#- that their friendship is so intimate by now that other people have been viewing them as a married trio for about a decade now 😭

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

astro thoughts - short n sweet: all about mars

Mars in 1st house - These individuals have a strong presence to their aura. These people could be workaholics as far as being in the gym goes. They could have a lot of energy to get things done so they can seem pretty intimating around people who don't have strong martian energy. They can be scapegoated because their boldness tends to rub people off the wrong way.

Mars in the 2nd house - A passion for getting the things they want with little to no effort. Hard work pays off. They dont have time to waste on mundane things, they simply want to relax but it seems too much for them sometimes. I say for this group, give yourself that time to chillax for a bit... the world aint what it seems sometimes.

Mars in the 3rd house - Could have a lot of outbursts from time to time, they feel things just a little differently than others and could be pretty opinionated. They have a lot of use for people who can debates with them on topics. They need someone who can go toe to toe with them at times, or else they'll get bored. They are very fast learners. Could also have a thousand hobbies because none of them could keep them occupied enough, and thats okay.

Mars in the 4th house - Could be overstimulated with family issues as this placement can make them the scape goat/black sheep. They are not afraid to say whats on their mind. There could also have been volatile experiences growing up in the house, so their a little open to having gentle partners/friendships because the toxic environment could have left them strifled.

Mars in the 5th house - These people like to live life on the edge, they need something to get them out of their racing mind. There quick learners just like the 3rd house babes, and they need someone who can match their fly. Could be a sex maniac with this placement. Needs someone who they can be passionate with.

Mars in the 6th house - WORKAHOLICS... please. just get some rest. What I love about this placement is that they NEVER STOP UNTIL THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT. They are powerhouses for sure. Because they wont eat, sleep,relax until they get the results. Literally blood sweet and tears is their motto.. They gotta get it done one way or another.

Mars in the 7th house - Incredible sex drive. Just like their friends in the 5th house, they need someone who can bring them passionate energy. They can bring the house down with their fiery energy alone, but they need someone to match their flow or else they will run that individual to the ground. It be like that sometimes.The more mars energy the more this can be a problem.

Mars in the 8th house - Damn. Damn. Damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is probably one of the best placements to have with mars because 1. its in its rightful house (it is a ruler of scorpio). They're sex appeal is powerful. It will have anyone dropping to their knees. They are psychologically aware of people and their intentions and they can use this to their advantage. Dark feminine energy is a strong aspect for this placement. I could go on, but decided to keep it cute for now lol.

Mars in the 9th house - May have a tendency to travel outside of their homeland at some point in their life. This is necessary for their growth as an individual. They need to be alone more than usually so they can see the world from a different point of view. They are very intelligent creatures and give their all to know more than what they've been given in their short time span on this earth. They have a gift at teaching people how to navigate life through their own lense. Its a difficult path to say the least, because they always have to be confident in the face of trouble. But they always come abck out with ease.

Mars in the 10th house - Strong presence. Very practical nature. Has issues with the public eye from time to time. Could master the art of thought and can handle any situation most would crumble in. The life they lead isn't for the weak. It seems like they have an arrow on their back from time to time, but to no avail they use the energy to their advantage at some point. Great leaders, could have jealous friends/associates around them so they must be cautious.

Mars in the 11th house - LIke their friends in the tenth house, they are also really good at leadership. In their friend groups they can be considered the 'alpha' or the person who tends to plan out things or just knows what to do in general. It reminds me of blossom in the power puff girls to say the least. Their capable of taking on goals and commitments most people probably couldn't take. Just be careful you don't wanna make them mad. They can have a lot of disputes with friends and associates for the wrong reasons.

Mars in the 12th house - Mind over matter. Thats their theme. They could have a lot of issues with people and this could seem out of no where. A lot of hidden enemies with this placement :( It seems like no one likes them but they have a raw special energy to them thats hard to ignore. A lot of people do want to be around them but for some reason they can sort of despise them and it could be something subconscious and this is where a lot of the hidden hate comes from. This group has to be more open to the heart than most because its easier to shut back down after always being around people who use them for their personal gain.

let me know what you think :)

[tbob-enthusiast]

I'm finally home !! :D

Don't worry !!! Your assumptions were valid, I don't talk much about my AU on Tumblr because it's so extensive and sorta convoluted and I don't wanna yap more than I already do 😭. But since you asked...

The general premise is that Bill's very last act was to create the Zodiac, ten champions who would take a "piece" of his power, a seed, upon his death. Therefore, all ten of the Zodiac (those who were alive at the time Bill died, plus the ones who hadn't even been born at the time) would be born with their symbol somewhere on their body, powers that matched their symbol, and immortality in the sense of "they heal as fast as a normal human, but if there's even a single cell of their original body remaining, they will eventually regenerate. And they still feel pain as normal. That's something lmao".

Bill's arrival in Gravity Falls set off a chain of events that eventually led to the war between, in essence, "the entire world VS. Gravity Falls and its demons". Arguably, the worst of it happened while Bill was still alive (many civilian casualties, including Wendy's mother and siblings, Tate and Emma May, and of course Greg Valentino) — he (LONG STORY) created the Dome to protect them.

The Dome is a really important part for me tbh. It's about the size of the "weirdness bubble" we see in canon, but it's meant to block off anyone who's not touched by Weirdness. So, any normies would be kept outside lmao.

The least terrible time was when Gideon and Pacifica (in their early twenties) pushed out the old human mayors (Preston and Priscilla) and created a throne for themselves, uniting all the creatures of Gravity Falls under a single rule. This allowed them to band together and fight back! Robbie was the first person to stand by their side and earned the title of General because of it, plus a few other reasons :]

Here's my favorite concept doodles of his General attire !! His hair can move like a fifth limb (thank you, Pacifica!) and that's why he liked it long. When he got captured by the other side, they shaved it all off >:( definitely just jealous of how pretty his hair was

Mason & Mabel were born outside the dome and later taken in by the government. That's why he and Robbie are mortal enemies — because they're ACTUALLY MORTAL ENEMIES AHDHAHSHS. They actively try to kill one another and I find that very entertaining because they're both very competent adults fighting for a cause they can't let down :] super fun.

So, in short:

- Gideon is King. He can look into other dimensions, notice patterns (like how the Zodiac are often the same ten people) and acts accordingly.

- Pacifica is Queen. She can modify any living thing and is therefore in charge of the food and natural resources, since they all live in a contained space and tensions were rising because every group of creatures were fighting for resources.

- Robbie is the General, in charge of the "military". They do not have real soldiers, because Robbie's power is to raise the undead. Those marked by the Bleeding Heart are more resistant, decay slower, can even "heal" if they consume food, and are all a part of a hivemind connected to Robbie. This means they know everything he does (fighting stances, battle strategy, general common sense like hiding/climbing/opening doors/operating machines and guns) and he knows everything they do (sees what they see, hears what they hear). Robbie could absolutely just send hordes ahead and watch from the safety of his home, but he grows really tense if he's cooped up for too long, and has already gotten used to the thrill of being out there !!

- Soos is considered a civilian, because nobody knows what his power does, not even him. The rudest people will tell him to his face that they don't need to respect the useless Zodiac, and though he often keeps a positive stance, he can't help but feel hurt that he can't help his friends nor his people at all...

- Wendy has left it all behind. She was about to turn 19 when she was last seen. All they know about her now is rumors of an outrageously powerful blizzard on top of some mountains higher up north ...

- Stanley Pines has gone missing when Robbie and Wendy were just teenagers. No one has any idea where he could've gone.

- Stanford Pines has gone missing a few months after his brother. He went on a mission outside the dome in hopes of finding the newborn Shooting Star and Pinetree, but he and his crew never returned.

- Fiddleford McGucket is a vegetable. He had once been the pinnacle of knowledge as the new All-Seeing Eye, but now his eyes are vacant and he cannot function on his own anymore. He spends his time in the Queen's quarters of the palace, and is visited by Pacifica almost every night. Not like he would recognize her anymore...

- Mabel Pines is an elite soldier who can modify inorganic mass; from objects to air to small warp holes from one place to another. She's dangerous, slippery, and has a tendency to leave bright pink explosions wherever she goes!

- Mason Pines is an elite soldier who cannot be affected by magic of any kind. He's an immovable object, a pillar of resilience, and can potentially nullify the magic of other magic-users. He spent a long time trying to figure out how to nullify the magic of the Dome (and once he did... oh boy.)

I have no idea where Hilda would fit in to all of this. Chronologically,

- Greg dies (and, I assume, Janice is pregnant with Hilda) when Robbie's 3

- Robbie grows up with Wendy, Tambry, "Thompson", Nate and "Lee". Hilda probably grew up with them, too!

- Everyone except the immortal Zodiacs die at 13 after they ended up on the wrong side of the dome. Wendy, Ice Pack, seems to be in a state of shock because she hardly reacts; whereas Robbie, Bleeding Heart, becomes as fragile as a live bomb 😭. He needs comfort half of the time and needs to be left alone the other half, but he's constantly switching when he wants one or the other. Not the best experience 😭.

^ this is when he first SH's.

- Wendy's father begins to train her and her friends. So they aren't weak anymore and don't let anyone else die. Hilda could've joined them, if she wanted to; but either way, both Robbie and Wendy trained under him for a good while.

- Wendy and Robbie stabilized after a while and things looked fine, for some time. Sure, the current mayors were kinda dickheads and food was becoming a problem (shit, they had to eat a gnome for dinner once. That was... Not great), and both uncle Stanley and Stanford disappeared, and professor Fiddleford went crazy, but hey! They were fine! Somewhat fine! That is, until Wendy's dad died. Natural causes, really, he died peacefully in his sleep. But that was the last straw for her, man.

- Robbie saw her for the last time then and there. Gravity Falls had the worst out-of-season blizzard they'd ever seen and Wendy was never seen again.

- This is usually about the time period where Robbie breaks down; where his s-icide attempts begin and he starts to genuinely lose himself, but. This time he has both a mother and a sister. He probably won't do it as often, but I don't doubt that he'll eventually break.

Man. The first time was supposed to have been the last. I mean, realistically, how many times can you actually kill yourself? Robbie was too busy dealing with the knife embedded into his chest to think about that at the time. And he was upset, upset that this didn't work, upset that he was making a mess and Mom and Hilda would be back anytime now, upset upset upset.

He realized he wouldn't be able to deal with it on his own, and he wasn't about to call his family to see him like this. So he looked over his contacts.

Mom and Hilda. No.

Fiddleford? Oh, he wishes.

Wendy?

...

Pacifica. Yeah, she was a classmate. Under Fiddleford's special class for "young gods" or whatever kind of freak they were supposed to be. She was a biology girl, right? She could help, probably?

So that's how their friendship started, man. Gideon was beside Pacifica at the time (plotting about their potential alliance... to take a "crown" to themselves...) and stuck with their old classmate as he called for help, "accident" after "accident", and it grew from there !!

But if Hilda had left ???? Before he could be invited to Pacifica and Gideon's plotting reunions ??? Then none of that would happen. He'd be too busy running after his sister to care at all, and suddenly Janice would be left in an empty house with none of her children and not even their bodies to bury :(

Oh man this is a LONG STORY as I said it was and AHDHAHHDA IT'S ONLY THE PROLOGUE 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 CRYING

kinda hate it but I'ma drop this here

HILDA BUT IN @tbob-enthusiast's ZODIAC AU CUZ I LOWKEY LOVE IT

Hilda doesn't canonically have a zodiac j just thought it would be fun. Kinda hate the colors on this but WHATEVER.

Yapping under ze cut.

Hilda is the harbinger, the warning, of death and rebirth. She often appears in battlefields before the battle, a warning of what is to come. She's probably the most neutral on the war, choosing to rather stand as a neutral deity. Bias' cause... problems after all.

Her relationship with her brother is... strained . More so than in the canon. She's incredibly reclusive, always leaving as soon as he appears. She is only the warning, after all.

Her body is constantly dying and growing at the same time. Half of it rots, and the other thrives.

Despite her reclusiveness, she often provides safe havens for refuges from both sides in the places of war. After death, life always comes.

Idk silly idea

[funera1pyre]

vessel sfw alphabet

enjoy:3

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

extremely affectionate. vessel is always touching you in some way. holding your hand, a hand on your leg, arm around your waist. he loves to kiss every part of you. big fan of holding your head to his chest to hear his heart beating. loves squeezing your hips when you cuddle, nuzzling his face into your neck. he’s obsessed with the way you feel. imo his love language is acts of service and physical touch.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

vessel has been through a lot, and it is truly hard for him to trust people enough to become close with them. but once he is, he is the best friend you could ask for. cares for you like no other and always wants to be around you.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

absolutely!! cuddling is one of his favorite things to do with you. very intimate cuddler as well, telling you how much he loves you as he drags his hands all over your body. loves spooning you while you two sleep, also loves when you sit in his lap!!

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

once vessel found you, he knew you were his life partner. he absolutely wants to settle down with you, and he feels it is his life’s purpose. he hopes so much that you want the same with him. vessel definitely loves to cook for you and will always make your favorite meals for you without you asking (acts of service!)

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

honestly i don’t think vessel would ever leave you unless you wanted it. if you two ended up breaking up, he would never be the same again.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

marriage was something vessel didn’t think about until he met you, but now it’s all he wants for the two of you. regarding commitment, vessel quite literally lives for you. he will never gaze upon another.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

he is so so gentle with you. physically and emotionally. he would never want to hurt you, he couldn’t live with himself. he always makes sure he isn’t doing anything to upset you, and if you two have a disagreement he will be sure to work it out with you right away.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

vess loves hugs!!!! please hug him as much as you can, he wants to always be holding you. he loves to completely envelope you in his arms and squeeze you close to him.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

vess had been scared to tell you, afraid you wouldn’t reciprocate. but once you told him you loved him, he would say it constantly. so many times a day. he always wants you to remember how deeply and wholly he loves you.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

vess gets jealous pretty easily. it’s just his nature. when he’s jealous he can get a bit stubborn. he will probably always have an arm around you in the presence of others, and will make everyone well aware that you’re his.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

vessel’s kisses are always full of love and passion. you can always feel how truly he loves you when he places his lips on yours. his favorite place to kiss you is your neck and forehead, and he likes to be kissed on his chest and hands. i also headcanon that his kisses are healing. if you have a scrape or bruise, his kisses will speed up the healing process.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

not having much experience around children, vessel wasn’t sure about ever wanting a family. now that he is with you, his views have changed. he’s very nervous about having children, and is not sure he is ready yet, but he can’t hide how much he wants it.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

vess likes to sleep in with you (when he can) and always looks forward to cuddling. loves to make you breakfast and wake you up with a nice cup of your favorite coffee/tea.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

more often than not, you go to sleep before vessel does. he waits for you to fall asleep before doing his own thing before bed (reading or writing). likes to watch movies with you in bed.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

vess takes a while to open up with anybody, not just you. he’s been hurt badly, and he knows now to be more careful with what he shares with people. definitely takes him a while to get more comfortable with sharing his feelings, but once he knows you are not a threat, he’s an open book.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

he tries to avoid fighting as much as possible. if you two have a disagreement, he will NEVER raise his voice at you. he is good at keeping his composure and talking things out

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

vessel is absolutely making sure he remembers every little thing about you. you’re his muse, his life, his heart. if you mention something you saw that you wanted, you can guarantee he will get it for you. will always know exactly what food you’re in the mood for, how you’re feeling, and your favorite things

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

when you first told him you loved him. it was about a month or so into your relationship. vessel had been wanting to say it for so long, but was afraid it was too soon. the relief that washed over him when you spoke those three words for the first time is something he will never forget.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

vess is very protective of you. tying into his jealousy, he will always make sure it is known that you are his and he always makes sure you are safe physically and mentally. if someone has done you wrong or hurt you, he will do everything in his power to make their life a living hell (and maybe sacrifice them 🤭)

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

vess loves spoiling you. will never ever forget an anniversary and always goes all out. any kind of date you want to go on, vess will be happy to take you. he loves trying new things together and experiencing life with you. as mentioned previously, he will always surprise you with gifts (one of his love languages). he loves to make you handmade gifts and writes you love letters/poems ALL the time.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

i think vessel definitely gets insecure very often and can cause some issues in your relationship. there will be days where he completely shuts down and it’s hard for him to do much of anything. it’s just important to be there for him.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

vessel definitely looks after himself, he takes pride in his body and the feeling he gets when you worship him

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

oh absolutely. you are vessel’s other half. whenever he isn’t physically with you he feels an ache in his chest and a sadness within him, and he can grow physically tired (your soul bond takes physical effects on him)

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

in my headcanon of your soul bond, vessel is able to sense when you are feeling a certain way. when you are sad, he is able to feel it in his heart, and can feel what you are feeling. is always on top of your emotions and wellbeing

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

vessel does NOT like to be pressured into things. also hates when you talk down on yourself and will get extremely upset when you do

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

known for staying up til the early morning, vessel does a lot of his writing and thinking during the night. will stay with you and hold you as you fall asleep, and then will stay up for however long he pleases. his body also does not require a lot of sleep, so sometimes he even forgets to.

[kuzure-collapse]

These two asks were pretty similar so I'll answer them together. You can read about the LI's ideal dates in this post and find the last love levels post here.

I don't really know how to quantify their love levels. I mentioned the Love Meter Boost in the story but I never actually drafted how it would work or if MC would buy it. I guess I can try to describe how the LIs are feeling about MC so far?

As of ch. 30:

Tomohiro:

i'm trying to write more scenes for him since it's been very yanagi and kotose heavy so far

off-screen, mc has been going to school with him and tomoe every morning and telling them about his day and interactions with the other characters

he usually has lunch with his friends, sometimes invites mc to the rooftop alone, sometimes joins his sister

during the lunches alone with mc, they continue to talk about topics of love

although he likes mc, he never reveals hints of his love no matter how much mc begs to know. he decided he wants to make mc fall for him first before he reveals anything

certainly taking a more flirtatious approach now that mc is interacting with all these other people. he's feeling more possessive and jealous now, might show more of his ugly side

Kotose:

currently coming to terms with his feelings and starting to acknowledge it as something more than a desire for friendship (best friends?)

unfortunately for him, mc has been giving a lot of mixed signals. is it friendly teasing or flirting? he has trouble understanding because he's never really had friends before

he wants to spend more time with mc and learn more about him, intrigued. he wants to impress mc with his knowledge and skills, too.

awkward attempts but at least he's now making more of an effort

off-screen, they've been having amicable study sessions. kotoha isn't around as much because she's spending more time at choir

i want to write more twin interactions and their development, but haven't been able to work it in :/

Satsuma:

at first it was just your typical setter-hitter teammate relationship

he's taken more of a liking to mc ever since learning about mc's insecure past and talking about bullying

for now, there isn't much of a romantic feeling. more like wanting to take care of an underclassman that he can see himself in

he knows mc is a little intimidated by him. feels kinda dejected by that because he's only had good intentions so far.

yet he also finds it endearing, thinks mc's attempts to please him amusing

he wants to help mc and be the mentor he wished he had when he was younger

not aware of any romantic feeling he might have, just feels the need to take care of mc. he's not sure why tomohiro gives him such a bad feeling

still a bit shy and reclusive, but is opening up and growing more easygoing around mc.

i wish i wrote more scenes of him and satsuka 😔

Yumeki:

admires mc a lot, especially because mc is the only one on the team who goes out of his way to spend time with him (satsuma doesn't really talk to anyone, and the other members keep to their own groups)

no other guy has been this nice to yumeki before and he's desperate for male friendship because he's always surrounded by girls (not that it's bad, he just wants to hang with fellow guys sometimes)

he feels guilty for embarrassing mc at certain moments, really just wants to help mc, searches for ways to provide his servitude

often looks longingly at mc's intimate interactions with other characters, doesn't know why

currently unaware of any feelings towards mc, but he's starting to realize things about himself

i also hope to write more of him >.<

Yanagi:

acknowledges mc's use as an ally in a world where they are the only real people

he's surprised that the wimp he encountered their first day in the game was actually pretty capable

although he feels camaraderie because of their shared niche interests, he pushes that away and tries to only view mc as a tool for his missions

he's just using mc as an extra pair of hands and because of his system, that's all, nothing more to it

wont admit that he's starting to think of mc as a friend though, sometimes laughs to himself when he recalls their interactions

[dutchdread]

Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

Watching Cleriths celebrate NPTK these past weeks, knowing they'll, as always, be proven incorrect has been an exercise in patience. Sometimes it's just clear that you won't be able to convince people of a complex truth when so often discourse is limited to 280 characters. The reason Clerith exists is that people are unable to see the big picture, it survives by people squinting and not seeing the "but" that's located right after every piece of evidence they put forward. This means that you'll often be perceived to be arguing against what is to them the blatantly obvious. It's futile, nuanced argument never wins from emotion, so often you just have to take solace in the idea that "well, it will be fun to see their surprise 4 years from now". So when you get an interview like this, mere weeks after the game releases, which confirms everything that Clotis had been saying about, and had been mocked for, NPTK, you can't help feel a sense of schadenfreude.

Man that's gotta hurt. This is the difference between Clotis and Cleriths. Cleriths don't really like Aerith, because they want to assassinate her character. Rather than a sad tragic tale of a lifetime of love and loss they want to reduce her character to a shallow cliche rom-com about a capricious girl whose fickle affections change by the hour. The fact that the first person Aerith starts developing feelings for after 5 years of pining after Zack is a man who is almost literally channeling Zack becomes a meaningless coincidence in the story. The fact that she knows Cloud for 2 weeks, most of which is also spent pining over Zack is viewed as confirmation of how special their love is. It doesn't matter that Aerith doesn't even know who Cloud is. It doesn't matter that Cloud is shown to very obviously be in love with another woman. It doesn't matter that Cloud is clearly losing his mind. It doesn't matter that Cloud is constantly show as being apathetic towards her advancements. Even them fighting is recontextualized as "good chemistry" just to avoid facing reality. Usually nonsensical romances are seen as bad-writing, but here the cope makes people excuse all the nonsense as "how brilliantly written is this story? They love each other despite it making no sense, now THAT is romance". Zack is called irrelevant, CC is a "ret-con" and can be ignored, ACC is about how romantic it is to want to die to be with someone. The reason Zack is so predominant in Rebirth is in no way connected to Aerith yearning for exactly the bond he's constantly showing to have with her. The contrast with Clouds apathy means nothing, he definitely isn't there to have some sort of pay-off with Aerith in part 3. Nah, he's just there to give Cloud and Aerith his blessing and to F-off. The reason Tifa is silent and heartbroken at the end has nothing to do with her best friend dying and the man she loves losing his mind. The distance between her and Cloud at that moment is totally not used to illustrate the severity of the situation, or to set-up Tifas importance in the events for part 3. Nah, she doesn't get lines because she's just a side character duh!. That is how they think, every single character and story is assassinated, everything happens only to service Cloud and Aeriths romance, even Cloud and Aerith themselves are pushed through the mud. Screw the death of Ifalna, screw the death of Zack, screw the complexity surrounding Clouds Zack shaped psychology, screw Aeriths childhood and desire for real bonds of friendship, screw even the story of Aerith dying and how maybe, JUST MAYBE, the scenes surrounding Aeriths death have SOMETHING to do with the strong emotions surrounding death rather than just being "a cute romance scene uwu". Never have I seen any story interpretation reveal such rampant hatred for a character as Cleriths reveal for Aerith. To them, Aerith is totally the kind of person who would bond with Tifa, hear the very personal and intimate story about the promise shared between her and Cloud, hear that Cloud thinks that Zack is dead, and not 5 minutes later write a story about how "she loves Cloud and they wouldn't need no promises like that other girl". But sure, I'm the one who hates Aerith, not the people who think this is who she is, but me, the person who assumed she'd be less vile than that and that any song she'd write would encompass more than that. I stand up for her character and get mocked, called an Aerith hater, and called "toxic"....and then you get an interview like this. God it feels good to always have all your positions validated by future content. One has to wonder if the people still arguing for Clerith ever sit back and think "wait, the last 100 times I dismissed these peoples arguments I was proven wrong almost immediately, I am constantly having to shift my goalposts while they're just happily sitting there laughing as they consume media about Cloud kissing Tifa, or proclaiming to become her special existence....maybe I am the delusional one...." God I can't wait for part 3, it will be hilarious.

[littlechaoticwitch]

Things I want to happen in future Dead Boy Detectives seasons

-Edwin and Crystal bonding over their grief about Niko's “death”. Both blame themselves for what happened and still have nightmares of Niko's body, so they turn to each other for comfort and a beautiful new bond is built between them. They're still catty and bitchy to each other, but in a more loving and playful way

-Maybe an unpopular opinion but I really don't want Payneland to get together in this season, purely from a narrative perspective. I would much prefer for Charles to slowly put the pieces together and realize he has been in love since that night in 1989, but confused those feelings for a strong friendship due to the rampant homophobia of the AIDS crisis and his own father being an asshole. It would make any future intimate moments with Edwin feel more special and carry so much more weight, especially since he KNOWS that Edwin is in love with him back, he just has to figure out what these feelings mean. Plus, the idea of him being all bashful and excited of being loved by TWO amazing people is good therapy for all the bullshit he had to deal with when he was alive, let my boy have that.

-Please please please let Charles get some closure on his past. As in he gets to haunt his murderers for an episode or stand up to his father, but that’s me wanting him to get some well-deserved revenge

-PLEASE give Crystal her own closure too! Personally, I would love to see her stand up to her parents and eventually cut them out of her life, but that's just me loving the narrative of cutting toxic parents out of your life. Also let her find a way to kill David because being buried underneath that damn tree isn't good enough for me

-Honestly we would to see an exploration of Edwin's family and the fact he was alive when the first world war happened. There could be a lot of unpacked trauma there (whether it's from the religious views of the time, societal expectations/pressures, or from his own parents) and how it shaped Edwin into the person we know now

-NIKO NEEDS TO RETURN (idk if she's a ghost or a demon or whatever now but she needs to come back and still be her bubbly self, I love her too much). My theory is that the Principal is her ancestor and her coming back could somehow link back to her father's death

-FLASHBACKS TO OLD CASES

-GALA EPISODE! No, listen, this only serves the purpose of getting to see them dressed up and the episode itself being pure shipping fuel

-More low-stake episodes, at least in the beginning

-More monsters-involved cases, such as vampires or dragons or werewolves. As someone with an unhealthy obsession with monsters, this would be a delight

-St Hilarion's being fucking burned to the ground (Crystal needs to do it, I will accept no other way)

-Esther Finch was such a fun antagonist for the first season, but I would want the next antagonist (regardless if they’re introduced in the second season or later on) to be a little more threatening. Still campy as fuck but maybe someone who has more of an active role in being an asshole. A demon would be a huge leap from a small-town witch who sacrificed young girls to stay youthful, so maybe a formerly-possessed psychic (which would parallel Crystal’s storyline) could work.

-And finally, the agency adopts a not-so-normal dog. While a ghost dog would make sense, it would be funnier if it was a hellhound or some kind of mythical creature they just picked up on a case. Niko wanted it so they could be more like Mystery Inc.

[castlebyersafterdark]

ok so this is a question that i wish was discussed more in other spicy spaces without getting either too careful or too obviously an expression of people's unrealistic fantasies. what do you think attracts will to mike, both in terms of emotional and physical attraction?

there's lots of discussion about mike's attraction to will because that's thought to be what we need more of in the show, and people are happy to talk about will's physical attributes like his ass. but when will's attraction to mike is discussed, its always in the context of emotion and love and friendship becoming romantic, but never physical. there's not much in the way of will's fantasies or him being allowed to have a purely physical aspect to his love for mike, which is so sad to me because it reflects the thematic castration of will in the show (@therainscene did a great post on this about the lack of posters and sexuality in will's room etc).

i personally think the dnd alter egos give lots of hints about why will is emotionally attracted to mike, but at the same time, physicality and presence is a huge part of medieval/roleplay, so Will MUST have thought about mike's physicality in his fantasies, surely?

i wonder if there's not a lot of spec on this because people find there to be a dissonance between finn/mike's body and what they think mike's character represents in the show to a negative degree? whereas for will, even though his muscle development isnt **exactly** in line with will's character, society considers muscles to be a good thing so the change doesnt upset anyone. (not to say muscular men can't be sensitive, but the duffers probably would have chosen him to remain more delicate if they had a choice)

i personally think that mike's awkwardness due to finn's physicality has always been present and a big part of what makes the show so endearing, esp in s1. its only because there's an expectation for blockbuster scale epic fight scenes now, big music, big action, that people start to think mike needs to be this Baddie. I like the idea of him having a moment, but i dont need him to be wielding a sword like a badass and Looking Cool 24/7. Mike isnt traditionally cool, i need him to stay that a nerd lol.

maybe this is also why i think there would be something so powerful about a byler sex scene, because the more awkward/realistic/nerdier the better? it doesnt need to be traditionally sexy, but it WOULD be sexy just because of the fact that it would be mike and will and them getting together is intrinsically sexy.

i hope this makes sense lol sorry for the essay

EXCELLENT TOPIC! So many good points. You're absolutely correct about all of this - there is a definite line it seems, with more focus given to how Mike views Will, versus what made Will develop feelings and attraction to Mike, beyond the "we're best friends and I want you in my life forever"-ness of it all. I love talking about what Mike loves about Will, but let's hype up the other side of this coin.

This may sound so odd, but I genuinely think sometimes it's forgotten in general spaces that Will is gay? And what that actually means. Like he's a gay guy. Who is attracted to men and ultimately wants to be intimate with men (even if in present time, this want is being internally and externally denied). And Mike is a man (big juicy can of worms re: the gnc debate, save that for another essay, but I think my stance is visible between the lines here) and Will wants him. We all saw how Will looked at Mike in the desert. Dirty, white t-shirt probably transparent in spots from sweat, heaving breath as he did all the work shoveling for his boy bestie. Will doesn't have to lift a finger. Will gets to pretend to move several grains of sand around. Will looks at Mike with lust in his eyes. That is the boy he's grown up with and had been crushing on as a kid, that's the guy he's fallen in love with. And Mike has grown up. Still awkward, but developing into someone that Will not only wants to spend forever with, but wants intimately.

I like to imagine them as kids, maybe around the age they are introduced to us as in s1. What are they, 12? It's been awhile, but I remember being 12. I remember my first crushes, and they happened even earlier. Will has several male friends - each with their own appealing attributes. I think any of the party could be cute to a young, sexually confused nerd. But Will crushes on Mike. His first friend, the face he can imagine perfectly when he closes his eyes, able to draw him from memory because our boy is an artist. Little Will, drawing in sketchbooks from the early years. Why is it so important that he gets the shape of Mike's lips just right? Why are his eyes the best eyes he's ever drawn? Why does he spend so long perfecting a technique to capture the dark swoops of his best friend's hair? He's caught himself staring too long at Mike's mouth on occasion. He's caught himself suppressing a shudder when Mike's arm is so casually thrown around him, holding him close. He smells like a boy. He likes that a lot more than whatever girls douse themselves with. Uh oh.

Mike is not conventionally attractive. Neither is FW, either. Not to say he's bad looking (I find him very very attractive), but honestly - he's different. He's not like the cookie cutter Ken, the action figure, the Hollywood poster boy. He's got unique features and is awkward in his own skin. I don't think girls (and closeted guys) at Mike's school are falling at his feet. "I'm not exactly Mr. Popular." But they still look. As opposed to Jason, the All-American Juxtaposition. Jason - classically and cliche-handsome, the prototype boyfriend for the prototype cheerleader. If Will was at Hawkins High that year, I'm sure he'd give Jason a passing glance. He's an attractive man. Will's heart can belong to one and his eyes can appreciate attractive people in his vicinity. But Mike. Mike. Slightly taller, his protective personality bleeding into his physicality. I can see Will being into the protectiveness as a physical manifestation. Mike can maneuver him, can probably hug him tight and lift him up. He's not some action hero, or a muscled heartthrob but he's not as pathetic as fanon so pretends. I don't think he's gonna be an over powered badass by any means, but he can wield a sword and try and even if he's not that great at it. He's not hesitant. And clearly Will knows this. He painted it. He's into it. Mike, able to lead them into battle. Mike, awkward but endearing and strong. Mike with his big hands and lean muscles and that mouth that Will's eyes are drawn to like magnets and he hopes he's not as guiltily obvious as he feels when he watches his best friend orbit around him.

He may hide his attraction to men, with no posters of them on his walls. Diverting his eyes when he notices an attractive man in public. But he has music and cinema. Albums and magazines and movies. Mike looks more like the men in his favorite bands than the men playing professional sports. Bowie is so much cooler. He's odd, he's different. He's hot. Will likes the unconventional and he likes the familiar things that make him feel good and safe. Mike makes him feel safe. Oh, how he wants Mike to make him feel good.

Will had a crush on his best friend, when he first started being plagued with the realization that boys were cute. Will fell in love and when he re-met his best friend in the airport - his friend has grown up hot. He's pissed off and heartbroken that they haven't reached out to each other more, but he can't keep his eyes off Mike. He's dreamed about him and sketched him from memory so many times before Spring Break - but in the flesh? Everything and more. Will wants him.

[sevensoulmates]

Hi I just wanted to say I was on twitter and saw someone discussing and sharing your meta posts and I was genuinely intrigued and curious because you guys are obviously so devoted to the buddie couple and it's really endearing. And I was just really interesed about this perception of the couple you guys seem to have because is so different to the other side of the fandom I'm actively interacting with. I'm obviously a B/T shipper and only got into the fandom because of them but I'm really loving the show (currently I'm on season 5). I'm just curious about how is it that you guys see buddie as romantic when I think their interactions are clearly platonic, they obviously have a deep relationship, an intimate friendship but no more that that.

Again, I'm not trying to hate I just wanted to ask because it looks like the buddie shippers are settling themselves for disappointment just waiting for them to go canon. You all are obviously loyal fans and I think that's lovely but I honestly just don't see the show writing Eddie as queer now and I really think Tommy is here to stay (I think there's too many signs pointing to this fact like the buck actually episode and the old guy named Thomas). Again I'm not here trying to hate because I think you guys love the ship genuinely but I just wonder how is it that after all the things the shows portrays you guys are still rooting for buddie. Please feel free to ignore my question if I'm annoying you, I really don't want to come off as rude I was just really interesed in the topic.

There are a boatload of reasons why I and many other people ship Buddie. Most of them are far too long to get to in one ask like this because Buddie have had 6 years worth of material to sort through and it would just take far too long.

Long story short: in the same way that Buck was confirmed bisexual over the course of a single episode after years of many people saying Buck could never be anything other than straight, Buddie could be made canon in one single episode and it would be accepted just as easily even though it's been years and a lot of people are still saying they could never be together.

It's TV. The writers can do whatever they want. The second they decide to start bringing in more explicitly romantic things, people will suddenly start "getting" it.

To be more precise: I think it's easy for people to see a ship like Bucktommy and latch onto it because it's very clearly, explicitly queer. It's a lot harder for people to believe in or "see" ships where a queer couple hasn't done anything explicitly romantic like kiss or hold hands, etc. It's unfortunately due to heternomativity and the sad death of the slow burn. I can't really do anything about either of those things.

For me, the primary reason I ship buddie is because of the deep special bond and obvious family they've built over the years that feels different from every single other relationship they've had with literally anyone else on the show. That includes Tommy, Shannon, Abby, etc. You can view it as platonic if you want, that's anyone's subjective opinion.

You seem like a sweet person, but you're also coming into the show with a bias towards Bucktommy, which is fine. They're what brought you to the show, they're the ones who initially intrigued you, and they're also the only ones currently explicitly queer. I get it.

I am going to be so honest with you: I think the show has been writing both Buck and Eddie as queer men for many many years. But just like how Buck was only allowed to confirm it this most recent season, they haven't been able to confirm it for Eddie just yet. I could write essays and essays about how Eddie is so obviously deep deep in compulsory heterosexuality and has been almost since the beginning, but it would take too long. There's plenty of posts I and others have made all over tumblr and on my blog.

Slow queer burns featuring characters that aren't introduced in the first 5 seconds as queer are almost non-existent, they very rarely happen in popular media, and because of that it's almost impossible to ship something without someone coming at you saying "they don't see it". Fact of the matter is that Buddie is one of the easiest ships to "see", if you were looking at a man and a woman, but they're not. I can't really convince people to see what they don't want to see.

If you're curious about the specifics, I'd encourage you to go through my blog/meta or other buddie-positive blogs on tumblr to find many talented and intelligent individuals who will have a lot to say on why they believe in buddie.

When it comes down to it, I don't think the fandom at large is ever gonna believe it until they see it. That's kinda just human nature and the state of how we all consume media right now.

But once the show does go there, they're gonna be like damn can't believe I didn't see that until now while the rest of us sit here like "we've been trying to tell you this whole time."

In the meantime, I'm enjoying Bucktommy for what it is, for however long it lasts, and I'm gonna enjoy buddie just the same, regardless of if they go canon or not, or how long it takes.

[deviantly-inspired]

Genshin impact Wriothesly/Neuvillette is on tbe brrrain

So I’ve been consuming fanfic like crazy for the past week or so. And. I love all of, but to switch things up a bit: Neuvillette as the one who falls first and pines longingly from afar.

He’s livedd a long time, and just because he doesn’t act on his emotions doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel them. He’s not self aware of how others view him, and he’s full of doubt, but he does know his own mind (even if he won’t admit it or speak it allowed) by his own story and voicelines.

So Neuvillette in love with Wriothesly for so long but also deciding to never act upon it, because he doesn’t think it returned and because he knows that Wriothesly’s own natural death will already break his heart: there’s no need to add more pain to it. Better to be a friend, a comrade, and a supporting pillar in Wriothesly’s life than to try and cast himself as a main character in it.

The end of the prophecy shifts things. The guillotine has fallen, at last, with as few casualties as possible. A tragedy no one will ever know has been closed. And Neuvillette realizes that, even if returned love is not in his script, the very least he should better appreciate what he does have. So he allows more and more personal conversation and shares his private thoughts and feelings and fears. Even gods die. It is foolishness to not enjoy wriothesly in his life while he still lives.

(The water sovereign was always the most gentle, no matter his form. It is how he was unmade the first time: his kindness exploited and twisted unto itself. He had thought himself rid of the trait in his new life, but even now the skies cry for both the people created from the blood of Neuvillette’s murder and for the so-called gods who uphold the order set down by the usurpers.

He is still water itself. In the end, Egeria was correct in one aspect of her rule: water, above all, is love)

And wriothesly… is absolutely not prepared for these softer moments. He had always found Neuvillette handsome and was honored by the friendship offered when he recognized it for what it was. But this is… more. Intimate in a way he doesn’t understand but wants to glut himself on. Every bit Neuvillette offers of himself Is sequestered away and held dear like the most valued treasure. The only thing that had ever stopped Wriothesly from falling for Neuvillette was the knowledge that such feelings wouldn’t be welcome. But with each piece of dispensed knowledge and shared laugh and quiet support offered that knowledge crumbles away into something a bit more hopeful.

Anyway. What I’m getting at is this:

“Neuvillette… I’m afraid I must confess: I am afraid that I’m falling in love with you.”

“Ah… I suppose it is only fair, then, to also confess: I am in love with you, and have been for some time.”

[dr-wurm]

Because Beejhawk is sooo popular I’ve been kinda trying to work out why I don’t ship them or view them as romantic or sexual. I’m absolutely not sharing this to shit on Beejhawk shippers, I respect your analysis 100% (so pls just scroll on if you don’t want to read a differing opinion). I’d just like to share my opinion on it because I’m sure some people feel similarly to me, and I sometimes feel like the odd one out for not shipping them.

Here are my thoughts:

Firstly, I just really struggle to view BJ as queer. If you set his relationship with Hawkeye to the side, there was nothing about him that I saw as evidence of him being queer. There’s not much more I can say on that.

Secondly, if I DO look at his relationship with Hawkeye, I can obviously see why other people view that as romantic. They are very close and often quite intimate with each other. They really care about one another. They LOVE each other. With this in mind, I can totally understand why people ship them. But…For me it’s actually MORE important that they’re NOT romantic. I absolutely love seeing intimate platonic relationships, and representation of friendships like that between men is even more important to me. I would put some of my friendships on a similar level, so to me it’s really refreshing, especially for a 70s show. Like, men do not have to be gay together to do any of that stuff. I think it’s beautiful that MASH broke down toxic masculinity and said ‘yknow what!! It’s okay to hug your buddies!! It’s okay to tell another man you love him!!! It’s okay to be open with one another!!!!’ That’s super cool.

Thirdly, BJ being a loving wife guy is also really cool to me. That’s the thing I’ve always liked the most about his character tbh. In a decade when shows were full of ‘I hate my wife!!!’ jokes, he stands apart. (Potter does too ofc, but it coming from a younger guy who is more likely to be seen as a role model by young male viewers is worth noting.)

So, like, I DO get it…but him and Hawk being platonic besties is way cooler to me and way more meaningful. Maybe I’ll change my mind some day, but for now this is how I feel.

[brisquad-unit-4402]

unit 4402, not to be needy in your inbox, but i haven't stopped thinking about the pliskin fic ever since i read it. it's so good. the emotional intimacy. the little snippets of their friendship before they actually meet. the stupid clumsy confession scene(s?). it's SO well-crafted, you should be a licensed writer.

alas i need pliskin!reader and ike to meet again and be horny because i think it'd be funny and endearing. they have all this emotional closeness but when it comes to actually being together irl they're suddenly shy and overwhelmed at the prospect so they act like teenagers again. i don't even need to think about the actual nsfw parts, i just love imagining them navigate this new romantic territory and being in love and making mistakes and laughing about it and being so sweet i get cavities 😔 i love them, they should be together forever i think

- anon 🦝 if i'm allowed a sign off qvq

[non-explicit nsfw under the cut]

oh 🦝 you're always allowed to sign off, i don't mind! thank you for the lovely complim—

HORNY???

🦝. you are so brave for speaking the truth.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

it’s like this ok. they’re both such sweet people and genuinely want the best for each other, all this time has let them understand how they see one another and how to communicate, especially since they’re miles away from one another. every now and then the stars align and they get roped along into an off-collab with some of their other friends, and find excuses to sneak out by themselves just to spend time with each other and catch up on all the little touches they missed.

hands bumping together here, an arm around the waist there. resting on one another and taking in the scent as you wrap your arms along him. you spend a wintry week in london with half of the luxiem boys and a few other livers that want to visit, but you don’t miss how ike’s fingers brush against your neck as he places his scarf around you. the touch is brief but you have to grit your teeth as he ties the scarf, and the remains of his touch burns like coal under the fabric, unsatiated. you can’t keep your eyes off him but your hands want to explore, make him feel good.

eventually you both make time to meet up for a few days, just the two of you, discreet enough that only a few of your close friends know that you’re housing a guest at your place and your fanbases are unaware. it’s not like it was the whole point of the visit, to be clear! horny thoughts be damned, you really did want to see him again. being able to show him around your town and do the cheesy couple things—holding hands, cute dates, sharing clothes, the whole nine yards—it feels like a dream.

on that first night you agree he'll share the bed with you, and when he makes sure you're comfortable with it, he pulls his shirt up over his head and falls asleep half-naked under the covers. you wake up the next morning with a view of nothing but his chest, which pairs nicely (read: awkwardly) with the dirty dream you woke up in the middle of before you could get full closure.

you bring it up to him that very day. it starts off simple:

"do you ever want to have sex? yeah, i'm ready for it. yeah, i understand. that's what you want? i can do that.”

and it's just so easy deciding it then and there. and then he asks questions, and you're glad to receive them, and that makes you ask him about his preferences, too, and the conversation gets more intimate from there and halfway through it hits you that it's really happening and that, god, you're ready but you're not prepared at all for how bashful you're getting and he's getting bashful too and it's good information that should be out in the open and you're glad it is especially because it's important to know what is and isn't okay and he needs to know too but—phew. the conversation ends when everything's been said but your flustered face is in your hands and ike's been wiping a cleaning cloth at his glasses for the last ten minutes so he doesn't have to make eye contact.

but, well, you're both on the same page now! and the feeling is mutual.

and he's on top of you now. his glasses rest on the nightstand, and without them, his eyes are so, so clear, and bright, even as the red around his cheeks threatens to burn brighter.

"this is okay?" ike asks. one of his hands holds you down by your wrist but you can feel him tremble. he lets go to wipe his hands on the sheets. "sorry, my hands are sweaty. it's just that i've been looking forward to this for so long."

he giggles a little at his own awkwardness, and it spreads to you, too. he sounds so soft and cute. you sound like a weirdo. "oh, me too, you have no idea."

his eyes flit down. "can i take off your...?"

"yeah, you can s-strip me. if you want..."

bad choice of words. or good? you can't tell, just that it's making your heart lurch as he undoes the button. an inch of your underwear peeks out.

"oh, so you're wearing this color? it's really you," he says. it's so matter-of-fact and unsexy that you can't help but laugh. “wait, no, i mean, it’s good! i like it! they suit you—oh, forget it, i give up.”

you stay giggly while he undresses you down to the skin. you meet his lips and kiss him, soft and smiley as he shakes off the embarrassment. "never change. love you."

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

ah i got carried away but what if one or both of them are virgins...

they get to explore everything for the first time and with it comes all the anticipation and surprise and pleasure of feeling it all for the first time... you know. how wet it is and where things go. how the actual action is done so soon but how long you can savor the foreplay.

and all the silliness that comes with it! it's trying something new together. every touch runs electric and it's so hard not to beam at how it feels. bonus points if they're ticklish and laugh while fucking, turning the little shivers and thrusts even more intense, all smiles and loose laughter while you enter for the first time

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

[jadehaven]

"OK AND BEFORE YOU SAY “things just operate differently in this world”— No. No they don’t. Because if kissing between elves was normal, or not romantic, or just something viewed as extra intimate friendship, THEN IT WOULDN’T HAVE WORKED AS A RUSE."

Thank you for saying this. Elves are reverent, they don't casually touch each other or kiss each other. Intimacy for them is a very serious matter.

Even with Halbrand, Galadriel never reached for him, not unless she had his clear consent, and they were mostly clasping their forearms together. Galadriel never held his hands, and she never touched his face or his chest. With Elrond, she touches him without hesitation, and she immediately turned her face and pressed her lips against his when he kissed her. They can't now tell us that this kiss was frivolous. The camera zoomed in on their faces, it lingered on them for a very long time, and the music was not platonic-sounding.

I guess I'm annoying, but I don't want to see Celeborn return. What do you mean I'm meant to care about a missing husband who adds nothing to the narrative, especially after seeing Galadriel being this close to both Sauron (darkness) and Elrond (light)? I'm afraid they will shackle her to Celeborn and diminish her importance in the action, yeah no please no.

It’s all very confusing isn’t it? But I think it’s supposed to be in a way.

One thing I’ve noticed about the ROP writing is that it does a great job of allowing you to feel what the character is feeling if you’ll let it. This is partly why I think the kiss is intentional, because it leaves an impression, and a question that needs to be answered. They wouldn’t make it this unclear if they didn’t have plans to clear it up later.

At the end of season two, multiple “confusing” storylines have been concluded, that were left as questions in season 1. This should be another that we see answered.

I think it was important for the writers to show Elrond and Galadriel’s friendship intimacy as being so “platonic”. It could possibly play a role in figuring out these blurred lines, because technically neither should have any excuse to feel different about what’s always been “normal” touch between them. It’s a wonderfully brilliant layer to flesh out, as opposed to them responding a certain way to touch because they’ve never touched before. It shows history, and a history of love/friendship, which creates the ultimate strong bond that people love to see played out on screen.

Lastly I’ll say, that yes, the kiss reads romantic. Somehow thousands of lorebros have gaslit themselves into believing it’s not, but erm, yeah idk? The kiss with Estrid and Isildur felt less intimate that this one tbh. Not to mention Elrond and Galadriel having touchy scenes that are nearly identical to the scenes between Elendil and Miriel, and folks have picked up on the romantic undertones there.

Anyways. I hope we get more touchiness between them, and I hope it becomes more obvious that theirs is unique. Obviously we see some other “touchy” moments with Galadriel and other characters, but they don’t quite read the same. And I’ll mention, these scenes(with Brimby and Arondir, even Gil Galad) didn’t show up until the end of season 2, so now would be a great time to make the shift with her and Elrond. It might even feel less obvious this way, which I enjoy.

Thanks for the ask! Come again 🫶

xo Jade

[ice-sculptures]

the line 'and i feel like maybe i was worrying too much about el, and i don't know, maybe i feel i lost you' is so fucking insane to me bc at first viewing it didn't even register to me that there was something off with that line...bc that's just how mike and will are with each other.

now. imagine any other 'platonic' pairing saying this. imagine lucas telling dustin that he's been worrying too much about max that he's lost him or joyce telling murray that he's been worrying too much about hop that she feels like she's lost him — or if you want to take it a step further, hell, even imagine mike or will saying this to any of their friends — and it's just bizarre and out of place, because no other friendship on ST has written like this. but heteronormative folks have gotten so accustomed to Mike-and-Will being the way they are that they don't notice that anything is off about this interaction.

like...it's both a blessing and a curse that byler's relationship has been singled out as special from the very beginning and has always been gifted with the most meaningful and intimate dialogue — to the point where the general audience has gotten so used to that kind of soft, tender dynamic between them that they aren't able to pick up on the romance that's been slowly but steadily developing. and yeah, i love that the shift from the platonic friendship of their youth to the more mature, romantic love as they get older has been so natural, but it's also so frustrating because it's been written so well that people aren't able to see what's right in front of them 😔

[247-diaperboy]

Posted by Lyrick Raccoon · February 07, 2021

How Common Is ABDL In The World?

ABDL's are in all careers, demographics and span the globe. ABDL is a large sub-community that has managed to cultivate families of normative acceptance around the lifestyle. So, then how common is ABDL in the world? Extremely common.

ABDL is VERY common! If you are ABDL you are far from alone.

Why haven't I heard of ABDL until now?

If you've heard of the term "forever young," you have likely thought to yourself that being younger generally has elements that held a much happier time. Maybe you've even told other kids to enjoy being young, as life tends to get more difficult and complicated. Regardless of the quality of upbringing, we often try and remember the good things and forget the bad. The same good elements make ageplay so popular as the lifestyle practice provides an opportunity to experience a safe, intimate, and care-free experience. The main reason you may have never heard of ABDL until now is that society as a whole doesn't understand the intricacy that ABDL is more like a spectrum of preferences rather than a one size fits all definition.

ABDL is often hidden because it is misunderstood or viewed as taboo, leading to social consequences (fear).

Many ABDLs go through a majority of their life without telling anyone they are ABDL. It hasn't been until the availability of information through the internet that more ABDLs connect on a large scale and find enough support to be more open about their ageplay tendencies.

Is someone I know and love ABDL?

It is reasonably possible you work with an ABDL, are friends with an ABDL, or even live with an ABDL (possibly even the parent of an ABDL). The feelings of being smol or into diapers is a significant stress reducer, and the diaper is many ABDL's drug of choice to lessen stress and anxiety, acting as a healthy coping mechanism. If you are a parent reading this, and you think your kid is ABDL, I'd encourage you to support them and know they can choose many ways to handle stress that is detrimental to their physical or mental health; the diaper is not a harmful method.

Likely, YES. Someone you know is ABDL.

A typical follow-up question to ask is, "If ABDL is such a big part of their life, will they ever tell me (their best friend) regression or diapers is something they enjoy?"

The short answer; It's hard to say. People will tell others more about themselves when they feel confident in who they are. Maybe they will someday, perhaps they won't.

Even best friends hold the information that they are into regression or diapers close to the chest as not everyone is as open-minded as they think they are. Discussion in public and private social circles regarding ABDL over the past 100 years has not held even the closest of relationships together after disclosure. It has ended many friendships and healthy relationships. "Why?"

Unfortunately, we live in a world that what people think matters more than who people are.

The world has a multi-billion dollar market of beauty and exercise products that reflect the chameleon approach to human connection as a result of human nature. We want to put our best selves forward, even at the cost of the authenticity of who we are, which is likely far more interesting and loveable.

Why would someone be ABDL if the world seems to dislike them?

The individuals who get the most airtime in the public sphere regarding ABDL's tend to be mostly the community's outliers. The goal of most television is to gain viewers, rather than to educate, unfortunately. 

As the saying goes with the media, "There is no news like bad news." For this reason, a large amount of the public is misinformed about ABDL and ageplay as a community. 

Universally, there are always rotten eggs in any group, but I'd argue that ABDL's have much richer and more authentic personal lives than the average relationship. You may ask, "Why is that?"

One of the most misunderstood advantages that ABDL's have regarding friendship forming and relationship storming is the diaper. This "silly object" to a non-ABDL is one of the keys that fast-tracks intimacy and trust between other ABDLs because of the nature and use of the diaper, explicitly referring to vulnerability. Vulnerability is also the reason ABDL's filter and chose their friendships and ABDL relationships carefully.

ABDLs tend to have a higher-quality relationship because ABDLs have a heightened innate understanding of emotional needs towards each other.

The primary reason for this next-level care is because ABDLs long-for and thrive for "care" themselves. The most significant advantage of ageplay towards relationships is that the practice of regression educates and enhances knowledge of nurturing and caregiving. This knowledge, which stands outside of judgment, can significantly enrich the ABDL's emotional connection and support within relationships (interpersonal or professional).

How would I let my closest friend know I support them as an ABDL?

The real question is, "why do you want to know?" or, "Are you interested and curious about the practice of ageplay?" Many people find their love of ageplay very young or in their early twenties due to many factors. Knowing about the ABDL tendencies of your best friend has nothing to do with whether they trust you. The beautiful part about relationships is that long-lasting relationships are built over time through the smallest of moments. If you happen to be close to an ABDL, they will eventually tell you if they feel safe, and your trust is unwavering over a long period.

Knowing if your friend is ABDL shouldn't have any bearing on your relationship's quality; if they feel comfortable in themselves, they will tell you; or maybe they won't.

In many cases, it is not safe for ABDLs to tell others as many parents or friends can see this as something that needs therapy even though the tendencies are healthy. Misunderstanding can lead to fear and many hurtful assumptions. It is for this reason many ABDL's keep their preferences safe within their own space. 

Chances are you know an ABDL. :D

So what's next? We encourage you to be more open-minded and to stay curious in a world of diversity. One of the best phrases that we overheard during an ageplay convention is that " Kind curiosity makes friends." We couldn't agree more!

[pavlovianpanic]

going more off warren and nathan, because i find them endlessly fascinating:

i find it interesting that they sort of exist in this space to fight each other over max. max's involvement in the main story provokes nathan to antagonize max, which prompts warren to attack nathan, with then creates a cycle of fear and violence between them.

additionally, i never went over this for some reason, but warren ... worries that beating nathan down makes him more like nathan, that it makes him a bad guy. he sees violence, what people like nathan do, as bad.

and by this point? i don't blame warren for seeing nathan as a bad guy. by this point? nathan is a bad guy. he has been since warren's met and known him.

and that's where the trouble can brew, i think. you pair them off as closer and nathan is all bust about to bust his nut to warren about what happened. he can't hold it in! he's basically telling max what happened from the moment they meet, all but telling her where rachel is. like, nathan immediately reveals himself to us as what kind of person he is from the way he acts, the things he says, and it's all very quick and cutting, nathan actually has very limited screentime (as does warren, comparatively less than nathan). i think warren is easy to confess to; he has a way of coaxing people.

i won't really go too much into their nightmare sequences, it's how max sees them, so that's more of a "max writer meta", but it's interesting that she views them in these specific ways that are both like themselves (nathan) and unlike themselves (warren, this is her projection of warren). while everything in that nightmare is fabricated by fucked up time and an overly stressed mind (a child's mind compared to max dealing with this in double exposure), it's still worth examining sometime, i'm sure.

i think warren fears that he has this darkness in him that clearly nathan caters to much more willingly. i think nathan could bring that out of warren more, i think it's quite literally a battle for warren's soul. can warren make nathan good? or does nathan make warren a bad person? is it even that simple? i think they bleed into each other these shades of grey. i think warren wants to understand this darkness in himself; it's not even a darkness, it's curiosity that's morbid, a little fetishist, but ultimately, the fetishes that warren have place him more in the victim role (something he is used to being), whereas nathan's fetish interests have him as the controller / the dominator. it's just interesting how their most intimate parts of themselves can reflect on how they act publicly, socially, and how others view them, how they places themselves in their "packs" (arguably, warren is probably pretty popular in his crowd of the science kids). warren is used to being victimized, thus his private interests cater to this ... but in a way he controls. it's all about control for him and nathan as people and individuals; the lack of it, having it, not having it, wanting it, craving it, losing it.

warren is not this ... what is even the word ... this like "thing" for nathan, he's just some guy that nathan knows, but they can create this sort of bond? nathan has so much that warren wants, he's more grown up, he's more "mature", he's got these connections and this confidence, this swagger and coolness ... and warren has a lot that nathan really wants for himself. this stability, this sense of self even when insecure (warren knows who he is, he's just still an awkward teen at the same time), this ability to be earnest. to be real. nathan is ... real to an extent. he's not hiding too much, like i said, he's all but wanting to confess right now, and he literally is in so many ways ... but warren has nothing to confess over (imo).

i think nathan's entire being is a draw for warren. what is with this guy? why is he like this? and i think, if they forged some friendship, especially because warren will literally take a beating and come back for more, nathan will test this bond. warren is always going to be brought to his breaking point with nathan; nathan will always ask too much. he'll kiss warren with a fist, then apologize later. it's an unbroken circle. once warren is in that gravitational pull that is nathan prescott, it's impossible to get out.

[moltengoldveins]

so it’s been about a year and a half since Technoblade’s passing. I’m not ready to talk about it, but let’s be real. I’m never going to be. We have what we have when we have it, then it’s gone. I didn’t talk enough about him while he was here, so I’m doing it now.

I was really active in the MCYT fandom when I was younger, ages six to twelve or so. Then again for about three years before Techno’s passing, joining early 2019 as far as I remember. Techno was the first online figure I’d encountered with even a passing resemblance to my own sense of humor and philosophy on life. I respected him a lot, and grew to love the community because of the environment he cultivated. He was also a big figure in my journey towards realizing I was ace. I’m not about to speculate on him or his tastes, but he didn’t base his humor around sex or romance. He never really brought it up. He avoided the topic when other people did, and he was Still Funny. He was still loved and valued by his fans and community. That was really big for me. That someone could ignore all that stuff and still be loved. That Will and Tommy and such never made him feel lesser for being uninterested.

His character kept me invested in the DSMP. His humor helped me through the worst parts of Covid. I’d already read The Art of War, but his love for it made me appreciate it and the rest of the classics so much more. The stories and art, the music and headcanons, all of it irrevocably altered the way I tell stories and the way I view the world. He helped me articulate a lot of my moral code, and concretely understand a lot of my beliefs. His relationship with Philza, both in character and out, also helped me. I had no idea friendships could be that intimate without being romance, and my friendship with my best friend is significantly closer now. My family has lost a lot to cancer. At the time of Techno’s announcement, I’d recently lost a grandfather to lung cancer, my other granddad had just barely fought it off, and my aunt had dealt with blood cancer as a kid, leaving her incapable of having kids. I’ll admit: I panicked. I hated cancer with a passion and I still do: I couldn’t fathom loosing another person to it, public figure or otherwise. I was never allowed to interact much with the internet while I was a minor. By the time I wasn’t one anymore, watching fandoms from the sidelines had already become habit. I never stepped in, never commented, never sent any messages in chat. I think I did it to maintain emotional distance. I was there for years, every stream, every video, cheering and screaming and chanting with the best of them, but entirely silent. I only really got close to breaking out of that weird sort of limbo once. It was some random stream, late in his illness, when a timer went off for his meds. He ignored it, cracked a joke, and even though I was at work I spent the next ten minutes thinking about it. “Just go take your meds, idiot.” I kept muttering to myself. I think I scared a coworker. I had the chat open and my fingers on my phone when he noticed the rest of chat yelling at him and took them, so I didn’t say anything. I never did. I regret that immensely now. I wasn’t any further removed emotionally because of my distance. I just felt like I’d never done anything of value when I could have.

I don’t think I really… processed it. When he died. I wasn’t in a very safe environment anyway, as my family had no idea I watched his content, much less cared so much, so I couldn’t emote much externally. What was I gonna say anyway? “Oh, some random guy on the internet died of cancer and won’t be making stuff anymore, darn, what a shame.”

So I didn’t process it. I went on as normal. I didn’t engage with any media made after his passing and I let the hurt fester. Everything was ✨fine✨… and then a few months later, I got a call while at college, “Grandad has cancer again. He’s probably not going to make it this time.”

Yeah. Yeah that. That hurt. A lot. That semester became a painful mess of travel and sickness and missed classes and hard conversations with a dying man I still love more than anything. I was kicked out of my apartment without warning the day I got the call about his death. When I got the chance to breathe, it finally hit me, and I just sort of broke down. And the person I was grieving? Techno. Not my grandpa. Not at first. It was like I’d blocked the pipe up, and the first stuff to come out was the stuff that’d gotten stuck first. i sat down and cried about it. I reread Passerine for the first time since he’d announced the cancer. I started writing again on things I hadn’t had the heart to touch. I found Grandpa’s old dog tags and I haven’t taken them off since. It was… ok. I guess. But I still wouldn’t watch his videos. I couldn’t watch any of the other DSMP creators, especially not Phil. To be frank, I was also dealing with a lot of doubt in my faith at the time. Techno was the first person I’d ever known who died without being a professing Christian. I still don’t know what’s happened to him, and at the time I didn’t know what to do with that. I couldn’t tolerate the idea that, according to everyone around me, someone so funny and noble and kind and strong willed would end up parted from God or lost or whatever you think the afterlife might be for people who don’t ‘get everything right.’ And most of the people in my church circle are painfully callous when it comes to people who aren’t ‘in the right,’ who don’t die ‘correctly.’ I still don’t really know what to do with that, except for the fact that I hate it, and I don’t think it’s Christlike. I don’t think I’m going to find peace on that for a long while. I might wait until I die and see what happens. So I figured it was done and over. I’d been sad, I’d come to terms with it, I’d moved on. But I wasn’t… really acknowledging how much it mattered? And I wasn’t reengaging with the fandom at all. I assumed I never would. But recently, I made a friend. We’ll call her Jamie for privacy’s sake. Jamie’s really similar to me, but she’d never really interacted with the DSMP fandom. She was asking for fic recs and before I even thought about it I’d recommended Passerine. Then Bones in the Ocean. She loved them, then started asking who Techno was, so I mentioned the Potato Wars videos, and before I’d had the chance to flinch I was watching them with her, laughing and rolling my eyes and trying my hardest not to cry in front of someone who hasn’t the slightest idea why I’d be so emotional. But I watched them. And that evening I put a Philza stream on. I’m not done mourning Techno, the stuff he stood for, and the community he built around him. But I’m done hiding it. I’m sharing the art and the half-finished fics and the stuff I still laugh at years later. I’m gonna find time somehow to join Phil’s streams, and actually talk to people instead of watching from a distance. I’m gonna talk about it with people. I’m gonna buy merch. Because I loved him, in that same weird friend-brother-online-stranger way he seemed to love us right back, and I still do. He’s still here, in a weird way, making us laugh and cry and fight every battle with flawless confidence and our heads held high. It’s not easy, but he’s not dead until we let him stop. He’s not gone until we all decide he doesn’t matter anymore. And we’re Chat for crying out loud, that’s never gonna happen. Technoblade never dies.