "just teasing" is the most social rejection a child has experienced to that point, and so it is extremely distressing and emotionally painful. It feels like the most isolated they could possibly be, because they haven't been around long enough to experience worse. Then, the child is told to ignore it, which not only fails to make them feel better, but often causes it to get even worse as the other kids try and push harder to get the reaction they're looking for. Do they eventually give up? Sometimes. But the lengths and extremes many bullies will go to when "just teasing" doesn't elicit a response is disturbing and that fact is either unknown to or ignored by adults.

Part of why always being made the monster does something to a kid is that it is treated as a non-issue. When that is what a developing brain learns is the reaction to their pain, they will no longer seek outside help when things become extreme.

TW: descriptions of SA/r threats. Skip the following paragraph and move to the next one to avoid. Also a bit of a vent.

When I was in school, I was teased. I was made the dog who was not allowed to talk or a person with their vocal chords removed any time we played pretend. Sometimes they made me a rock or stick on the ground, even. It sounds like nothing, and when I was told it would go away if I ignored them, I listened. It didn't stop them. It led to an entire set of multiple schools that were combined into one building seeing me as a verbal and sometimes physical plaything; a place to take out your angst and distress. I lost my personhood in their eyes, so my understanding of social interactions were tainted and colored by the way my peers treated me. I told anyone who tried to befriend me not to be seen talking to me, to bully me publicly so they wouldn't get the treatment I got, so even the few people who tried to be kind got a skewed, unnatural social interaction with me. Many listened, and I don't hold that against them at all. That's simply what they had to do to make it. It got to the point of receiving verbal and *detailed, written-out, and signed* r word threats, and boys who were 11 years old talking about kidnapping tying me up in their parents attic and using me whenever they wanted (theirs was more detailed). Some even attempted to touch me, and adults nearby ignored it because "X likes to handle it themselves, they don't like when adults get involved", because I learned that they would only vaguely say stop, and it would get worse. That's what happens when you just ignore it.

And what do we call a person who learns that only they can protect themselves, and who doesn't understand any positive interaction with anyone that isn't transactional? Antisocial. I hate the idea what a positive relationship with family is incompatible with ASPD, sorry about the rant. Because of how ASPD develops, I refuse to dislike or resent myself or my symptoms when it comes to ASPD. If people didn't want me like this, they shouldn't have treated me like this.

Plain text below the cut:

TW: descriptions of SA/r threats. Skip the following paragraph and move to the next one to avoid. Also a bit of a vent.

#aspd-culture-is #aspd culture is #aspd culture #actually aspd #aspd #aspd awareness #actually antisocial #antisocial personality disorder #aspd traits #anons welcome #tw sa mention #tw abuse mention

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filmmarvel · 3 months

Text

PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons

Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and don’t want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, I’m not someone to complain just because it isn’t exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones I’ve listed as cons, i’m just irritated that they haven’t been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if you’re making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes I’m complaining about, for the most part, haven’t met any of those requirements.

Pros:

Sets and Visuals

It was so magical seeing camp come to life!

The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.

Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.

Overall I Just Think There’s Lots of Potential!

Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you can’t expect them to be incredible. They’re doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see them grow over the course of the series!

Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.

Plot Changes

This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasn’t in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didn’t quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.

I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didn’t fit into the first two episodes.

They got rid of the “names have power” stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).

They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.

I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.

Cons:

Dialogue and Writing

The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. It’s a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters don’t totally feel like themselves, but it isn’t only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.

Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. I’d imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didn’t find it as successful as the book in this regard.

And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they aren’t really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.

Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percy’s personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that they’re kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.

I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which I’ll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out what’s going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didn’t like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, there’s absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasn’t great. Go check out my last post if you’d like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!

Some additional examples of the ‘not letting the characters experience danger’ thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that there’s very little evidence or buildup, so (again) there’s no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I could’ve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.

The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).

Lowering the Stakes

I just wish they’d made it SLIGHTLY more mature- don’t get me wrong, it’s a kids show! I’m very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.

Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I don’t believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didn’t really need to change anything there.

Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they weren’t allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasn’t BAD but generally didn’t have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasn’t shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesn’t increase tension like I’m pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books there’s a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. There’s a clear threat of power, and that just wasn’t remotely present for a while.

And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! It’s not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, it’s that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.

I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So I’m optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.

Overall, it felt like they weren’t taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didn’t take the comedy as seriously either? So it isn’t as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.

Episodes Were Too Short

Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isn’t as natural (again, they’re forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation

As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and haven’t quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.

This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus

It’s mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I can’t picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santa’s elves, he’s giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao

Changes

I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but there’s one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percy’s dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just would’ve clicked a little easier.

Finishing Thoughts

I don’t want to totally sound like a hater! I’m still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.

Alright, I don’t really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so I’d really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!

#percy jackson disney+#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #pjo show #percy jackson show #pjo tv show #pjo finale #percy jackson finale #percy jackson and the olympians review #pjo series #pjo spoilers #pjo episode 8

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v3nusxsky · 1 year

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Chosen mother| h&c

*A/n~ I'm loving having more time to write now. I'm sorry I've been rubbish at posting but honestly all I've wanted to do is write. So this fic honestly is providing me with a good sense of relief. Jake is a made up oc? Read on my doves*

Tw~ hinted sexual assault, dead beat dad (I feel y'all) family issues?

Prompt~ Reader is a student (19) and gets pregnant. The father leaves and Larissa helps (thank you for talking with me to ensure I get your prompt spot on Abi1468 )

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You were late. Two weeks late. Two weeks ago you realised that the boy you'd been talking to was using you. Jake. He attended Jericho high, senior year and you'd met during the outreach day. The pair of you seemed to really hit it off. He didn't judge you for your Florakinesis. In fact he told you it made you uniquely beautiful. God how you longed to go back in time and tell yourself not to get swept up in those words. Words mean nothing without actions.

The night it all came out was horrific. Stupidly, you'd fallen for the trick. Now you'd be lying if you said it hadn't happened before. Maybe that's why you didn't tell anyone? The embarrassment of not only once but twice. The first time is what triggered your Florakinesis to show itself. Completely out of control due to your emotions being so unstable. Quite rightly so. But that's how you found your way to Nevermore. Your parents disowning you completely, all due to the fact you were raped. The age of 14 is no way to lose your innocence. A dark period in your life where you were alone to deal with the aftermath. And now you'd do it again.

Once Jake had realised you wouldn't willingly sleep with him, it went downhill from there. He forced himself on you, you couldn't fight him off despite your valiant efforts. Throat hoarse from screaming and crying. Only while he continued his down right horrendous act, did he divulge that this was all a plan. Gain your trust, take what he wants and then leave never to be seen again. Bragging rights to have one of the most unusual breeds of outcast. You felt disgusted and disappointed in yourself for falling for it. That fateful night is what lead you to being sat in the corner of your dorm crying and clutching a little white test. Body still littered in the bruising from that night.

Two weeks late. And all the little test could do is flash the positive result. Tears falling freely, you are too young. You don't want this. Sobs tried to force themselves out of your tightly sealed lips as you attempted to silence them. You had to tell him. He has a right to know. You knew that. But the thought of hearing his voice again was sending you into a violent panic attack. But this is half his baby he deserves to know he could possibly have a child out there.

With shakey hands, you sent off a text to jake asking to meet you at the school gates. In which he agreed to taunting you that you wanted a repeat of that night. Feeling physically sick at the suggestion you got yourself ready to face him. The monster he was yet you still couldn't keep this a secret. What would you do if he decided he wanted it? You most definitely did not. You didn't plan on being a mum any time soon especially not at 19. Heavens you were still attending Nevermore, a baby couldn't fit into that. Especially not one conceived in such a brutal manner. No family to help you'd be alone. What if you couldn't love it? After all it's an innocent in all of this. Did it deserve to be brought into the world facing the chance it's own mother couldn't fully love them? No you would rather do the unthinkable than risk that. After all you weren't too far gone so the process would be simple. It was just cells at the moment. You knew that. It didn't even have a beating heart yet. Biology had taught you that. Yet you couldn't help but hate yourself for thinking this way. An innocent life form, one you were willing to completely destroy. What kind of person are you?

You quickly made your way to the gate, shaking in fear once you spotted the familiar form of Jake. You took a deep breath and made it to the gate, close enough to be heard discreetly but not close enough for him to touch you. "I'm pregnant" you blurted out tears starting to stream silently once more. "And? It's not mine!" He protested anger flaring at your words. "You're the only one who's..." you trailed off "it's yours" you mumbled trying to find strength. He actually believed it was someone else's? Despite knowing what he did that night...

"I don't fucking care! I don't want it! No child of mine will be born from a freak of nature! Stop trying to pin some other freaks baby on me just because you whored yourself out to me!" He was screaming now, starting to draw attention to you both. His words hurt. But you had to stay strong. "It's yours Jake" you spat his name with so much venom even you cringed back from your own voice, "what do we do?" You murmured not wanting to give him your opinions. After all your body, your choice and you knew that. "We?! No no no! You! You and your baby are freaks of nature! Never contact me again!" And with that he left. Walking away from his own blood. You were truly alone now.

Guilt coursing through your veins, you decided to take a walk. Although you didn't want to keep it, you couldn't help but feel guilty for that. You just couldn't do it. Hopefully they would understand that? Right? It truly wasn't them. It was you. You just couldn't do this. They would always be with you tho. Despite how you were feeling they were half you. And that would always haunt you. What could they have become? A prince? A princess? Would they be intelligent like you? Would they have an ability like you? Or be a Normie? Perhaps you should keep it. After all it's not the baby's fault it's father is a monster. But you couldn't do that. You knew that. Despite knowing that, you were still stuck in an emotional turmoil.

During your walk, you became immersed in your own thoughts, so much so you didn't realise the time. Curfew. You'd missed curfew. When did it get so dark? And so cold ? Your body shivering with the cold and the sobs leaving you. When did you start sobbing? God, what were you doing. You made your way to the school hoping to slip in unnoticed. I mean who was on patrol tonight? Coach Vald? No that was yesterday. Thornhill, that was it. She was normally too entranced by a bounty book to pay close attention, you have a good shot at getting past her with no issues. Or so you thought.

It was the tall figure looking at the top of the stairs, that caused you to immediately stop in your tracks. Shit! That most definitely was not Miss Thornhill. Fuck! No, it only happened to be principle Weems. The one person who you seemed unable to hide from, over the years she seemed to have a soft spot for you. Maybe because you had no family around? You weren't quite sure but she always made sure to check on you at parent's weekend, spending a little time with you if you wished it. "Y/n ? Darling! What are you doing ? " the concern was evident as she took in your appearance. It was truly unlike you to break any rules. All you could do is stand there as sobs flowed from your lips. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't mean to... I'm sorry principle weems" you murmured over and over again as she made her way to you. Gently taking your hand and guiding you to the safety of her office. Something was wrong. Clearly. And she'd not leave you alone to deal with whatever it was.

"Darling what's happened?" She questioned you gently leading you to sit in front of the dancing flames, hoping to provide some warmth to your frozen body. You couldn't respond to her, just breaking down even more at the care being directed at you. Instead you responded by throwing yourself into her arms, burrowing your face into the crook of her neck. Instantly strong arms wrapped around your quivering form, holding you in such a manner you'd not experienced in such a long time. Your body trembling in her capable hold as you let all the emotions you'd bottled up for long free.

"Oh my darling girl. You're okay. You're safe. I have you little one. Her reassuring words were never ending, soothing your distressed state. Her motherly persona calming you like she was your own mother. It must have been almost an hour of just sobbing while she held you before you could explain what had happened. When you started to talk but made no attempt to move, Larissa immediately started to listen extra carefully. Some of your words muffling against her neck, still she understood what you were trying to tell her.

"He. He I didn't want it" you whimpered out remembering just what had caused the issue. Red and blue little flowers popped up all over your exposed skin. They didn't go unnoticed by the taller women. Red she was familiar with. It meant you felt anger. Understandable with what you were describing to her. Blue was something new. Not one she had seen you sprout before. "Darling? Blue?" She whispered into your hair. "Sadness" you mumbled out embarrassed that your ability was starting to become uncontrollable.

"Larissa?" You whimpered out scared of what was to come. "Yes little one? " her tone soft as if she knew what you'd say next. "I'm pregnant..." you trailed off tears once again falling from your sore eyes. "Oh y/n. Is it his?" To which you nodded in her neck. "Okay darling, well what do you wish to do? We can do whatever you need." You sat in silence in her embrace. She was allowing you to choose? We? You weren't doing this alone? "I -I can't, fuck I can't keep it. I'm not ready. But I hate myself for getting rid of it. I don't know what to do. I don't have a mum or a sister to go to. I feel so alone. I hate myself for this." You ranted. Everything finally out in the open. Somehow helping slightly that you'd told someone.

"Y/n. It's okay to be scared. But you are young you don't have to do this. I know your family aren't present but if you wish it I'll be here for you. Every step of the way. No matter what you decide." She reassured her hold never faltering. "I can't do it principle Weems, I know I can't." You whimpered out clearly deeply saddened by the admission. The blue flowers covering every inch of exposed skin. "That's okay y/n have you scheduled anything?" To which you shook your head. "Okay then little one that's the first step we will make okay?" You nodded in response snuggling into her some more. Slowly little blush coloured flowers started to appear. Content in her motherly embrace.

"Little one? Have you thought of naming it?"her tone was soft and cautious not wanting to upset you any more than you had been. "N-no? I didn't think I deserved to?" You mumbled sadly. "Darling giving the baby a name may help with the healing process maybe something gender neutral?" She mused out loud. "Would make sense because it's too small to know what it is. I don't know many good names, god I'd be an atrocious mother if I can't even name it" you sighed red flowered sprouting once more. Internal anger causing them to be smaller than before.

"Y/n don't be so hard on yourself names are tricky things I have a few suggestions for you if you wish?" You nodded once more. Lavender flowers kooky those that had already bloomed. Exhaustion. "Okay so there's Charlie, Reese, Emery and even Sam as it could be short for Samuel or Samantha." You took a moment in thought, none of them feeling right. "What if I just called them dove?" You murmured. Shot sweet and not tied to a gender. Dove could also be related back to death which seemed to tie in perfectly. Your little dove too precious for this world.

"Dove is beautiful little one. Your little dove" Larissa was quick to confirm it was a beautiful name. "Y/n your exhausted I see the flowers, let's get you back to your dorm and all tucked up in bed hmm? We will start the process in the morning if it's what you want, I'll be here every step of the way. I may not be biologically your mum but every student at Nevermore our my little ones. I'd do anything to help and protect any of you..." she trailed off noticing your breathing had shallowed out and little pink flowers now took up residence where the blue were. Your skin a mixture of pink and purple as you dozed in her embrace.

Word count~ 2296

*A/n} this was such a joy to write. I hope you all enjoyed it and just a reminder to look after yourselves :)*

#fanfic #wednesday netflix #larissa x reader #principal larissa weems #gwendoline christie #larissa weems x reader #larissa x you #larissa weems #principal larissa weems x reader

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sickiehugs · 10 months

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Sickie is part of a large friend group. They don't really stand out or fit in, they've always just been kinda... there. They're smaller and quieter than the rest, so pretty easy to miss. This is where they feel they belong, but they don't really feel like the others value their company sometimes. Well, that's kinda just what Sickie's internal monologue is saying; they've got no proof of that.

So, say the gang's all here, hanging out at one of their houses. Sickie hadn't been feeling well at all that morning, most noteably they're burning hot and dealing with a lot of dizziness and fatigue. But they really wanted to be included more than anything else, so even though their entire body was begging them not to go, they went anyways.

Sickie tries their best to act normal (which isn't too hard considering nobody talks to them), but they're still kind of upset that no one has noticed the pallor of their skin or the way they keep shuffling so as to not lose their balance. Oh, and speaking of losing balance, it isn't long before a sharp *THUD* rings throughout the room.

When Sickie wakes up, they're not entirely sure where they are. Their head is pounding, their body feels heavy, whatever room they're in was almost pitch-black but somehow their view of the world iss still spinning. But when they shift their attention to the world around them, they notice a few things:

They're laying down somewhere comfortable, a fuzzy blanket laid over them.

Something damp and cold is pressing against their forehead -- perhaps a washcloth? It feels really, really nice against all the heat.

People are whispering. Sickie isn't sure how many voices there are, or what they're saying, but they aren't alone in here.

Sickie finally makes an attempt to sit up, but quickly changes their mind when their head starts spinning. They flop back down onto the soft pillow, and the resulting rustling of blankets makes it known to whoever else is in the room that Sickie is awake. They feel a hand pat them on the head and gently ruffle their hair.

"Yo, Sickie?" One of the whispers changes to a quiet, low voice... they recognize this one! "How're you feeling, [dude/dudette]?"

"Oh, they're awake?" Another one. Sickie knows this voice, too.

"How are they?" Sickie's piecing it all together...

"We'll never know, with how fuckin' dark it is in here." Is... is everyone here?

"Okay okay, hold on..." They all noticed... They all cared enough to... They're...

A very dim light comes on, slowly getting brighter until it stops at maybe a third of the way to full brightness. Sickie turns their heavy head to the side... They're in [Friend]'s room... And everyone is here. They all look worried... and happy... happy to see Sickie's awake...

Oh god no, I crashed their party... and now they hate me even more... They were worried about me... They... were *worried* about me!! They *cared* about me!! They *like* me!!

Before long, tears are streaming down Sickie's flushed-hot face, and with the biggest smile they've ever displayed, they push out just a few words, coated in exhaustion and borderline delirium.

"You... c-care... about m-me..."

"Course we do, [dude/dudette]. You're one of us, we've got'cher back. Just rest now, we're all here for ya."

Sickie's hair is ruffled once more, and they're still smiling as they close their eyes.

#this totally isn't self-indulgent #this totally isn't something i wish would happen to me #i'm torally not projecting onto sickie #writiehugs #sickfic #sickie #whump #sickfic prompts #whumpblr #sickfic tropes #fever whump #sickfic dialogue

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ptergwen · 2 years

Note

OK OK IK IM GETTING BACK TO YOU LIKE AN HOUR LATER, AND THIS IS GONNA SOUND SO CLIQUE- but a songfic based on all i wanted by paramore. i’m talking reader and peter being really close friends until he starts straying from reader and hanging out with mj more. maybe they get into a fight one day where reader goes to the tower for a mission briefing and sees that mj is there (superheros aren’t allowed to reveal identities at all, and peter never let reader in on anything, reader found out he’s spiderman on her own) AND THEN THEY ARGUE RIGHT? both say really hurtful stuff THEN THEN READER TAKES MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS. GOES ON THE MISSION ALONE. THE WORST HAPPENS AND THEY BARLEY FIND HER. you can choose whether she makes it out or not 🤷🏻‍♀️ BUT YEAH THATS WHAT I GOT

like her, love you

gif by random-fandom-whump

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w/c: 1,005

warnings: angst, mentions of injuries

a/n: bestie you have done it again! i can always count on you for some good old angst mwahaha it has kind of a happy ending but i think the people will appreciate that <3 also i just posted a sleepover so make sure to check that out y’all! happy reading

“talk to me, y/n. say something, anything.”

when you open your mouth to speak, you start to cough. you cough up dirt and dust, choke on it. you lie in the grass, where you’d landed. peter is kneeling on the grass in front of you. he has an arm behind your head for support, his free hand finding yours. he holds your intertwined hands against your chest.

the jet you had taken for your mission ran out of fuel mid-air. you never even made it there. you crashed, and it was only because of the tracker in your suit that peter was able to find you. he was supposed to go with you, but you two had gotten into a fight before you left. you decided to do the mission alone. you were heated and distracted coming off your argument, so you’d forgotten to refill the jet tank.

“peter? i… i…”

you try to sit up, resulting in another coughing fit, clutching at peter’s hand with both of yours. peter squeezes your hand in his back even tighter.

“just breathe, okay? just breathe. you can do it, y/n/n. deep breaths.”

peter inhales a breath and nods repeatedly, encouraging you to follow his lead. you wheeze at first, struggling to get air into your lungs. with peter’s help, your breathing eventually begins to even out.

“there you go. just like that.”

you let your head fall back on peter’s arm as you catch your breath. peter strokes your cheek with his gloved fingers, eyes staying fixed on you.

he’ll never let you out of his sight again.

he touches his index finger to his ear piece that he uses to communicate with the rest of the avengers.

“mr. stark? i found her. yeah, she’s alright. do you have the coordinates? okay. how long until you get here? okay, thank you.”

“tony’s coming?”

you lift your head up, but peter eases you back down.

“the whole team. they were really worried when they didn’t hear from you. we all care about you, so much.”

“do you?”

“how could you even ask that? you’re my best friend.”

“what about mj?”

“can i not have other friends?”

“i never said that.”

“no, but you implied it.”

you scoff and prop yourself up on your elbows.

“look, peter. i don’t care that you’re friends with mj. she’s cool. i care that you broke the rules, and you broke them for her.”

“i don’t know what you think you saw-“

“not think. i saw it.”

this is the same argument you’d had earlier.

when you arrived to avengers tower for your mission, mj was there. she was talking to peter, but not peter peter. spider-man peter. he was suited up, mask off, identity revealed.

tony has a strict policy about peter keeping his identity a secret. he’s experienced firsthand how much damage it does when your double lives overlap into one, and he doesn’t want his protege have to go through what he did. hence, the reason why peter wears the mask in the first place.

what’s the point if he’s exposing himself to mj? how could he even trust her?

you’re both friendly with mj in school, and she seems chill, but you don’t know much about her. her and peter are just getting close. he recently began hanging out with her outside of school, and apparently in the tower. you’ve been friends with peter and spider-man for years, and you had to figure out they were the same person on your own. he never told you.

but he told mj.

“please just give me a chance to explain.”

“i’m not interested in hearing it.”

you push yourself up to your feet, stumbling as you trek through the grass. you’re still a bit disoriented from your crash landing.

“where are you going?”

“back to the jet. don’t follow me.”

“it’s not gonna fly, you know. it’s out of fuel.”

you ignore peter and your dizziness and keep walking. peter’s fingers catch your wrist, forcing you to turn back and face him.

“the others will be here soon. just stay with me until they come. hear me out.”

your pride tells you no, but your love for him tells you yes. no matter how angry at him you are, he’s still your best friend.

you look down at your wrist in peter’s grasp, then up into his pleading eyes. you give in with a sigh. he lets go of you. you take a seat in the grass, sitting cross-legged. peter mirrors your actions.

“mj wasn’t supposed to find out. it was an accident.”

“what do you mean?”

“i was showing her around the tower, because you know my cover story, how i ‘intern’ there. thought it would be cool. mj sorta just put two and two together. she’s, like, really smart.”

“you never showed me around the tower.”

“why would i? you’re an avenger.”

“yeah, but i didn’t know you were… until i did.”

tears prick your eyes.

“how come you never told me? i’ve been friends with you way longer than mj, and she found out before i did. did you not think i could handle it?”

the tears escape. peter frowns and shifts closer to you.

“i knew you could.”

he dabs at the corners of your eyes with his thumbs, palms pressed to your cheeks.

“but that’s not the point.”

“then what is?”

“i didn’t tell you because i thought i was keeping you safe. i wanted to protect you. knowing my identity puts you in danger.”

you sniffle, more tears wetting your cheeks. your watery eyes meet peter’s.

“we’re best friends, y/n. nothing and no one could change that. i like mj, but i love you.”

you throw your arms around peter’s neck, hiding your face in his curls. a sob passes through your lips. peter hugs you back, making sure to be gentle because you’re still recovering from the crash. he kisses the side of your head and holds you in his arms, never once letting go.

tags: @mystic-writings @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @lnmp89 @jenoslov @crvshnburnn@starlight-starks @belovasheart @liltimmyst @eviewriites @hollandsangel @parkerctrl @eichenhouseproperty @inthegetawaycarwithtaylah @varshhyy @ellebutnotwoods@magicalxdaydream @tayyx @parkerdadda @valluvsu @ronweasleysslut @peterficrecs @Winchestersgirl222

#peter parker #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker writing #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x avenger!reader #mcu #marvel #tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland angst #tom holland writing

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houseofbrat · 1 month

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I’m so interested to hear your thoughts on the announcement HoB.

Unpopular opinion probably but me personally - I’m not buying it. It wouldn’t have taken this long to reveal cancer post her surgery date.

Nor do I buy that William is the hero that Kensington Palace is desperately trying to paint him as. It’s crass how their children are used as human shields in that statement.

It will be interesting to see the online reaction to this because the timeline on this story is fishy as hell and against Willy is hiding behind her skirt to save his reputation.

So I listened to Sky News for the announcement and the immediate commentary afterwards, which included an oncologist.

I think it's important to remember that she does NOT have an active cancer diagnosis, which people seem to be forgetting. Her own statement said "preventative chemotherapy," which as the oncologist on Sky News clarified is an adjuvant therapy. Adjuvant therapies are something to prevent cancer from returning, not active cancer treatment. The Sky News oncologist speculated that she was diagnosed with colon cancer, which has already been treated.

The sequence of events seems to be that she had "major abdominal surgery," which was probably on her colon. They did routine pathology on the tissue that was removed. Pathology usually takes seven to ten days to confirm. The pathology on an unspecified amount of tissue came back as cancerous.

They've known about this since February. She was not diagnosed with this in March. It seems to be more that she had some kind of emergency abdominal surgery in January--due to an intestinal blockage, perforation, or whatever. Recovery in the hospital for almost two weeks, which not even every colon cancer patient requires. They received the pathology results after she probably got out of the hospital. She started adjuvant therapy/"preventative chemotherapy" after her medical team determined it was appropriate post-surgery.

I know everyone is freaking out about CANCER, but she does not currently have cancer. Again, her own statement "cancer had been present." (Past tense!) She had some cancer that was removed during surgery, which may not have even been a surgery designed to remove cancer in the first place, and is now doing preventative therapy.

The problem with all of this is that they've known that she's had this SINCE FEBRUARY. It doesn't take two months for pathology to come back. That's where the PR problems are clearly evident. We all know when the kids go on break. They had a week long break in February, and they didn't announce this when they could have.

If they really had wanted to just wait until the kids were out of school for almost a month, then why didn't they create a strategy based on that weeks ago? Why release the problematic Mother's Day photo if you were planning on making an announcement when the kids are going to be out of school a few weeks later? Why not make a better strategy in dealing with the press? Why throw a fit about Carole & Kate being photographed on a public road? Why throw a fit over The Colonel's Review in June?

Oh, wait, all is supposed to be forgiven now because Kate HAD cancer.

HAD.

Past tense people.

King Charles has an ACTIVE cancer diagnosis. Kate's cancer has already been solved. It was solved back in January when it was removed during surgery. She is only doing preventative treatment currently to decrease the future risk.

But, hey, Kensington Palace and Catherine used the c-word (CANCER!), so all those previous fuckups should be forgiven.

#ask #my gif #pr games #strategery #PR fail #british royal family #MESS!#William The Prince of OWN GOALS #William The Weak #William The Terrible #prince william #William The Prince of Wales #kate middleton #Catherine The Princess of Wales

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cupidthingz · 2 years

Text

What’s it like having them as siblings?

Cast: Anastacius

Warnings: Siblings being annoying as usual.

Anastacius [Older]

Okay straight up he’s an asshole if you’re the younger sibling. Dude is gonna bully you like he’s the kind of sibling that would smack you across the head while your just doing your own thing and then both of y’all start an outright brawl in which you win obviously. (I have the feeling he’s the type to start fights and not finish them.)

If we’re talking about modern AU if you’re going to schools and stuff it’s going to be a private school cause ✨money✨ no one would know you’re related. It might either be because both of you look totally different and act differently from each other or nobody really asked if one of you had siblings.

He’s a caring brother but being an asshole comes first👍

“Hey y/n I bought ice cream!” Anastacius yelled from downstairs as he munched on the delicious and cold treat, as the air conditioner barely kept the room cold in the hot summer.

“Coming!” You barreled downstairs. “Okay where’s mine?” You asked noticing the absence of another ice cream neither in the bag nor in his hands other than the one he’s eating.

“Who said I bought you one?” He smiled innocently. “I just announced I bought ice cream.”

“You’re the literal worst.” You snapped at him as you turn to walk away back to your room. Something cold tapped on your head.

“Just kidding~ I bought some for the two of you.”

“You still suck by the way.”

“Oh you don’t want it? It’s fine I’ll eat it I was hungry for seconds anyways~”

“No you will not!”

He’ll totally spy on you if you go on a date with someone. Que a montage of him following you around in terrible disguises as he pulls Claude along for the shenanigans cause he didn’t have anything better to do but secretly he’s also making sure they pass the vibe check. Or they’re getting vibe checked if you know what I mean

If your significant other breaks your heart he’s going to comfort you while also simultaneously plotting their demise with Claude just doing some friendly research on the best ways to hide a body results were inconclusive.

Anastacius loves his two younger siblings. Even if he’s annoying, steals your stuff, eat your food, smacks you for no reason, leaves your door open after he enters your room for nothing. He loves you and it’s honestly a surprise he’s still standing without being bitch slapped but dw Penelope did it for you that one time

Anastacius [Younger]

If you’re the older sibling of this little demon, good luck with the random spurts of heart attacks. He was and still is the major cause of your grey hairs.

With his seemingly innocent face no one would suspect his extremely reckless ploy of getting back at other people for various reasons. The little shit holds grudges just like your youngest sibling.

He is a lot more sociable! He’s the social butterfly in the family but more of like a moth with his attraction to anything that might possibly lead him to be in a coffin. It’s just cause he trusts you and he knows you’ll always have his back thus the grey hairs.

“I feel like jumping.”

“And I’d kill you myself if you don’t die on impact.”

“Where would we all be if siblings don’t constantly threaten each other with murder?”

“A utopian civilization, with unicorns.”

“Take a joke will ya- wooahh-”

You pulled him back by the collar of his shirt before he fell off from the window frame.

“Aaand this is why I told you to get off of it.”

“But then how would I be able to aim clearly at the Principal’s head?” He says as he check up on his little weapon which is a sling shot big enough to fit a pie with filling made with things not so very sweet.

“And thus begins the tale of how y/n and Anastacius got expelled.”

“Well school can’t be for everyone can it?” He quipped mischievously.

“You- we shouldn’t be doing this Ana.”

“We shouldn’t be doing most things but look how far humanity has come because of it.”

He is more of the bad influence than you are as you can see, and he can be truly wonderful at convincing others to get on with his shenanigans. Just look at his senior Alpheus even he got roped into his little schemes.

I think he’d be more chill if you start dating anyone he trusts you can make the right choices in relationships. You literally took care of him and if both of you can survive that, you’re pretty much ready for anything.

But wait you’re heartbroken? Ice creams and cakes galore! But excuse me- I gotta take this for a minute. Oh! You mean there’s a body-

Overall he’s a cheeky little shit and you’re on 24 hours baby sitting duty even as adults.

He was the one who called you for advice when he had Jeanette. But that story is for another time~

★彡 Banana.Milkshake

#anastacius de alger obelia #wmmap x reader #anastacius x reader #anastacius de alger obelia x reader #who made me a princess x reader #wmmap #who made me a princess #Anastacius #claude de alger obelia #claude x reader #headcanon wmmap #headcanons #manhwa x reader #Cupidwrites

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amphibious-thing · 1 year

Text

OFMD Stede Bonnet as a Macaroni: Wealth, Gender and Sexuality in the 18th Century Fashion World

Historical Inaccuracy in Our Flag Means Death? Never!

Historical inaccuracy! I hear you cry. A Macaroni in 1717!?! It is true macaroni fashion was really a late-18th century fashion trend, seemingly reaching its peak in the 1770s. However Our Flag Means Death is nothing if not historically inaccurate. Stede’s costumes seem to take inspiration from across the 18th century rather than worrying about what would have actually been worn in 1717.

Early 18th century suits tended to have round necklines, loose-fitting sleeves with wide cuffs, long waistcoats that stoped just above the knee, and coats with full skirts just a little longer that the waistcoat.

[Left: Matthew Prior, oil on canvas, c. 1713-1714, by Alexis-Simon Belle, photo credit: St John's College, University of Cambridge, via Art UK.

Middle: Matthew Hutton of Newnham, Hertfordshire, oil on canvas, c. 1715, by Johannes Verelst, photo credit: National Trust Images, via Art UK.

Right: William Leathes, Ambassador Brussels, oil on canvas, c. 1710-1711, by Herman van der Myn, photo credit: Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection, via Art UK.]

As the century continued we get standing collars and turned down collars but round necklines were still around as well, sleeves got tighter with smaller cuffs, the waistcoats got shorter and the coats lost their skirts.

[Left: Thomas ‘Sense’ Browne, oil on canvas, c. 1775, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, photo credit: Yale Center for British Art, via Art UK.

Middle: Sir Brooke Boothby, oil on canvas, c. 1781, by Joseph Wright of Derby, photo credit: Tate, via Art UK.

Right: David Allan, oil on canvas, c. 1770, by David Allan, photo credit: Royal Scottish Academy/National Galleries of Scotland (Antonia Reeve), via Art UK.]

Stede’s collars are inconstant some are rounded but others are turned down and Ed’s purple suit has a standing collar. Many of Stede’s coats have wide cuffs, but most have little skirt to them. His teal suit from the pilot has a bit of a skirt but its paired with a short waistcoat.

Most of Stede’s waistcoats are short with the exception of his suits from both the wedding portrait with Mary and the the family portrait. Both suits are very straight giving him a boxy appearance and are pretty different from most of the suits we see him in.

All in all I don’t think they were aiming for historically realistic clothes but with the collars, short waistcoats, and lack of skirts I get more of a late-18th century vibe.

So what was a Macaroni?

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined macaroni as follows:

An Italian paste made of flour and eggs; also a fop, which name arose from a club, called the maccaroni club, instituted by some of the most; dressy travelled gentlemen about town, who led the fashions, whence a man foppishly dressed, was supposed a member of that club, and by contraction stiled a maccaroni.

The macaroni club was said to have comprised of young men who had gained a taste for French and Italian textiles on their Grand Tour (a traditional trip taken tough Europe by upper class men when they came of age). The earliest reference to the club is from a letter from Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford on the 6th Feb 1764:

at the Maccaroni Club (which is composed of all the travelled young men who wear long curls and spying-glasses),

In his book Pretty Gentleman: Macaroni Men and the Eighteenth-Century Fashion World Peter McNeil suggest the club was actually Almack’s. Almack’s was a private club at 50 Pall Mall that was attended by prominent Whigs including Sheridan, Fox and the Price of Wales. (p52) While the name may have originated from the men at Almack’s it was soon used to describe any man who followed the associated fashion trends.

So what were these trends?

Hair

“Still lower let us fall for once, and pop

Our heads into a modern Barber’s shop;

What the result? or what we behold there?

A set of Macaronies weaving hair.”

~ The Macaroni by Robert Hitchcock

Probably the most iconic aspect of macaroni fashion was the hair. “It was the macaroni attention to wigs that caused most consternation” explains Peter McNeil. The macaroni hair “matched the towering heights of the female coiffure, with a tall toupee cresting at the centre front. The wig generally had a long tail at the neck (’queue’), which when folded double was called the ‘cadogan’, all of which required regular dressing with pomade and powder, sometimes in the colours of pink, green or red.” (p45)

The height of the macaroni hair was a point of particular fascination in macaroni caricature exaggerating it beyond what the macaroni were probably actually wearing. Compare below Tom’s hair in the satirical print What is this my son Tom to the self portrait of Richard Cosway, who was satirised by Mary Darly as “The Miniature Macaroni” (a reference both to his height and his career as a miniature painter).

[Left: What is this my son Tom, print, c. 1774, published by Sayer & Bennett, via The British Museum.

Right: Self-Portrait, Ivory, c. 1770–75, by Richard Cosway, via The Met.]

The way Stede usually wears is hair is not particularly macaroni nor particularly 18th century for that matter. The exception to this is his wig from The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well though even this doesn’t have the iconic macaroni hight.

Interestingly both Stede and Ed are wearing flowers in their hair. While there are certainly depictions of women with flowers in there hair I’m not aware of this being a trend in mens fashion at all. However macaroni were known for wearing large nosegays.

While the tall hair was certainly iconic not all macaroni wore their hair tall. Joseph Banks, who was satirised as “The Fly Catching Macaroni” by Matthew Darly, is depicted in his portrait with a fairly typical 18th century hairstyle. Its not the hair alone that makes a macaroni, it was just one aspect of the fashion.

[Sir Joseph Banks, oil on canvas, c. 1771-1773, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, via Wikimedia.]

Suit

“If I went to Almack’s and decked out my wrinkles in pink and green like Lord Harrington, I might still be in vogue.” ~ Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford, 25 Nov 1764

Menswear of the period consisted of the same basic elements; shirt, stockings, breeches, waistcoat and coat. What differentiated the macaroni from others was the fabric, cut, colour and trimmings of the suit. “At a time when English dress generally consisted of more sober cuts and the use of monochrome broadcloth,” explains Peter McNeil “macaronism emphasised the effects associated with French, Spanish and Italian textiles and trimmings”. Popular amongst macaroni were brocaded and embroidered silks and velvets, sometimes further embellished with metallic sequins, simulated gemstones and raised metallic threads. Popular colours included pastels, pea-green, pink, red and deep orange. (McNeil, p30-32)

Far from wearing “monochrome broadcloth” Stede likes a “fine fabric” and dresses in a range of colours, we see him in teal, pink, purple, green, white, red, peach &c.

Tightly cut French style suits known as habit à la française were popular with macaroni. (McNeil, p14) Stede’s suits vary somewhat in cut but some are very French. The peach suit Stede wears in We Gull Way Back particularly has a very macaroni feel to me. Compare it to the English suit (left) and the French suit (right).

From the back you can see the English suit has more of a skirt to it.

Both Stede’s suit and the French suit are somewhat plain but have been paired with a floral embroidered waistcoat, while the English suit has a matching plain black waistcoat.

[Left: English suit, wool, silk, c. 1755–65, via The Met, number: 2009.300.916a, b.

Right: French suit, Silk plain weave (faille), c. 1785, via LACMA, number: M.2007.211.47a-b.]

Fabric covered button’s were common in the 18th century, you can see them on both the French and English coats above. In contrast Stede wears a lot of metal buttons. Steel buttons were popular amongst macaroni, a trend that was satirised in Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton.

[Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton, print, c. 1777, by William Humphrey, via The British Museum.]

Pumps and Parasols

“Maccaronies who trip in pumps and with Parasols over their heads” ~ Mrs Montagu

High heels had been popular amongst men during the 17th century. The Royal Collection Trust explains:

In the first half of the 17th century, high heeled shoes for men took the form of heeled riding or Cavalier boots as worn by Charles I. As the wearing of heels filtered into the lower ranks of society, the aristocracy responded by dramatically increasing the height of their shoes. High heels were impractical for undertaking manual labour or walking long distances, and therefore announced the privileged status of the wearer.

(Royal Collection Trust, High Heels Fit for a King)

In 17th century France Louis XIV popularised red-heels by turning them into a symbol of political privilege, which in turn spread the fashion to England. But with the sobering of menswear in England around the turn of the century the high heel and the red-heels went out of fashion. (see Bata Shoe Museum Toronto, Standing TALL: The Curious History of Men in Heels)

The high heel had a bit of a resurgence in the 1770s with macaroni fashion. The Natural History of a Macaroni snipes that the macaroni’s “natural hight is somewhat inferior to he ordinary size of men, through by the artificial hight of their heels, they in general reach that standard”. (Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458)

Red-heels were reintroduced to England by young men returning from their Grand Tours. A young Charles James Fox (satirised by Mathew Darly as “the Original Macaroni”) wore such French style red-heeled shoes. The Monthly Magazine recalls a young Fox as a “celebrated “beau garçon” with “his chapeau bras, his red-heeled shoes, and his blue hair-powder.” (Oct 1806) and The Life of the Right Honorable, Charles James Fox recalls him in his “suit of Paris-cut velvet, most fancifully embroidered, and bedecked with a large bouquet; a head-dress cemented into every variety of shape; a little silk hat, curiously ornamented; and a pair of French shoes, with red-heels;” (p18) And in Recollections of the Life of the Late Right Honorable Charles James Fox B.C. Walpole recalls him as “one of the greatest beaus in England,” who “indulged in all the fashionable elegance of attire, and vied, in point of red heels and Paris-cut velvet with the most dashing young men of the age. Indeed there are many still living who recollect Beau Fox strutting up and down St. Jame’s-street, in a suit of French embroidery, a little silk hat, red-heeled shoes, and a bouquet nearly large enough for a may-pole.” (p24)

Compare the French style red-heeled shoes of Louis XIV to Stede’s red-heeled shoes.

[Left: detail of Louis XIV, oil on canvas, c. 1701, by Hyacinthe Rigaud, via Wikimedia.]

However most macaroni were depicted wearing the more standard late 18th century low-heeled bucked shoes. Where they distinguished themselves was the size and decoration of the buckles. “Such buckles could be set with pate (lead glass) or ‘Bristol stones’ (chips of quartz), or diamonds if you were very rich.” Explains peter McNeil, “The new macaroni fashion was for huge silver or plated Artois shoe buckles which the Mourning Post claimed weighed three to eleven ounces.” (p90)

While certainly not as iconic has his heels Stede also wears these sorts of shoes. Compare below the shoes from a macaroni caricature to Ed wearing Stede’s shoes (I couldn’t get a good shot of Stede wearing them).

[Left: detail of How d'ye like me, print, c. 1772, published by: Carington Bowles, via The British Museum.]

“A great many jewelled accessories accompanied the macaroni look”, writes Peter McNeil, “They included hanger swords, very long canes, clubs, spying glasses and snuff-boxes.” (p68) Tragically we don’t see Stede with a fashionable dress sword or a cane but we do see him with another accessory popular amongst macaroni; a parasol.

Popular in France parasols/umbrellas were adopted by the macaroni. They were popular amongst both men and woman in France but in England they had a feminine connotation. (McNeil, p129) In the 1780s as umbrellas became more popular amongst men there was a cultural pushback to the perceived gender transgression. On the 16th of August 1780 the Morning Post complains of of the “canopy of umbrellas” bemoaning that “the effeminacy of the men, inclines them to adopt this necessary appendage of female convenience”. On the the 4th Oct, 1784, the Morning Chronicle published a letter complaining of “that vile foppish practice of sheltering under a umbrella”. The author of this tirade writes that while “the ladies should be allowed to secure their beauty and persons from the heat of the sun, or the inclemency of the weather,” because “it is natural, and has a striking effect”, that “to see a great lubberly cit, bounce from his shop, with a coat, hat, and wig that are not together worth one groat,” sheltering “from the influence of the solar beam” was “intolerable.” However:

The macaroni being of the doubtful gender, may in part claim a feminine right; his dress is too delicate to bear an heavy shower, perhaps his person is so too; but a coach, if a clean one is to be found would serve his purpose much better, as there would be less likelihood of his being washed away into the kennel, which he deserves to be kicked into for his d-----d affectation.

Wealth

Born from rich young men returning from their tours with a taste for French and Italian textiles macaroni fashion was expensive. Certainly a working class man would not be able to afford Stede’s wardrobe. Both the sheer amount of clothes he has as well has the fabrics those clothes are made of are indications of wealth. However to say that Stede’s wardrobe is only an indication of wealth would be missing part of picture.

Most rich upper class English men (including colonial) wore plain monochrome suits. Even amongst the gentry macaroni fashion was not the norm. Compare bellow George Washington (left) who was a wealthy planation owner, but notably not a macaroni, to Richard Cosway (right) who was a famous macaroni.

[Left: George Washington, oil on canvas, c. 1796, by Gilbert Stuart, via Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Right: Detail of The Academicians of the Royal Academy, oil on canvas, c. 1771-72, by Johan Zoffany, via The Royal Collection Trust.]

In spite of the expense macaroni fashion was not exclusive to the upper classes. “Macaroni dress was not restricted to members of the aristocracy and gentry,” writes McNeil, “but included men of the artisan, artist, and upper servant classes, who wore versions of this visually lavish clothing with a distinctive cut and shorter jackets. Wealthier shopkeepers and entrepreneurs also sometimes wore such lavish clothing, particularly those associated with the luxury trades, such as mercers and upholsterers -” (p14)

It was possible to copy certain aspects of macaroni fashion on a cheeper budget. The hairstyle in particular was achievable without braking the bank. And there were ways to replicate the effects of certain expensive fashion trends for cheeper prices. For example patterns could be printed rather than embroidered.

[Left: printed waistcoat, cotton, c. 1770–90, via The Met, number: 35.142.

Right: embroidered waistcoat, silk, c. 1780–89, via The Met, number: 2009.300.2908.]

The Town and Country Magazine complains “we now have Macaronies of every denomination, from the colonel of the Train’s-Bands down to the errand-boy.” (McNeil, p169) The Morining Post mocks macaronies that couldn't financially keep up with the trends:

The macaronies of a certain class are under peculiar circumstances of distress, occasioned by the fashion, now so prevalent, of wearing enormous shoe-buckles; and we are well assured that the manufactory of plated ware was never known to be in so flourishing a situation.

(14 Jan, 1777)

In 18th century England, class was about more than just how much money you had. It was about pedigree. “English society was particularly alert to those whom it felt were using clothes to achieve a social status they did not merit” explains McNeil. Richard Cosway was a famous macaroni from modest background. Born to a Devonshire headmaster he was sent to London to study painting at 12. He became a very successful miniature painter and grew rich from the patronage of the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Whig circles. In Nollekens and his Times J.T. Smith writes of Cosway:

He rose from one of the dirtiest boys, to one of the smartest of men. Indeed so ridiculously foppish did he become that Mat Darly, the famous caricature print-seller, introduced an etching of him in his window in the Strand, as ‘The Macaroni Miniature Painter’

(McNeil, p105-14)

But it was not only the Darlys that satirised Cosway Hannah Humphrey mocks Cosway as a social climber in A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature which depicts him standing under the petticoats of his much taller wife Maria. In the background there is a picture of Cosway climbing a ladder that rests upon a woman (she is believed to either be Angelica Kauffman or the Duchess of Devonshire). Below this reads:

Lowliness is Young Ambitions Ladder, Whereto the climber upward turns his Face But when he once attains the upmost round He then unto the Ladder turns his back, Looks unto the clouds - scornin [sic] the base degrees By which he did assend. Shak. Jul. Caesar.

[A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature, print, c. 1782, by Hannah Humphrey, via The British Museum.]

Another famous macaroni not born into the aristocracy was Julius Soubise. Brought to England from the West Indies as a slave he was taken in by Catherine Hyde, the Duchess of Queensbury. She gave him a leisured childhood, in which he was taught to play and compose for the violin, was taught to fence by Domenico Angelo, and learned oration from David Garrick. “Macaroni caricatures of Soubise parodied a foppish upstart whose outfits and entertainments, financed by the Duchess, affronted both racial and social expectations of an African male.” Writes Petter McNeil, Soubise was satirised as “a Mungo Macaroni” an “offensive term meaning a rude or forward black man.” (p118)

[Left: A Mungo Macaroni, print, c. 1772, by Matthew Darly, via The British Museum.

Right: The D------ of [...]-- playing at foils with her favorite lap dog Mungo after expending near £10000 to make him a----------*, print, c. 1773, by William Austin, via Yale Center for British Art.]

The expense of Stede’s wardrobe is a key part of the narrative. Stede has nice fancy luxurious things. Ed wants nice fancy luxurious things. Ed was born a poor brown boy and while he may be rich now he can never truly change his class. He could be as rich as Richard Cosway or Julius Soubise but to the gentry he will always be that poor brown boy.

Gender

As we have already seen in the tirade against men using umbrellas the macaroni was perceived as being of “the doubtful gender”. (The Morning Chronicle, 4 Oct, 1784)

The Natural History of a Macaroni writes that there “has within these few years past arrived from France and Italy a very strange animal, of the doubtful gender, in shape somewhat between a man and monkey,” that dresses “neither in the habit of a man or woman, but peculiar to itself”. The author states that “they are in no respect useful in this country”:

that the minister of the war department would give orders to have them enlisted for the service of America: we do not mean to put them on actual duty there. Alas! they are as harmless in the field, as they are in the chamber, but they may stand as faggots to cover the loss of real men.

(Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458-9)

A “faggot” being “A man who is temporarily hired as a dummy soldier to make up the required number at a muster of troops, or on the roll of a company or regiment.” (see OED)

[The Masculine Gender & The Feminine Gender, etching with touches of watercolour, c. 1787, Attributed to Henry Kingsbury, via The Met.]

The macaroni wasn’t just considered effeminate because of the way they dressed but also because of their interests and the way walked and talked. Famous for playing fops and macaroni, the actor David Garrick did a lot to establish the character of the macaroni in the public mind. In his poem The Fribbleriad Garrick mocks the men who were offended by his performances asserting, perhaps accurately, that they were offended because it was them he mocked. He portrays a group of angry effeminate men meeting in order to seek revenge on him for his portrayal of them:

May we no more such misery know! Since Garrick made OUR SEX a shew; And gave us up to such rude laughter, That few, ’twas said, could hold their water: For He, that player, so mock’d our motions, Our dress, amusements, fancies, notions, So lisp’d our words, and minc’d our steps,

The macaroni had become more than simply an effeminate man, he had become a new sex. Something not quite man or woman. Something in-between. A new description of a macaroni asks the question:

Is it a man? ‘Tis hard to say - A woman then

- A moment pray -

So doubtful is the thing, that no man

Can say if ‘tis a man or woman:

Unknown as yet by sex or feature,

It moves - a mere amphibious creature.

(McNeil p169)

Sexuality

Much like today in the 18th century effeminacy was associated with homosexuality. Men who had sex with other men were known as mollies. A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined a molly as “A Miss Molly; an effeminate fellow, a sodomite”. In the History of the London Clubs (1709), Ned Ward characterises mollies as follows:

There are a particular Gang of Wretches in Town, who call themselves Mollies, & are so far degenerated from all Masculine Deportment or Manly exercises that they rather fancy themselves Women, imitating all the little Vanities that Custom has reconcil’d to the Female sex, affecting to speak, walk, tattle, curtsy, cry, scold, & mimick all manner of Effeminacy.

“By the 1760′s,” explains Peter McNeil, “too much attention to fashion on the part of a man was read as evidence if a lack of interest in women”. (p152)

Macaroni were often portrayed as incapable or simply uninterested in sexual relations with women. This attitude is expressed by Mr. Bate in the following dialogue from The Vauxhall Affray; Or, the Macaronies Defeated:

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I always though a fine woman was only made to be looked at.

Mr. Bate: Just sentiments of a macaroni. You judge of the fair sex as you do your own doubtful gender, which aims only to be looked at and admired.

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I have as great a love for a fine woman as any man.

Mr. Bate: Psha! Lepus tute es et pulpamentum quæris?

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: What do you say, Parson?

Mr. Bate: I cry you mercy, Sir, I am talking Heathen Greek to you; in plain English I say, A macaroni you, and love a woman?

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I love the ladies, for the ladies love me.

Mr Bate: Yes, as their panteen, their play-thing, their harmless bauble, to treat as you do them, merely to look at

While lack on interest in woman does not necessarily mean attraction to men, Matthew Darly takes the implication there in his 1771 set of macaroni caricatures which induces a print entitled Ganymede, a reference to Zeus’ male lover of the same name. Ganymede is believed to be a parody of Samuel Drybutter who had been arrested for attempted sodomy in January 1770. Darly also includes the character Ganymede in Ganymede & Jack-Catch. Jack-Catch is a reference to the infamous English executioner John Ketch. In the print Jack-Catch says, “Dammee Sammy you’r a sweat pretty creature & I long to have you at the end of my String.” Ganymede replies, “You don’t love me Jacky”. Jack-Catch is holding a noose with one hand and stroking Ganymede’s chin with the other. Jack-Catch is soberly dressed in typical 18th century menswear, while Ganymede’s dress is distinguished by his lace ruffles and styled wig. The print is not only suggesting that macaroni are sodomites but making a joke of the execution of them. The punishment for a sodomy at this time in England being death by hanging.

[Left: Ganymede, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The Met.

Right: Ganymede & Jack Catch, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The British Museum]

An anonymous letter to the Public Ledger (5 Aug, 1772) says blatantly what others had already implied. “The country is over-run with Catamites, with monsters of Captain Jones’s taste, or, to speak in a language witch all may understand, with MACCARONIES”. The writer warns macaroni who have “escaped detection” as sodomites and “therefore cannot fairly be charged” that they have not avoided suspicion:

Suspicion is got abroad-the carriage-the deportment-the dress-the effeminate squeak of the voice-the familiar loll upon each others shoulders-the gripe of the hand-the grinning in each others faces, to shew the whiteness of the teeth-in short, the manner altogether, and the figure so different from that of Manhood, these things conspire to create suspicion; Suspicion gives birth to watchful observation; and, from a strict observance of the Maccaroni Tribe, we very naturally conclude that to them we are indebted for the frequency of a crime which Modesty forbids me to name. Take warning, therefore, ye smirking group of Tiddy-dols: However secret you may be in your amours, yet in the end you cannot escape detection;

Bows on His Shoes

18th century shoes were typically buckled, laces and ribbons were simply unfashionable. As mentioned previously macaroni were distinguished by the size and decoration of the buckles. So are Stede’s bows simply ahistorical? Well there are references to 18th century men wearing laces and ribbons.

Towards the end of the 18th century laces started to come into fashion. Appeal from the Buckle Trade of London and Westminster, to the Royal Conductors of Fashion (1792) complained that despite how “tender and effeminate the appearance of Shoe Strings” the “custom of wearing them has prevailed.”

Perhaps the most intriguing reference is that of Commissioner Pierre Louis Foucault’s papers where he details the surveillance, investigation and entrapment of "pederasts” in Paris. It is important to note that the word “pederasty” was used synonymously with “sodomy” in the 18th century and did not denote age simply sex. An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1726) defines “A pederast” as “a Buggerer” and “Pederasty” as “Buggery”.

Foucault and the men working with him identified particular clothing worn by men seeking sex with other men that he called the “pederastical uniform”. In Foucault’s papers men are described as being “attired in such a way as to be recognized by everyone as a pederast”, “clothed with all the distinctive marks of pederasty”, or simply “dressed like a pederast”. This “uniform” generally included “some combination of frock coat, large tie, round hat, small chignon, and bows on the shoes.” Jeffrey Merrick in his article on Foucault speculates that these men dressed this way to signal to each other. However when questioned by police they would understandably deny such a purpose, one man when questioned about his outfit responded that everyone “dresses as he sees fit”. (Jeffrey Merrick, Commissioner Foucault, Inspector Noël, and the “Pederasts” of Paris,1780-3)

Conclusion

I’m not saying Stede is intended to be a macaroni. If that were the case they would have given him the iconic macaroni hairstyle. However the costuming team has clearly pulled from fashion trends that were associated with effeminacy and homosexuality. While OFMD is evidently wholly unconcerned with creating period accurate costumes the costumes are still clearly inspired by historical fashions. Perhaps the curtains really are just blue but maybe Stede wears bows on his shoes because he’s gay.

#I had way too much fun doing this #our flag means death #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #queer history #macaroni #historical fiction #fashion history

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