#'what do you MEAN it's mostly popular with girls and adults??'

[trujellyfish]

pretty sure that if One Piece was managed by western marketing companies it wouldve failed miserably bc they wouldve been like

"okay it's for BOYS so toys are gonna be ugly ass action figures Only"

"since it's Animated that means it's for CHILDREN so all the apparel will be for youths and infants (again, focus on the BOYS)"

then they'd be like "we're not making any money :( what can we do :( guess we'll just have to cancel the whole thing :("

fans would be like "you could try marketing towards girls and adults a little more"

and they'd go "how? make plushies? branded home appliances? larger clothes? why don't these 'girls' and 'adults' try growing up a little and stop playing with toys or watching cartoons >:("

[aesthetixhoe]

paparazzi — J.C.

warnings: cursing, angst, mentions of anxiety/self worth issues,

word count: ---

pronouns used: none!

request: can u write where like us and jack are out like at the mall abd fans come up to us asking for photos and all that? (were also a actor/actress. idk is this made sense to u😭)

authors note: I added a bit of other stuff into this, so sorry if this isn't what you wanted. i love this idea deeply! <3

Being an actor and going to the mall was... Stressful. You never knew if you would be recognized, so you always had to wear presentable clothing, plus you didn't know if the people who would recognize would even like you.

The mall was no exception. With the endless stores filled with fellow teenagers and young adults who knew both you and Jack, there was bound to be at least one person who knew you.

Going out with Jack was easier than being alone. He's always there to tell you that no matter who you see, or how they feel about you, you still have fans that love you... Including him. He'll hold your hand, and tell you to squeeze it if you get anxious, give you more small kisses than usual (which is already a lot). The PDA worries you further, thinking that if someone who likes him more sees you two kissing that they'll post about it and try cancelling you or something, but the love is worth it.

You came to the mall to go shopping, you needed some more casual clothes, and Jack needed some higher end items for a premier. Walking into the mall was thankfully uneventful, but once you got further into the populace of the mall, that's when the pictures started.

It wasn't paparazzi standing right inside waiting to run you down but to get pictures, but there were teenage girls who found Jack attractive. While you were also an actor, and have also been in popular things, you weren't a hot boy...

“Oh my god! You're Jack Champion. Holy shit, can we get a picture with you?!” And so it started. He obviously said yes and you moved to the side, not before he kissed your hand though. He wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, smiling big for her friend with the camera. They switched so the previous camera girl could get in on it. They thanked him before walking past, both still bright red, slightly shaky and whispering about how cute he was. You had to agree.

About every 30 feet was another person asking for a picture, or autograph. He would stop and gladly do whatever pose they asked for, or sign whatever they wanted. He loved all of his fans, and was willing to do anything for them.

After splitting up and going to your designated stores to buy the items you needed, you two found each other.

The walk to leave was mostly uninterrupted, just a few people recognizing you two and taking pictures. “Looks like we have some paparazzi huh?” Jack jokes, smiling at you. God he's so pretty.

“Yeah...” You say in mindless agreement. You were too busy looking at his smile and the way it made his eye squint slightly.

“Stop staring.” He says as he blushes and looks away. He loves your attention, but it doesn't stop him from blushing every time.

Once you two were home you spent time scrolling through Instagram, looking at the posts jack was tagged in, seeing all the pictures fans had taken with him.

Then... There was a picture of you.

It was a “news” Instagram account that posted celebrity sightings.

“Ah, I see you've found the stalker photos...” Jack chuckles as he approaches the back of the couch. He puts his chin on your shoulder watching as you scroll through the pictures.

“Yeah. I'm actually... Kinda flattered?” You almost ask. He hops over the back of the couch to join you in sitting. He looks at you questioningly.

“What do you mean?” He asks quietly. You hated having candids taken, they ‘always looked bad.’

You look at him before looking down embarrassed. “Well... Normally it's just pictures of you. And I hate photos, you know that, but... It feels nice to be recognized. I just feel like an accessory to you sometimes...” You admit softly.

He grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him. Once you make eye contact, both of his hands settle on either of your cheeks to keep your head steady.

“[Y/n], you'll never be an accessory. You're your own person. You're an amazing actor, and an even better person.” He states into your eyes, and you can feel something. Something warm deep inside of your stomach. Something in your chest, like you'd just drank a hot drink on a cold day that warmed up your insides.

“I love you.” You breathe out, thoughtlessly. Thoughtlessly.

Your eyes widen in shock as your mouth falls agape. You actually said it... Holy shit. He's silent. Oh fuck. Oh god. This was such a mistake.

“Jack, I am so sorry. I-I wasn't thinking and it just fell out and I know we haven't said it yet, and I don't want you to feel obligated to say it back but I just-”

“I love you too.” He smiles softly, leaning in to kiss your lips. It felt like the stars aligned and the earth stopped spinning and time stopped and everything else people use to describe being in love.

You pull away, looking into his eyes, tears welling in yours. “Are you ok? Should I not have said it?” He asks, brows furrowed in worry.

“No!” You exclaim grinning, then reaching your fingers to the nape of his neck, “I'm just so in love with you.”

[uncanny-tranny]

The weirdest dichotomy I've felt as a trans man is that, when I was a kid, I knew I was never allowed into a "sisterhood." I always felt like an interloper around girls, and, because girls can be observant and intelligent (despite popular belief), I was treated as an interloper.

Now, as an adult, I'm treated like I was always part of "A Sisterhood" that I shunned, that I refused to join, so I ought to be punished for that horrific transgression.

I absolutely know other trans men* who did feel part of girlhood/womanhood, and there is literally nothing wrong with that. However, I just find it frustrating to be... denied my own experiences, my own story by (mostly cis) people who are uncomfortable with the idea that some people never felt part of "their circle." It's a weird arm of transphobia that simultaneously expells you from conformity but also blames you for not conforming (because you were never even given the opportunity to conform because, again, you were forced out of any space to conform to). Do you see what I mean?

[witchhazel-fumes]

Creepypasta is inherently cringy. It's foundations are built on the backs of mentally ill teens and young adults from the late 2000s-2010s. Of course it's self indulgent, we were suffering and needed escapism. Of course some of the portrayals of mental illnesses are less than perfect, we were navigating an ableist world while struggling with said illnesses. Hell, many of us were being abused and the idea of a found family made it so we could make it through another day.

I've been in the creepypasta fandom since I was a little girl. 9 years old, in fact, 2009. The dawn of ARGs becoming popular. I've only recently began creating content because I felt the community has matured enough that if someone didn't like what I did, they'd move on rather than rant and rave over how garbage my art is. That's mostly the case. Mostly.

See, I'm seeing a rise in "mature" portrayals of these characters. Not NSFW "mature", that's always been there. I mean supposedly gritty, realistic, "made for adults" kind of spins. It'd be fine if the people doing it weren't fucking trampling on the heritage of the community in the process. We're a goofy community, and the slenderman is our dad that makes us waffles. We write bullshit, but still entertaining stories about serious topic, then put those characters in goddamn tutus. You can have your cake and eat it too. You just don't have to be unpleasant about it.

My favorite example of this duality is @carnalhaus 's Nine Jeff. His story is heartachingly sad, it's fairly realistic, it's got mature and NSFW themes at times, and yet... we've got art of him in a cat maid outfit. And it's fantastic. The duality of this fandom is what makes it so great. Shunning one part in favor for the other is just a fundamental misunderstanding of the media. Being all high and mighty about how "mature" and "realistic" your interpretation is isn't unique. It's sad.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Thinking about writing a 14 year old girl who starts out bratty and grows and changes, but thinking about the best way to write her in a bratty manner without seeming like I'm bashing on teenage girls in general, any thoughts?

Oh, that's actually something I have quite a few thoughts about!

the shortest answer I can think of is to look at teenagers you know in real life and their behaviours - that's a good start to make that character authentic. A lot of people get age milestones wrong when writing kids (personally that's why I avoid writing kids) and especially with girls, it feels like a lot of authors can only write 'basically an over-sized toddler' and 'she only cares about boys and sex'. Now, teenagers are also tricky because they are all very different. I think learning about what actual 14yo do in their freetime, what interests them, what music they listen to, what jokes they make - or to maybe look at some of the things you did at that age - can be very helpful to avoid being too "how do you do, fellow kids!

Tbh, I always feel like the biggest issue with the way people write the 'bratty teenage girl' is that she's always there to be the 'reaction character'—because she's written by adults, and it reflects how adults feel dealing with teenagers, especially teenage girls. Usually, you have a main character, typically a middle-aged man, who is doing something, and the teenage girl character is standing on the sidelines, chewing gum and telling him he's boring or uncool or be like 'urgh, old people'. At the end of the story he wins her over and, in a heart-warming scene, she will say something like, '…actually, you're not that bad,' or '…okay, maybe you are pretty cool.' It mostly just feels like the adult author feeling insecure about their own age and whether they're still in touch with The Youth, and it's been done A Lot.

Then you often have teenagers as damsels to be saved—and the bratty factor often makes them more difficult to save. That's also a very common trope that often results in people hating on the character, even though, in my opinion, that's often unfair (and very often especially unfairly directed at female characters).

If you think of teenage girl characters who work really well, I think it's the ones that sincerely reflect the experience of being a teenage girl (or a teenager in general). Or whose experiences serve as a good allegory for those experiences. Think of your classic 'teenage detective' stories where the adults just. don't. listen. In those stories, 'bratty' is often a label assigned to the main characters BY adults who ignore them—we understand the context of why they are bratty. It makes perfect sense for them to be that way. Or think of your YA protagonists who stand a little outside society, who often try to do what is right but get very little recognition for it. Or think of all those shows featuring teenagers that have aged well and are still popular with adults—shows like Avatar or Kim Possible. They are usually stories that take the problems of teenagers and the world they face quite seriously - by placing them side by side with actually world-threatening events. While at the same time, the dismissive way adults treat teenagers is a giant threat to these worlds.

Now, obviously, these were shows specifically FOR kids—but I would argue that similar rules apply when writing a teenager in any other genre, especially if you want to avoid bashing them. Take their issues seriously. Explain why they are 'bratty.' Explore what it means to be 'bratty.'

For example, right now I'm rewatching Gotham (a show not for kids), and a major character is Selina Kyle, the young Catwoman, who is living on the streets as a homeless girl. She has a flippant, careless, often mocking demeanor and doesn't really let people in. A lot of people see her as a 'brat'—but because you see her in many situations, you understand what her life is like. You see how people treat her (she's frequently referred to as 'street trash'), and you understand perfectly why she acts that way.

When she does show that she cares about someone, when she lets people in, or when we find out, for example, that she takes care of other kids on the street or the stories she tells herself to feel better about her family, it’s not just to make some adult character feel better. In those moments, we actually learn something about her, build a meaningful connection with her, and see what makes HER tick. She is more than just the 'bratty teenager.'"

Obviously, it doesn't always have to be a giant tragic backstory. That really depends on the story you're telling. Personally, I would argue that even being a teenager (especially a girl!) in normal middle-class society comes with enough reasons to be a 'brat.' There you are, 13 years old, and old men are cat-calling you on the street. You're in your training bra while the beauty industry bombards you with insane beauty standards. Your parents are divorcing, and when you want to understand why, everyone talks to you in a baby voice. You get bullied in school, someone makes deepfakes of you and shares them on Snapchat, and when you try to explain that to the teacher, you can see their eyes glaze over because they don't have a clue what you're talking about.

One very common statement I hear about teenage girls is "they do it for the attention" - which, to a point, is true. Obviously, they want attention. Everyone wants attention to some degree. But notice how this is the same language often used to ignore and neglect the needs (especially medical needs) of adult women. Teenagers also often don't have the language to communicate the complex feelings and situations they are dealing with now. Being bratty or sulking or similar behaviours are they way of trying communicate their feelings. A good way to write a teenage girl like that is to explore her character and to be true to the motives and reasons why she is acting like this.

For example, I think a lot of teenagers are in a very alienated position in society. They're in a very difficult phase in their lives: They are growing into adult problems and adult feelings, adult routines. But those are still VERY big shoes for them to fill. It is overwhelming. This is also why they make convenient main-characters for these kinds of YA novels - because these are not yet integrated into society. They often have an outside perspective. They question the status quo. And this also appeals to teenage audiences because they are in the position where they start questioning the world around them, their family, school, gender, religion, politics.

Teenagers want to have an identity for themselves, make their own decisions, and explore who they are—but very often, the adults around them still treat them as kids, limiting them without even bothering to explain why. Much of the environment created for teenagers is out of touch with their interests—it's often condescending, lecturing, and not very empowering. Every time they have new hobbies - Pokemon Go, Fortnite, some new band, they are always mocked relentlessly by the same adults who don't even know how to entertain them. Some kids on youtube are eating tidepods and suddenly their entire generation is being blamed. The same messages are repeated over and over at teenagers and they're preached to in this way regardless of their own experiences or behaviour. If you are a teenager, no one cares about YOUR life, situations, or struggles—which, at this time, can be quite serious. You want to take charge of your own life, start captaining that ship—but very often, you stand by while some adult does it for you, telling you not to start smoking (it's dangerous!! Don't listen to your friends!!). (again, doesn't it make sense why teenagers see themselves in girls fighting dystopian governments?)

When kids become teenagers, their parents often stop being the most important go-to people in their lives—this is when their friends become their social bubble, and they share many things ONLY with them. So, the things adults often mock about teenagers (like 'But daaaaad, I reaaaally want to go out tonight!' or 'Muuuuum, I really need that One Direction tattoo!!') genuinely are that important to them. 'But everyone is going!!!' really is a valid reason in their eyes. And they often experience adults who not only don't understand but are extremely mocking toward them. Another reason why they might seem bratty to adults - when their behaviour might seem perfectly sensible to them.

Also, consider that when teenagers are portrayed as dumb or naive, that's usually the adult perspective on kids being less cynical and experienced than adults - and that's why they get angry when you say no to something or get bored and annoyed when you lecture them. They might genuinely believe that a new top or a trip to the clubs will help them win new friends, or that this boy might really like them if they do what he says. It seems real to them because they haven't lived through it yet. They have hope that these things will work, and they're a lot less worried about risks because they haven't seen things go wrong as often as adults have. (Just recently, I walked down a narrow street on a steep hill that I used to skate down at breakneck speed without any helmet or protection as a teen—where I could never have slowed down or avoided a car—and back then, it hadn't even occurred to me how dangerous it was. As an adult, I had a 'how am I still alive??' moment seeing that place.)

You know how we often say, 'Be nice to toddlers and babies, this really is their first time on a plane/in a car/in a supermarket'? The same applies to teenagers when it comes to things adults find childish. Wearing THAT outfit or going THERE really is that important to them. And do you know who they hang out with? Who some of their most important social contacts are? Other teenagers, who also think THAT is important. That romance book with its familiar tropes or those song lyrics we've heard a thousand times really are That Deep for them—because it’s new to them

They also don’t live within the same contexts as we do—they don’t have jobs, they go to school, and they don’t get money or immediate rewards for what they do. Is a teenager sulking during a trip or on holiday? Well, they worked just as hard at school this year as you did at work, but they don’t get a say in where the trip goes, most of the time. When they mow the lawn, they don’t really care what the garden looks like—because it doesn’t impact them. So of course they roll their eyes when you ask them to. They live in a world where they constantly do things without seeing any direct benefit, while the things they do find rewarding are often mocked or forbidden by adults

So yeah, one way to make a bratty teen sympathetic is to explore why she is bratty and to show her side of events.

Also: You can explore what makes her less bratty! Perhaps she's nostalgic for simpler times or she really loves animals or she moved and misses her old home or she is passionate about a hobby or music or drawing. These things might make her more approachable to people who also respect them and we see the personality beneath the brattiness.

And also you can explore what bratty means! There are many different flavours of "bratty teenagers". Some are already well-established tropes like the rich brat* or the goth kid. But the real challenge to making a bratty teenager likeable, imo, is to give them a distinctive personality and to make their bratty behaviour reflect real life motivations. In which way is she bratty? Does she disagree with everything you say? Perhaps there is a bigger thing she feels she's not listened to about. Is she reclusive? could be there are a lot of arguments happening around the house she wants to avoid. Does she have specific opinions and viewpoints she stands in at all times? Or is she contrarian on principle? Are there people she's particularly bratty towards? How does she act around her friends, teachers, strangers, neighbours, parents etc. I think the more you explore that the more she becomes a person and the more she becomes a person, the less it feels like you're bashing or mocking teenagers.

On the other hand, you could also write a character who really is a huge dick or even a villain. There's also many flavours of that - anything from the pissy older sibling to the mean girl bullying people in school to the Creepy Kid. (Think of characters like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, that's how far you can go with an evil brat villain even in adult story.) In these cases, I would also explore why they are who they are - even if the answers to this might be less sympathetic.

If you do that, you could also include other teenage characters with very different personalities to show that you are not making general statements about teenagers but that this is just one character you are describing. Or you could give her parents who act similarly. Or maybe it's a question of schooling - that's another popular trope for teenage villains, they might be a reflectin of a dysfunctional social environment like their school or the place they live.

*the thing about the rich brat trope: As someone who worked as a teacher at a boarding school for very wealthy kids, I often have issues with the very shallow depictions of this that basically boil down to "this kid gets everything they want so they suck". There are some very specific forms of neglect that are common among rich people and tbh, I think if you want to go in that direction, I would also look at what life this kid lives and WHAT they are lacking.

[christophersg1rl]

𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘? ᴄʜʀɪs x ғᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs:it’s obviously very smutty, use of pet names, and minors don’t interact, or do idgaf

A/N: to let you guys know you can always request something and I’ll def write it!! always here to provide for yall 😋

_______________________________________________

It was a Saturday night, and you and the triplets were obviously going out, what else are you adults for. You and chris had been dating for a while, and you knew the triplets for almost your whole life so hanging out with them wasn’t weird in any way, but you had anxiety in parties, and oh did chris know that. you weren’t even one for parties until you started dating chris, dating him was a lot because of his crazy fans, you didn’t mind it tho. You would be jealous to if you didn’t have him. You decided to wear a dark red dress that was VERY small on you, you knew chris would love it since it hugged your body so nice he could see all your curves. obviously chris doesn’t care how he looks so he puts on jeans and a shirt, looking like a homeless man right next to you. But you loved how he didn’t care, it made him unique. “babyyy we have to go!!” chris whines waiting for you to finish your makeup because you took almost 2 hours, isn’t it hard being a lady? “okay okay babe I’m done” you say coming into the room seeing ur boyfriends mouth drop. “Ma your so beautiful.” he gasps, he loved complimenting you. What wasn’t there to compliment about? you were beautiful, you had the prettiest smile, that smile could make him nut in his fucking pants. It’s what made him crazy about you. “CAN WE GO YOU FUCKERS” nick yells from downstairs, earning laughs from me and chris. “we’re going we’re going” you say embarrassed of how long It took to get ready.

“Y/n you take so fucking long to get ready I can’t imagine being a girl” Matt exclaims as nick nods in agreement. “Well a woman always needs to look put together, and it takes a process”you grab your purse, going outside to get into Matt’s car since nick or chris didn’t know how to drive. As soon as you got to the party you realized how big it fucking was, I mean this was atleast a 3 story house tops. And man was it fucking PACKED. But you knew you would be okay because you had chris with you. “Baby it’ll be okay I’m going to be with you mama. maybe you will have some fun” he whispers in your ear earning a smile from you as you walk in the house with the boys. Already tons of people walk up to them, not you tho. You were popular but not with Christopher’s friends, his friends were mostly just weird to you. You decided to go get something to drink since chris had gotten busy with his friends. “One margarita please” you ask the guy at the bar that’s in a house, I know. crazy. as you get your drink you go to look for your boyfriend until you see him with a girl. And damn was she beautiful. You weren’t the type to easily get jealous but she was touching him and he was laughing. Why was he laughing. chris took a quick glance at you and smirked. He knew you were upset, but it turned him on. He loved making you mad. You decided to go up to him because you were sick of her touching your fucking man. “Chris I need you to help me with something” you say in a rude tone, causing the girl to give you a face. “And who are you?” The girl laughs looking at chris knowing that the girl just fucked up. “I’m his fucking girlfriend you idiot” you say grabbing chris and leading him to the bathroom. Once you guys are in you shut the door and slap him. “So you think it’s fucking funny to make jealous huh? You think your so fucking funny Christopher.” You say as you crash your lips onto his earning a groan from him realizing he was already hard. “Oh so you wanted this huh? This turned you on? Me being mad?”you say as you pull his jeans down and his boxers at the same time. “I bet she can’t make you this fucking hard chris. Right?” you question as he nods throwing his head back when you touch his tip already filled with pre cum.”please y/n fuuuuuck” he pleads as you slowly start to jerk him off. “Tell me who you belong to chris” you continue your pace slowly. “you mama you please baby.” he pants trying to catch his breathe. you slowly take his dick in your mouth causing him to throw his head back. “Holy shitttt baby this feels so good.” he groans as you moan as a response, you could feel he was close so you stop. “fuuuck baby why did you stop?” He whines at the loss of touch.

“I told you not to play with me 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿.” you laugh getting out of the bathroom leaving him a whimpering mess.

_______________________________________________

A/N: I hope you guys like this cs I’m rlly new to smut 😭

[girlreblogger]

and then there were 3 💿

don’t get mad. i’m saying what needs to be said and this the last time.

the blk yn “stereotypical” stories are self indulgent and the relationships are unfulfilling and unhealthy. yeah. 

i never mentioned fully the stereotype thing that’s associated with blk yn fics and that’s because i have never really understood what ppl meant by it. and this isn’t to be funny towards the ppl that say that abt those certain fics.

i somewhat? get what ppl mean by yn is written as a stereotype when it comes to the toxicity in fics but because these stories are written by blk women for blk women who feel comfortable with those types of behaviors, dynamics and relationships i feel it shouldn’t be seen as blk women writing themselves as stereotypes because the comfortability with that idea of relationships comes from somewhere and it’s not no stereotype. 

stereotype: 1. a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person

that word itself just projects an idea on those ppl and (not to use a buzz word but) dehumanizes them. it dilutes and dismisses the perception and character those women see themselves as and i don’t personally think that okay. 

lots of ppl are accustomed to or find comfort in certain dynamics and behaviors for so many different and very personal reasons. (whether extreme or not.) without even knowing sometimes we all do or have because we are still ppl at the end of the day. so chalking up someone’s humanness to a stereotype is unfair to me. it’s the same shit that ppl did to us back in the day and still do till this day and i find it unnecessary to do amongst ourselves.

that’s why i chose to say the relationships in those books and fics are unfulfilling. the dynamics, behaviors and all that ain’t healthy. if we being real. and that’s more than just a stereotype. i also dk what ppl mean by her being a stereotype in particular. maybe being extroverted? ion know. 

but ppl who want to write those things are going to do what they want but that doesn’t mean..

blk women don’t deserve or that it’s impossible for us to have more exposure to more fluffy and healthy dynamics in books with us as the main leads (also all blk ppl cause not just women read books obvi and want fluffy romance that’s another convo tho). it’s also important we showcase blk girls in various ways because we all are very different.

**we should keep in mind a fictional! character we call blk yn can be a ya (young adult) so mistakes and learning experiences in fics aren’t always useless. (though it seems we’ve had enough of it im just saying)

with different ways of thinking, with different styles, quirks, and personalities. right now it’s mostly coquettes, bimbos, and baddies being written almost similarly each time. and that’s perfectly fine but i think there’s something else that ppl are wanting to see but i would like to know what exactly.

do you guys want see her in different styles? talking differently? as an ambivert or a shy girl? someone who doesn’t talk much or someone who does? like what would be the opposite of the “stereotypes” you normally see?

and how can we as a community make some kind of change to see ourselves differently.

those few ppl when i said “as a community”

don’t get quiet now. 

but honestly, because of that maybe give writers prompts and requests with what you’d like to read. there are many writers who always have requests open and lots of times those asks are some of their most popular posts!

ppl started only reading or getting used to smutty and plug books cause that’s all there was, (there was an influx at the time) especially since 2020. that’s also when the blk fic community began to grow so there were more blk fics and writers than it used to be. so maybe we can try and do that with fluffy, fantasy and wtv other fics. 

**also there are some really good books on kindle for you guys to try with blk girls as the lead that might be interesting for you. here’s some of my suggestions: sunny disposition! and excuse me while i ugly cry! (these are just from the top of my head)

i personally have noticed so much about myself from reading more wholesome stories and stuff so reading other fics or books sometimes isn’t for me. it’s books i’ve read that i look back at and see how much i have grown from what i used to be into. that’s why i don’t reblog as much anymore too because i want to find more that is more personally up my alley.

so yeah let’s just try and find and create more books that are healthier. blk girls deserve love, kindness, to be treated gently not weak (or a like a child) and have sweet stories. stories and portrayals that heal us.

we can have suspense, drama, mystery, ups and downs, and even rain but i think a lot of us just want the sunshiney stuff. maybe that way we can digest the suspenseful and dramatic stories (that aren’t toxic) in a better way.

like i said in my last post we read and write for comfort so i think we can use this as a way to heal ourselves as well.

ps. (even some “healthy stuff” can be unhealthy lowkey but that’s another convo) 

muah

also thanks for all the likes on my previous posts! i was nervous ppl wouldn’t understand what i was trying to say but the good feedback has definitely given me confidence!

no bars

[peirres-play-place]

🌸🍑Ⓐⓑⓞⓤⓣ ⓜⓔ🍑🌸

Ⓛⓘⓚⓔⓢ

🌸🍑Fav color: peach🍑🌸

🌸🍑Fav food: cereal! (Specifically peanut butter captain crunch)🍑🌸

Ⓗⓞⓑⓑⓘⓔⓢ

🌸🍑I love drawing and often do it whenever I get the chance! Either spending hours on it or just a simple doodle! I REALLY like to draw during class, it's when I'm most productive. I do it mostly in science, math, and history. And if you couldn't tell, it's what my blogs about. I would also love if you could reblog my art! I'm fine with likes, but reblogs help my art be seen by others! I'm not very.....popular online...(or irl) so likes and reblogs are VERY appreciated🍑🌸

🌸🍑I also REALLY love writing! I'll take requests too!🍑🌸

Ⓘ ⓁⓄⒶⓉⒽ

🌸🍑I HATE so many things. I'm gonna list em!🍑🌸

🌸🍑I hate gender stereotypes, often happening in school where people tell me I have to like things because I'm a girl or smth. Apparently I HAVE to "LOVE" pink and dresses and gossiping about love interests. (AROACE) and Apparently I'm not allowed to be friends with guys or non binary people or I like them. (Which I DONT) and no, I'm not hating on girls who actually like these kinds of things, I'm simply just venting about my experiences.🍑🌸

🌸🍑I HATE lgbt discrimination! Everybody should be allowed to be what they want to be! It shouldn't matter about their gender or identity! All that should matter is that they are happy! This is going to lead to my next hate.🍑🌸

🌸🍑People telling me who I (ME) should like. People for some reason DO NOT respect the fact that I am aroace. I even explain to people what it means, ns yet they STILL continue to deny it. They ship me with people, say I'm dating somebody, and saying that i CANT have platonic relationships.🍑🌸

(Sorry about venting >^<)

Ⓔⓧⓣⓡⓐ ⓘⓝⓕⓞ

🌸🍑Minor🍑🌸

🌸🍑BAND KID! I play trumpet and alto saxophone!🍑🌸

🌸🍑Im the ART KID🍑🌸

🌸🍑And the WRITING KID!🍑🌸

🌸🍑I go by THEY/THEM. I am nonbinary guys.🍑🌸

🌸🍑But I will accept she/him. I just prefer they/them🍑🌸

🌸🍑I am an introvert!🍑🌸

🌸🍑Im 5'4! (Kinda tallish?)🍑🌸

🌸🍑I LOVE music BLASTING into my ears, but I HATE loud social interactions🍑🌸

🌸🍑(Ironic right?)🍑🌸

🌸🍑I LOVE any sort of baggy clothing. I wear sweaters everyday. (Even in the summer)🍑🌸

🌸🍑I have blueish grey eyes.🍑🌸

🌸🍑(They sometimes are more green some days, kr more blue, or more grey. It depends on what I'm wearing)🍑🌸

🌸🍑I hope you have a great time on my blog!🍑🌸

🌸🍑Feel free to dm me on my discord🍑🌸

🌸🍑Peirre_lafayette🍑🌸

🌸🍑If you are an adult please don't though.🍑🌸

🌸🍑If you are having a bad day, feel free to talk to me!🍑🌸

🍑🌸Have a fantastic day🌸🍑

[theguardianace]

Can I politely ask you to elaborate on the Aroace Nene fic you talked about some time ago? Or just simply how you see her in your brain after finding out she's aroace? If it's not much to ask, of course

OMG YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! absolutely. i will ramble about aroace literally anybody on the drop of a dime this is one of the best anons to get actually

nene's story is actually the one i have the least about, to be perfectly honest. i have a plot for both emu and tsukasa's stories, but haven't quite figured out one for nene. honestly, i think nene's the type of aroace to not really... care about it that much. she'd never cared about love or romance to begin with, so when she realized it was because she was aroace, it was mostly like "hm. cool. im gonna go play animal crossing now".

as for finding out... i think it would have happened in middle school, back when she was Online Gamer Nene TM full time. with how much she loves games and storytelling, it really only makes sense she'd want to engage with fandom content like fics. however, just... seeing the way people sexualize her favorite characters, or only write/draw shipping content... she didn't care for it. she didn't want to engage with that. not that there was anything wrong with it! people can do whatever they want with fictional game characters. she just. didnt care about it herself. which led to her feeling even more isolated even within her favorite hobbies. i think this would sort of lead her to playing a variety of games so she doesn't have to worry about getting absorbed in fandoms she doesn't care to be a part of. she still checks, every once in a while. for games that she really likes. i think its through this that she eventually stumbles across a popular aroace headcannon, goes "what", googles it, and is like "wow. thats me. sick". and then moves on

but like. even when she's moved on. it's still really nice to know, yknow? it explains why she felt like the odd one out not wanting to ship stuff, or even care to entertain it. there's people out there just like her. it makes her less anxious, a little more sure of herself.

she doesn't ever tell anyone. not even rui. (i mean, they hadn't talked in ages. how is she supposed to? "hi, we havent had a genuine conversation in years, how are you? by the way i discovered im aroace and you probably don't know what that means and honestly i dont really care about it myself. have a good day".) (and once they do start talking again, it just... never came up. she never felt the need to, and he never felt the need to ask.) until my epilouge chapter where they all end up coming out like WHAT WERE ALL AROACE THATS SO SILLY anyways

in casual life, i think nene would have been the type for adults to go "oooh, you have a crush on him, don't you? look at you, all red and shy just thinking about him" when shes simply Just Like That. it was really annoying. she knew she didn't like them like that and that was that. but shes too scared to say that so she just took it. definitely didn't help the "nene needs to learn how to make friends" department. honestly, her only relief from it was with rui- both her parents and the kamishiro parents recognized that the two really did care about each other, but it wasn't like that. also no way in hell they're ruining the one friendship their kids have.

later with emu, i don't think there was any point where people even considered a romance, at least not at first glance. it wasn't like people at school even knew about emu (minus when she snuck in, but why would this hyperactive pink thing be looking for that shy second year?). and people walking the streets didn't really assume they liked each other like that since they were two girls. nene's mom was a little curious if they were dating since emu comes over so often and is so physically affectionate, but she never really pressed. she was mostly just happy nene has friends over that aren't just rui. (also, emu's aroace too, so nothing in her demeanor even made nene consider it could have been romantic. shes just Emu.)

for tsukasa, it's a similar thing. by the time people have realized the two are friends, nene's confident in herself and her feelings enough to shut down the people who would even dare assume she likes a buffoon like that star in that way. there's those people that go "oh but you're mean to him and girls are mean to boys when they have a crush on them" but she's tough enough to go "ew" and move on. (she did complain about it a little to rui on a walk home once. if he ended up in her classroom the next day to "grab her for lunch" and weaponize his dangerous reputation to intimidate them when she wasn't looking, it was sheer coincidence.)

also, i think out of the four, nene falls most on the loveless scale. tsukasa, emu, and rui are all beings made of love despite the fact they don't fall in it. nene's a bit different. she cares about her friends, and she's super good at making them (despite what she thinks), but she doesn't really... love them. not in the ways people usually want to describe love. she would kill a man for them in a heartbeat, don't get me wrong. she just experiences those sorts of feelings differently. it's care, and determination, and hope, and happiness, but not... love. not completely.

anyways aroace gamer nene so real fic will happen once i figure out how to tie these ideas to a plot 👍

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Just started Medjed arc of P5R; here are my current thoughts on the characters I know so far:

Joker: Look, I know people say he's a "self-insert" but I really, really see a few very distinct personality traits in him. He's lost in thought a lot. He zones out. He's really goal-driven. He's clever. He's a risk-taker. He's wary of consequences. He takes a little while to trust people, especially adults. He's suspicious and easily annoyed. He's on your side. He wants to help. He's a snarky little shit. His compassion is as much his defiance as his bitter disdain. He's hesitant. He's confident. He's bluffing. His respect is earned. His assistance isn't. He's free. He's chained. He's larger than life. He's a dumbass dork of a teenager. Incredibly fun character to play as, 10/10. I love that you can actually see him becoming more confident as time goes on. His dialogue options also become sillier/snarkier/more teasing as he becomes closer with people. It's just fun. I have a lot more thoughts on him but I'm going to stop here. I'd love to do a bit of an analysis on him once I finish the game - I'd like to go back through his main story dialogue options and his idle and specific scene animations. Plus, they seriously popped off with his character design. There's so much I could say about that alone.

Ryuji: Ryuji, my beloved. I wish you were less horny in uncomfortable ways in some scenes - I think, as well as Atlus not knowing what teenage girls are like, they also have not... spoken to people raised by single mothers, or mothers who got out of an abusive relationship... but anyways, asides from that, I love Ryuji. I think his desire for popularity makes a lot of sense - he's only ever stood out in a bad way. He just wants to be liked, you know? And he doesn't think he's enough the way he is. He's trying his best. I need him to shut up so bad but also I hope he never shuts up, you know. He's genuinely so funny, and he's the most ride or die of anyone. Ryuji gets angry on everyone's behalf when they can't muster up their own anger yet. Everyone say thank you, Ryuji.

Morgana: I do not get the hate for this not-cat; he's so funny to me. He's becoming a little more aligned to the thieves' morality, which is probably for the best since at the beginning he was definitely down with accidental murder and totally open about his pragmatism. He actually encourages this in Joker. It's just funny. I love my emotional support not-cat bestie who sits in my desk at school then tells me to go strike shady deals with random people in back alleys. You can definitely see a change in Morgana though; he's becoming more excited about helping people for the sake of it (like Joker, he too has gained purpose), but he's also becoming more insecure.

Ann: She remains my favourite of the Thieves. If Ryuji is the original drive and Morgana the original method, then she is the original conviction. The strength to stand with victims. The desire to force those who hurt others to understand the feelings of said victims. She has the rawest fucking lines at the end of the Kamoshida arc. She loves Shiho so much, and I really feel like her and Joker are on the same page when it comes to things deeper than their surface level interests. Get you a friend like Ann fr. It's a shame that later scenes have her mostly just getting mad at the guys when they uhhh... act like horny guys towards her. Feels bad man, especially because I love the aspect of her character that wants to be more comfortable with her sexuality and have that be on her terms. <- That's really cool, actually! Why couldn't we do more with that...? As a note though, I seriously love her admiration towards female cartoon villains and that one mean girl model. I think that's so funny and also such a mood. I do not believe for one second that Ann is straight. I hope she becomes the sexy and confidant morally-ambiguous thief of her dreams, and also that she gets a girlfriend. It's what she deserves.

Yusuke: He's so dramatic. Do you expect me not to love him? I really loved his conflict during Madarame's arc - those revelations were absolutely brutal, and Yusuke really handled things well, all things considered. Again, like Ann, there were some raw lines in there. But then, of course, the slump on the other end, when the adrenaline wears off. That Yusuke's painting only showed the dark side of desire tells me that he is still grappling with the effects of all these reveals. He has a lot to process.

Makoto: I just think she's so cute. Her design is adorable. She's such a sweetheart. On the flip side though, while I don't find her as intimidating as the game seems to, I definitely would not want her mad at me. While, as I mentioned before, I found the lead up to her joining the thieves to be a little janky, the actual moment was great. I love that she has a support system now. She really needed that. I hope there are more scenes with her in group settings tbh. While I'm enjoying her one-on-one dynamics with Ryuji and Ann, I do feel like she doesn't really... gel with the group as well as, say, Yusuke did. I think they need to drag her out to more activities lol.

Sojiro: I still don't know yet? He seems like the tough love sort. I do enjoy getting to learn random coffee trivia from him, and it seems like he cares in a kind of gruff way. He also gets a lot of suspicious people coming by. Guess I'll find out more later.

Maruki: Again, I don't know much still. He's endearing and dorky. That salt bae thing still lives rent-free in my head. I feel his frustration with not being able to help more. I get it man. I will say though, the fact that we get to see scenes with the thieves and Maruki, with no Joker present, is... odd.

Kasumi: I... I don't know how to feel. She's too nice. She's too polite. All of her scenes are so weirdly convenient. I like her just fine, but there's something seriously off. I almost feel like she's an outlier on purpose, like she doesn't blend into the world. Unlike Maruki, who is new to Royal but blends into the story quite nicely, Kasumi really stands out, to the point it kind of feels like that was the intention. She is adorable, though, I won't deny that, and I do want her to succeed and all, I just... hm. I don't know how to feel about her.

Akechi: I could fix him (smack him upside the head). <- okay but seriously, he is so obviously suspicious, he so obviously knows about Joker, he's such a smarmy little shit. I would despise him irl, but he's absolutely the funniest character in the game right now. Everything he says has me either cackling or my jaw dropping at the fucking audacity. He's also really interesting to me. Love a character whose every line means three things rolled into one. He feels dangerous and weirdly endearing at the same time. What the hell is his problem (affectionate + derogatory).

Yoshida: YOSHIDA MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED. I love him so far. He's my favourite confidant right now. He just makes me so happy man I love him so much. Yoshida takes the hard road and he's got the conviction, but you need support from people to really turn your life around. Hey, that's kind of what the game is about, yeah?

Takemi: Oh I love her confidant so far. I don't know that she's one of my favourites, character-wise, but I was especially taken with her dedication to that medicine, and Joker's response to her saying that she doesn't suit everyone coming to her for medical help by countering her with an "it suits you". Very sweet. I'm getting close to finishing her confidant; I just need to level up charm.

Mishima: I'm almost done his confidant too! I actually enjoy Mishima's character. I feel like his downward spiral made a lot of sense, and I like that he's both helpful and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I especially like that he's pulling himself out of that fame mentality by himself, without his heart being changed. We just gave his shadow something to think on.

Kawakami: Idk how I feel about this, but the perks are good. I'm curious about her though.

Sae: She seems dedicated to her job. Forming a confidant with her during the interrogation was something I did not expect and had me going "ohohoho". But man, some of the stuff she says to Makoto is way out of line... I'm glad she's at least aware as soon as it leaves her mouth, and I cannot imagine the constant stress and scrutiny she's under but... still. Girl. :/

Iwai: I'm going to properly start his confidant soon. He's cool. I feel like he's not nearly as scary as he makes himself out to be.

Ohya: Don't know much about her so far, but she's a disaster, and I will always enjoy a good disaster woman.

Lala: SHE'S PERFECT. I wish there was a mechanic where you could get advice from Lala-chan. She's looking out for everybody. She's good. :)

Chihaya: She told me I'm gonna die... :(

[kydoesthings1]

McGillis and the Pied Piper

because February 24th’s Wordle was piper and I am procrastinating on school work

At 16:57 of S2E21 (E46) Gaelio says this to McGillis before charging him.

(Gaelio is speaking through the comms offscreen.)

(Apparently this line was also used in a game. I forgot which one. I don't play Gundam games.)

Gaelio literally says something along the lines of "Are you still going to play the pipe of Hamelin even when the battle is going like this?" Not sure why this is the subtitle. But they mostly mean the same thing so maybe I'm just nitpicking.

To refresh your memory a little, this is when the Revolutionary Fleet is very clearly losing to Arianrhod, and McGillis just made his pep talk and this iconic frame. They are preparing to retreat and regroup when Gaelio shows up to fight McGillis.

Gaelio referencing the Pied Piper of Hamelin (Hameln, same thing) is of course connected to McGillis's and thus his love of myth/folk tales. Because of McGillis's influence, Gaelio also has a strong liking for stories. He names himself and Gundam Vidar/Kimaris Vidar after Vidar, the Norse god of revenge and silence, son of Odin and slayer of Fenrir (Fenris, same thing but IBO uses Fenrir) the monster wolf son of Loki during Ragnarok. The same side story 'Eve of Vidar' also tells us he used to hit on girls using Norse mythology fun facts, including Yamazin Toka when he was a test pilot for the Schwalbe Graze.

Although these are relatively common knowledge for us, the viewers, they are probably niche facts however many years in the future the Post Disaster timeline is (in UC0079 Hitler and WW2 is considered "middle ages" despite being historically quite recent for us). This is one thing Gaelio and McGillis have in common and it is because of McGillis.

(Also this is kind of a weak diss? Like if you're gonna insult McGillis why compare him to something so cool. "Snake on the moon" - now that's an insult. But I digress.)

But what is the Pied Piper exactly? The Pied Piper, or the Ratcatcher (der Rattenfänger) is a legend of the town Hamelin in Lower Saxony of Germany. There are dozens of variations of this tale, but I'll only be talking about the most popular versions that relate to the events of IBO.

In 1284, Hamelin had a rat problem. Basically there were a whole bunch of rats, and they made life suck for the townspeople, as large numbers of rats tend to do. According to Robert Browning's poem, the people were mad at the mayor for not being able to solve the problem, and were about to kick him out. Then a man wearing a coat of many bright colors (Browning's version says yellow and red, both in McGillis's palette at some point) and holding a pipe showed up. The Piper promised to get rid of all the rats in exchange for 1000 guilders. He then played his pipe and all the rats came out and followed him into the river Weser and drowned.

The townspeople did not follow through on their end, however, and came up with all sorts of excuses to not give him the promised 1000 guilders. This angered the Piper, and he played his pipe again, and this time all 130 of the town's children came out and followed him away dancing and they never returned, nor were they ever seen again. Versions disagree on what happened to the children. In the Grimm Brothers and Browning's versions they went to Transylvania. Others say they went to a land like paradise in a cave. Others say they drowned in the river like the rats.

So how does this relate to McGillis and IBO? Well actually it's pretty obvious - Gaelio is simply saying McGillis is luring Isurugi, the Revolutionary Fleet and Tekkadan to their doom with false promises.

However, the point of this post is to point out some interesting details of this parallel. The Piper lured the children of Hamelin away as an act of revenge on the adults of the town because they didn't pay him what was rightfully his for his service. McGillis's coup can be framed as revenge on the corrupt system of the world Gjallarhorn maintains, and those who personally victimized him.

Interestingly, some accounts describe the Piper as "a miracle of God" and that he was sent to test the townspeople, and punish them when they didn't keep their word. Others call him the devil in disguise, who intended to trick the people and take their children. This is like how McGillis can be seen as a charismatic leader aiming to change the world for the better, or a ruthless, cold-blooded, lying, backstabbing, power-hungry traitor who will stop at nothing.

Additionally, Bael, the demon king, is a fallen angel who was cast out with Lucifer for rebelling against God, and Gundam Bael's gunpla box describes it as "a demon with the appearance of an angel" (this could also apply to McGillis himself).

In many versions of the story, some children are left behind. Which ones exactly vary, but Browning's focuses on a boy with a broken leg who couldn't keep up with the other children, so he was able to tell the villagers where he saw them go. The boy said they went into a portal on the side of the mountain, and on the other side was a paradise where everything was beautiful and peaceful. The boy was very sad he couldn't join his friends there because now he was all alone and couldn't return to that land.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

In the epilogue, Gaelio is in a wheelchair and his bandaged neck suggests that his Alaya-Vijnana implants had been removed fairly recently. Supplemental info reveals that McGillis injured his spine during their fight at Edmonton, and Gaelio was only able to be up and about in S2 thanks to his AVS.

If the land the Piper and the children went to is Heaven, then this could be read as Gaelio being the only one not to follow McGillis into death, and being the sole survivor of his friends (for the sake of this argument Julieta doesn't count because Gaelio wasn't fighting for or against her).

An important difference is the boy longed to follow the Piper, while Gaelio rejected McGillis because he schemed to kill him and his friends.

The Piper's other name, the Ratcatcher? Tekkadan are space rats?

Also McGillis's true name Montag, presumably his surname before Iznario's adoption, is German for Monday, hinting at his heritage, and the Piper is a German story (obviously).

The Pied Piper is a legend that originated in the Middle Ages, and Gjallarhorn's leadership, ideology and overall aesthetic is reminiscent of that.

There is a version of the story that the Piper will return in 300 years. Which he did not do, but 300 years? McGillis, the self-proclaimed successor to Agnika Kaieru after 300 years?

I can't be bothered to write a separate piece on Gaelio's legs so I should also mention that Vidar, the Norse god defeats Fenrir by stepping on his lower jaw with his shoe made from all the collected pieces of leather people cut from their own shoes, and grabbing his upper jaw and ripping him apart at the mouth.

Vidar's special shoes are like how Gaelio says he’s carrying all the wishes of Carta and Ein, and the AVS Type-E also serves as his literal feet. (Also he wears very striking white thigh-high boots that are very hot. What they're not is part of the Gjallarhorn uniform, just to make this connection, in addition to exacting revenge in style.)

In many carvings, Vidar is shown stabbing Fenrir through the heart also, and Gaelio/Kimaris Vidar defeats McGillis by pinning him against the Arianrhod flagship and stabbing him/Bael through the torso.

Proposed origins of the Pied Piper

Now obviously there was no piper guy dressed in goofy clothes that stole all the children of a town with magic music. There are several theories about what the legend is based on. This has nothing to do with IBO anymore and I just thought it was fun so feel free to stop reading if you don't agree.

Plague: According to this theory, all the children died because of illness and the place they went to is a mass grave. The Piper's many-colored clothing represents the sores and discoloration of skin of those who contracted the illness, and he is the personification of the plague/death. Rats are carriers of fleas, which spread the plague. 1284 is a bit too early for the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) though, so it may have been something else.

Emigration: The emigration theory suggests that much of the people of Hamelin moved to eastern Europe in search of better opportunities as only the eldest son had inheritance and the others could only be serfs. In this theory, "children of Hamelin" are not actual children, and it's just a figure of speech to say they were of a certain place. This correlates with some versions where the Piper and the children he took were sighted in Transylvania.

Human trafficking/the Children's Crusades: In these two theories the Piper is the recruiter/trafficker and the story was made up by the town to please their officials.

Dancing mania: There have been records of dancing mania in about the same time period in the surrounding region, and children were among the affected. Dancing mania can sometimes result in death due to exhaustion. It was originally attributed to a curse by a saint (St. John or St. Vitus) and you had to pray to them to lift the curse. Modern explanations for dancing mania are neurological disorders or collective mental disorders.

Pagan ritual: supposedly the pipe music and dancing children are part of this ritual that took place in the mountains, and the children died from a landslide or similar accident.

"You're reading way too much into Gaelio's one line" no actually I am reading exactly the right amount into it and everyone else isn't reading into it enough

[shiraishi--kanade]

An aspect of Saki's character that interests me as a disabled person who, admittedly, only keeps up with Leo/need at a very surface level (not for the lack of interest but because if I tried to be invested in 4 more characters my head would explode): a) how did she and the rest of the girls meet b) how did they manage to keep their friendship alive considering Saki's prolonged hospital stays.

I think there's... A weird kind of isolation that being chronically ill from a young age brings into your life.

You see, I was never a popular kid in class, okay? Very obviously neurodivergent, absolutely socially clueless, and frankly a bit of a stuck-up asshole in the way straight A's kids in elementary school tend to be. Even so, I had a couple of friends. The ride or die friends for a elementary student, which usually amounted to stuff like going home together and the like.

Until the second grade, that is. Which is when I got sick for the first time, had to spend half a year in quarantine, and acquired a heart condition that would later lead to my lifelong disability.

I'm not about to say my friends abandoned me immediately when I returned to school because that would be untrue. As a child, you're really struggling with the concept of invisible disability, I think. As hard as is was for me to accept I'll just Be Like This, for my friends it was basically non-existant.

But there was a difference. One of the best runners in the entire school suddenly no longer able to run. Constantly dizzy. Constant headaches. Missing school. Having to tap out of activities early. Adults interfering with your plans and fussing more than normal. All of the things elementary aged kids took Very Seriously and I was suddenly not able to participate in most of them, while my injury remained absolutely invisible to everyone else.

I don't think they ever ditched me outright. Nobody told me they didn't want to hang out anymore. I don't think anyone does it that way; it's mostly just slow, painful realisation that people invite you out less and less, until it's not at all. Gradual isolation.

Also, even if you're feeling fine about doing stuff, there's a non-zero chance the adults around you wouldn't. I was not allowed to participate in PE anymore. I still had to be there for the headcount, though, so with that done I'd just sit there on the bench for an entire period. You know, like a loser. Which isn't a good first impression make when you join a new class.

I was, and still am, very frail. This fact was made very loud and obvious by the adults around me, to their credit, in my best interests (or so I hope). You know what happens when kids get told "hey, this thing is very frail - if you touch it they wrong way it'll break and you'll have Consequences"? They will either avoid the thing in question with all the power they have at the fear of accidentally breaking it, or smash it head on to see what happens. Neither of these were pleasant to deal with.

Which is to say: loud announcements that you're disabled whether or not you want to disclose that because the homeroom teacher decided to make you a good example during the "how to treat people different than you nicely" morning assembly is not a good friend maker either. Even well-meaning ones come with presumptions, and are very quickly to fall out once they realise you're not the timid and shy disabled kid they've been fed the idea of.

Anyway, considering the above said: my experiences make me so so very interested in how exactly Leo/need friendship happened and stayed alive for this long, through so much stuff, especially considering whatever Saki was going through was much, much worse than I.

[winged-cries]

This is random and I was surprised I haven’t seen this comparison but could Amma even been consider to be a ‘nymphet’ in any way within the book or mini series. I been thinking of re-reading, Lolita but I couldn’t help but compare Dolores and Amma (Amity is technically her real name) but like Dolores she goes mostly by a nickname within the book or series. Do you think they have any similarities as characters and how they’re portrayed. I actually think Amma is much more sexualized than Dolores within the SO’s book.

Hmm. Considering nymphets are just HH's projection of his own attraction toward girl children and not anything children can actually be, I wouldn't call Amma or anyone else a nymphet. But you're right in pointing out there's something Lolita-esque about Amma. I think part of that is more about the cultural phenomenon that is Lolita than the book itself or the character of Dolores, in the sense that Amma is actually dangerous and manipulative in ways Dolores never was. She behaves in ways that are closer to the popular idea of Lolita than to anything Dolores ever did — Dolores was a pretty normal child and was never violent towards anyone, much less other girls. However, Amma is also a child and victim of abuse, and sexual violence is an important aspect of her story and Sharp Objects as a whole. Amma and Dolores are both objectified by an adult/parental figure — Amma becomes Adora's doll, Dolores becomes Humbert's nymphet. Both also try to latch onto a potential savior as a way to survive. So yes, there are some similarities there, though ultimately they're very different characters.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say Amma is more sexualized than Dolores in the SO's book. What is the SO?

[mandibuzz-unsolved]

Lumiose City Ghost Girl

Welcome to the first Mandibuzz Unsolved mystery where I, Bianca, and my partner Blue will tackle one of the most popular urban legends of the Kalos region, the Lumiose City Ghost Girl.

For those who don't know, the Lumiose City ghost is said to haunt the second floor of an ordinary office building on the North Boulevard strip.

Many accounts of the ghost follow a similar pattern. Flickering lights, coldness, and an apparition of a ghostly girl telling visitors that, "No, you're not the one," before disappearing. The girl is described as having long, shaggy black hair, pale skin, and long black dress.

I think we saw 5 hex girls matching that exact description in the past month. Man... oh god Bianca, the ghosts are multiplying!

Oh hush! Anyways...

One visitor claims, "It was like the world went dead silent. I couldn't hear the sounds from the street or the thrum of electricity, only my own heartbeat in my ears as a chill shot up my spine. All I knew is that I wasn't alone."

Despite this, most people report that they didn't feel a particular malevolence coming from the spirit. While most talk about the terror they felt, some accounts claim they felt a sudden sense of calmness wash over them, like they knew there was nothing to fear.

The questions no one seems to be able to answer is, "Who is she? And who is she looking for?"

More under the cut.

While Lumiose City is rich with history, this little to say about the office building. The building was constructed in the early 1920s and rented out. Over the course of many decades, it's housed a multitude of companies, and none of them have ever had a reported death inside the building.

Talks about the office being haunted started around the 1950s, most accounts following similar threads as above.

People who work in the building talk about how they 2nd floor is mostly used as a storage space, cubicles sitting empty unless the use is absolutely necessary. They report hearing footsteps above them and lights flickering.

I mean, I think we need to acknowledge that it's an old building. Maybe they need to take a look at their electrical work.

I mean, that's a possibility, but before we get into the theories, what do you think, Blue?

Well... you already know that I don't believe in ghosts. It's just a rumor that's spun out of control.

You don't think the legend stemmed from something?

I think people love a good spooky story.

Unbelievable.

Well, theory #1:

Murdered Lover

One of the more popular urban legends about this ghost is that she was a teen girl meeting up with a crush after school. Her parents didn't allow dating, so they'd sneak up to the unused 2nd floor of the office to spend time together. Only, it turned out that she wasn't alone and someone else was using it as their hiding spot. The poor young girl was murdered and now haunts the space, still waiting for her lover to show up.

Is there any evidence backing this up? I thought you said that there were no reported deaths in the building.

I'll be honest: not really. Though if someone WAS murdered, don't you think the building owner would cover it up?

Fair enough. Does she even have a name?

Maria is a popular one, but so are Camille and Anna.

What about the killer?

Well, there actually WERE a handful of serial killers in the Kalos region at this time. Lumious City specifically having Honedge Slasher. There is in fact a victim named Camille! But she was murdered in the South Boulevard.

So... just a spooky tale?

Potentially.

Theory #2

Vengeful spirit

Now the ghost is an adult woman going by the name of Charlotte Dubois who worked on the first floor. The rumor goes is that she was blatantly favored by management and was the office tattle tale. Out of anger, or perhaps because she was going to report something big, one of her coworkers murdered her after she stepped off the elevator. She now haunts the space trying to find her killer.

Any evidence for this one?

Actually, there is in fact evidence of a Charlotte Dubois working in this building! But not evidence of one ever actually living in the city.

What???

Yeah! Employment records say she exists, but there's no evidence of anyone with that name actually living within the city. No death record either, aside from a woman sharing the name who died in 2013.

Spooky.

Theory #3

A curse

There's a rumor that the ghost isn't actually real at all and is just a curse placed upon a building by an angry customer. There was a short lived insurance company that scammed thousands from its customers on 1952. It is said one elderly woman got nothing after the death of her husband and was so engaged she cursed the building to scare away any new costumers.

Well that seems kinda silly.

How so?

Well, nearly every story says she only appears on the second floor, and that the ghost isn't particularly malevolent. Why curse ONLY the second floor?

Well, two floors were actually owned separately during that year. And she wanted to scare away business, not hurt people.

Hm. Fair enough.

And final theory #4

Pokémon having a goof

And that's pretty much it. Just some Pokémon having a blast trolling people.

Now THIS is the kinda theories I like!!! We love little guys having a goof.

Although there's no proof any Pokémon calls that office space home, I must add. People have gone in there in search of a Pokémon and have come up empty handed

As opposed to people finding concrete proof that this ghost is real.

Shush!!!

There's honestly an ENDLESS amount of theories as to why this ghost haunts the building, many of which I could spend hours going on about, but these are the biggest, and in my opinion, the most likely.

I would ask you what you think but I already know...

Well, if it's not people faking for attention, then WOO Pokémon having a goof, baby!!!

What about you?

I'm honestly partial to the Charlotte Dubois theory. I think it's odd that she only exists on employment records... seems like maybe there was something people tried to cover up.

But in the end this case will likely remain unsolved.

[viceroywrites]

reunions and opportunities - chapter one

gary x fem!reader

both of you didn't get the ideal high school experience it would make sense that you both would be dreading the reunion.

little did you know how many doors would open after that.

ao3 version here - chapters on tumblr are slightly rewritten and restructured.

content warning: fic contains smut in later chapters. discussions of mental health including trauma and potential ptsd (aka gary is traumatized).

chapter one - reunions

You assessed your appearance in the mirror after sliding into a dress, not accustomed to dressing up unless it was a special occasion. Messing with the skin-tight material, you huffed, adjusting the front of your dress to make sure it looked right. Blinking in surprise at the nice amount of cleavage the dress had given you, you quickly checked the time on your phone. 

'Fuck... I really don't want to go to this.' You groaned, taking a seat in front of your vanity and making sure your hair wasn’t a mess after wrangling the fabric over your head.  You glance over at the invitation to what every person in their adult years dreads - your high school reunion.

The day had come for you to face the peers you had honestly forgotten about once you stepped foot into college. You had no real enemies, you didn't carry any drama with you from high school - but that was because you were an unknown, practically blending into the scenery of your high school walls.

You were a bit too bookish to really fit into the popular crowd. Freshman year, you had joined a comic book club but when the eager freshman that started it left all of a sudden and most of the guys who took over were quite alienating towards the girls in the club, you left promptly.  You made acquaintances obviously due to projects and assignments, but you never really fit into any group after sophomore year.

No sleepovers, parties, hangouts.

No late nights spent on the phone making memories.

You skipped pretty much every major event the school hosted bar the ones required like graduation.

Hell, you were pretty sure there were no photos of you in the yearbook other than the awkward school photos taken at the beginning of each year.

School, work and home was your routine for those four tedious years. 

"At least, no one will bother you... just get in there, drink to get the nerves out, make small talk if anyone approaches you and get out." You mutter to yourself, applying your lipstick carefully.

---

"What the hell do you mean you can't help me arch tonight?"

Gary winced at his leader's sharp and harsh tone, rubbing the back of his neck. Ever since the Monarch had lost all of his henchman and the Cocoon, and his wife had more pressing issues to deal with as a new Council member, Gary or Henchman 21 was left solo to help the Monarch on his escapades to try and arch Dr. Venture again.

However, tonight, he had to ditch his henchman outfit and wings and put on a nicer outfit - a white button up and slacks from his Kano costume - to attend his high school reunion. 

"Why the hell are you going to your stupid high school reunion, 21? I'm sure it's just going to be a bunch of popular kids who fucking peaked in their teenager years and need this night to be validated. Besides, those pricks probably picked on you too and that's a whole can of worms you do not want to open back up." The Monarch scoffed, waving his hand dismissively as he propped his legs up on the table.

Gary questioned why he even wanted to go too. He missed out on most of his high school years after being kidnapped to join the Monarch at age fifteen. Sure, he got his GED but none of it involved being around the people he had to see tonight. There were a few people he kept up with here and there - mostly his Dungeons and Dragons buddies - but they hadn’t seen him since he transformed into Two-Ton 21.

"I dunno, I missed out on a lot of high school since I left to become a henchman. I didn’t go to prom or any dance… I figured I would make up for lost time. Besides, half those idiots there wouldn’t try to mess with me now.” Gary shrugged, running a lint roller over his white shirt that bulged at the arms from his muscles.

The Monarch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Alright, I’ll let you have this, 21, but all of tomorrow we are doing reconnaissance on Dr. Venture! My wife is out of town for some stupid Guild conference and since she’s still pissed at me, I’m not going.” 

Gary nodded and saluted to his boss before heading out the door.

“Just get in there, drink to get the nerves out, make small talk if anyone approaches you and get out….” He muttered to himself.

-

Your face scrunched up as you took a sip of the punch, immediately pouring out the drink back into the bowl and tossing the cup. “You think after getting out of high school, they would serve quality drinks and not spiked punch that tastes like peppermint schnapps.” You sigh, running a hand through your hair.

As you had expected, you were still blending into the background. No one had approached you or even noticed you were there. They even stopped you at the door, not believing that you went to school there until you showed them the invitation, told them your name and presented a drivers license.

“Well, this turned out to be a drag…” You mutter, crossing your arms and leaning against the gym bleachers. Your eyes observed your surroundings: everyone had yet again separated into cliques, seemingly discussing how their lives have been since graduation aside from the jocks and preps reminiscing in the glory days, already wasted from the spiked punch.

Gary began to wander around the gymnasium, already having made small talk with a few guys he kept up with from the comic book club although it was difficult to identify him as he had clearly bulked up and gotten fit since his high school days. 

He was relieved that at least someone had taken over after he left though he was a bit disappointed to hear how much the club had derailed from his original vision. 

As he continued to make his way around the entirety of the compact gym, he stopped in his tracks as you came into his line of vision. His eyes took in how the dress clung to your body, accentuating every curve you had. He gulped, not having been this attracted to someone since Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.

However, after snapping out of his fixation on your body, he noticed you were all alone. ‘Huh, that’s odd… figured someone as gorgeous as her would be with someone’ He thought to himself, his eyes gazing over the sea of people mingling. He bit his lip, wondering if he should approach you.

‘Come on, you idiot. She’s all alone, now’s the perfect chance to swoop in!’ The voice of Henchman 24 echoed in his head. Gary rolled his eyes,  ‘Oh my god, will you ever leave me alone?’  The echoing voice persisted, ‘Maybe I will if you make a move.’ 

Gary sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering under his breath, “Fine, fine…” He took a deep breath and approached you with a warm smile. “Hey… thought you were looking lonely. Did your friends not show up to the reunion?”

You freeze as soon as Gary approaches you, not ready to make conversation given how sober you are currently. Your eyes quickly darted to the side, “No … I’m… really not close to anyone here to be honest.” You admitted, pushing a stray piece of hair behind your ear and shrugging. 

Gary’s eyes widened at your response, “Oh man that totally blows, dude.” Your face dropped at his answer and he quickly noticed, stammering out a clarification while rubbing the back of his neck. “W-Well, you’re not alone! Honestly, I don’t know anyone really here either. I left like sophomore year… just know a few guys from the comic book club when I used to run it.”

Your eyes lit up at the mention of the comic book club and your gaze immediately snapped towards Gary. “Wait… you were the one that ran the comic book club that year? Oh my god, I remember you. That was the one year I was in it… well, I was one of the only girls so it was kind of hard to miss me. You did such an amazing job covering different comics outside of the Marvel and DC franchises and it was so nice to hear about new series!” 

His eyes widened and he looked quite taken aback at your sudden enthusiasm. Internally though, he found your passion so attractive, almost screaming in excitement at the news that you were a geek like him. You quickly noticed, taking his silence as a bad thing, ‘Shit... I just geeked out on this complete stranger…’ 

You quickly apologized, “S-Sorry, if that freaked you out.” 

Gary quickly snapped out of his state of shock and shook his head, “Oh no, no! I’m just shocked that you were a part of the comic book club. I kind of don’t remember a lot from that year and honestly... I wouldn’t expect someone as pretty as you to be into that kind of stuff…” He admitted, chuckling nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. He quickly put out his hand, smiling awkwardly, “I’m Gary, pleased to make your acquaintance, m’lady.” 

A pink blush spread across your cheeks and you giggled softly at his quirkiness, “Pleased to make your acquaintance as well, I’m [y/n].” You took his hand and gave it a firm shake. 

‘Talk to her. Preferably not here, it’s totally killing the vibe and you’re practically screaming over this lame music.’ 24’s voice echoes in Gary’s head.

Gary held onto your hand and smiled back at you, “Hey, it’s kind of getting stuffy and crowded in here and I really don’t want to yell over this music just to talk to you. Wanna ditch this lame thing and grab something to eat? My treat.” You nod eagerly, a wide grin across your face. His expression brightens as he takes you by the hand out of the stuffy gymnasium.

‘Maybe coming to this lame reunion wasn’t such a bad idea.’ Both of you thought as you got into your car and headed towards the nearest diner. 

[scoobydoodean]

the reaction to that quiz was very funny. definitely a 'how fake dean!girls look when real dean!girls come at them' moment. never seen so many people start frothing at the mouth over a harmless joke

context

Tbh my perception of the uquiz was that it mainly upset deancrit casgirls, though the deangirls who follow them certainly weren't happy with me either. Granted, I didn't take very much care not to offend people when I posted the uquiz, because I didn't expect it to spread (I intended it for a handful of mutuals and followers). But literally the questions were like, True or False?

Dean is not largely responsible for Sam and Cas's emotional issues.

Dean desires to control everyone in his life. It's a defining facet of his character.

People should have laughed at Dean's jokes more.

Dean is the better brother.

The finale is bad.

And multiple replies in the notes were like, "I just love nuance!" Ah yes... the extreme "nuance" to Dean being largely responsible for two other adults problems and choices... his adult baby children who need to suckle at his nursing tits. <<<< This sort of "mean" language from me developed... almost immediately after the uquiz drama cooled off because I kept seeing even more condescension being hurled at Deangirls on their blogs and at that point had a lot more first-hand experience with the underlying arrogance and mean-spirited desperation for control behind it. I simply had enough.

Literally I had a meme blog at the time I posted that uquiz (well—still do but don't use it much) with about 40 times the followers I had on this account when I posted that quiz in April, and I used my meme account for years to make fun of Sam, Dean, Cas, and a variety of other characters, and my jokes weren't always super nice. People got mad at me sometimes, but never more than two or three at a time. Never once over years of using that blog to post memes every single day (while the show was airing too—so more traffic) did I get a reaction even remotely like the reaction that uquiz got and it is endlessly funny.

I returned here in early 2023 (after being mostly absent in 2022) seeing a lot of very odd things. For one, people were freely interacting with each other more, which I thought was great (I remembered an spnblr characterized by extremely insular attitudes). However, within the notes of some of the posts that I and others were writing, I noticed a thinly-veiled message from certain camps responding: "I don't like this post. I don't like what you said, and neither do my friends, and you should watch what you say."

It was honestly pretty transparent in a few different cases despite, often enough, a friendly mask. I was told very quickly, for example, that discussing Emma as if she was actually Dean's daughter (she quite literally was) is considered old and tired and no one wanted to hear it (this was on a post Emma's parentage had... almost nothing to do with btw, and that more largely, was about hypocrisy in deancrit circles over Dean committing acts of violence against children—and that post had done well, so clearly other people were actually fine with it). Tbh, it felt like, covered by a "friendly", "joking" exterior—someone was putting an arm around my shoulder as I entered a new environment and telling me "the way things are" and how I ought to assimilate.

I was told that making memes pointing out the gigantic blinders people spewing deancrit were wearing was in bad taste, because Dean is "popular", therefore it makes sense that he receives the most criticism (Thor voice: does it really?) and saw other posts stating the same. I saw multiple posts where people said they were "tired" of people talking about Dean... not a specific take on Dean—but Dean as a whole—when absolutely no one was preventing them from controlling what they saw on their own dash, unfollowing accounts that largely discussed characters they didn't want to talk about, or filtering whatever names they wanted—no—that wasn't good enough—they needed to control what other people were posting, and make them stop talking about Dean on their own blogs. They were literally trying to control how other people had fun in their own spaces.

At the same time, I was seeing someone I'd just begun following for a string of posts (and subsequent brigading that occurred over it) getting hounded for nothing more than posting a poll featuring events that canonically occur in Supernatural around the season 14 finale—facts that deancrits apparently found inconvenient enough to spew hate mail over for literal months. I saw multiple accounts I was newly following receive deeply condescending notes and mail from people who engaged with them in blatant bad faith and acted superior for it. I saw even completely harmless "fun" posts get notes from little groups of fans huddled together openly mocking the OP in tags for not sharing their clearly "superior" taste.

Meanwhile, deangirls, as far as I saw, were not engaging in this behavior back. They were endeavoring to be polite when people came onto their blogs to debate with them in condescending tones (and even make ridiculous claims about their personal morals). They weren't going on these people's blogs and talking down to them (as they shouldn't). They were having fun, engaging with people whose company they enjoyed, and deancrits apparently couldn't stand this. It suggested to me and reminded me... well—that deanfans have long been expected to be made of heel skin in fandom circles, to shoulder and accept absolutely any and all criticism of Dean, while samgirls and casgirls consistently tend to be made of tissue paper and can't handle the barest shred of criticism of their fave without having meltdowns (that can and do, in fact, sometimes include mass bullying and hate mail and suicide bait and death threats). The fact that my uquiz was somehow interpreted as "seething hatred" for Sam and Cas was fucking laughable.

I still won't go onto other people's pages or bring disk horse to them. In fact, I'm very protective of my personal dash and curate my experience as much as I can. But I did decide not to be made of heel skin anymore from my personal blog just so other people can be made of tissue paper. If that's received by some as me being mean, well—I'll take a page out of the deancrit playbook and say my feelings are largely their responsibility.