#I feel like I just shared a lot of really personal information and I'm lowkey nervous about it

[mxdarling]

[inside the closet, it's full of rainbows]

or how the astral express crew react to you coming out to them.

found family astral express, ooc astral express crew, fluff post, lowercase, definitely rushed, platonic, not proofread, 1.8k wc, reader could be trailblazer or not, spoiler free, reader's gender/sexuality is left ambiguous.

[a/n; soooo... pride month, yes, it's gay mfs, i initially wanted to get this out earlier but uh- i forgot to write it??? so um- i'm very sorry!! this might be like a whole month late? but it's never too late to say happy pride month!! <33 also repost bcs IT AIN'T SHOWING UP IN THE TAGS???]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ :March 7th;

➮ okay hear me out, her first reaction is either gonna be "WHAT!?" or "HAHA I KNEW IT!!"

➮ because if you're super lowkey about your sexuality/gender then she probably never even thought of the possibility of you being part of the skittle squad like- she's literally mouth gaping bcs SHE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA THAT YOU WEREN'T STRAIGHT/CISGENDER???

➮ she probably got the vibe that maybe you weren't straight/cisgender?? like maybe the way you dress or the way you act to certain gender/sex that gave her the idea but she didn't wanna assume nor did you say anything to confirm or deny her thoughts so she kinda just dropped it but she still held some curiosity but just didn't act upon it y'know- pretty girls respect privacy!!

➮ ORR if you're less secretive about your gender/sexuality, wearing pride pins, your flag colors, saying jokes implying your gender/sexuality, your romantic/lack of interests towards a certain gender/multiple genders/anything romantic or sexual, etc. without ever really saying it directly then she probably got the hint (or multiple OBVIOUS hints to be exact) so when you finally confirmed it she reacts like she knew from the very beginning (like a detective having their suspicions on a person proven true, it's cute loll)

➮ now honestly speaking, no matter what gender/sexuality she's gonna be so so supportive you!! doing everything she can to make you comfortable in expressing yourself around her and the astral express! she also asks you questions about your gender/sexuality which might leave you overwhelmed if she bombers you with them but she'll back off if you verbally/clearly express signs of discomfort

➮ IF EVER you need help with clothes, like wanting to be comfortable but also stylish, finding what style suits your appearance the best, what accessories to buy, finding clothes your size, etc. your girl march has got your back!! she can't be a pretty girl without a sense of fashion!! you bet you two are gonna have the best photoshoot of your life, march gets all your best angles, not a single one is a bad photo and if you're feeling camera shy she joins in the photoshoot with you!! matching clothes is a must so you two can be cute together!!

➮ she's totally gonna drag you to most, if not all, her shopping sprees!! i'm sorry if you aren't one to go to clothes shopping often but she cannot have you miss this opportunity to try on clothes with her!! she promises you to make it worth your while (or she just begs and begs until your eventually agree LOLL)

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ :Dan Heng;

➮ this guys is either a low "i knew that" or a moment of silence before speaking up, "yeah that makes sense"

➮ LIKEE he probably had an inkling feeling that you were a little fruity, like a scratching gut feeling that you weren't straight/cisgender just didn't say anything, he knows that if you wanted him to know you would've said something so he waited for you to tell him yourself to not pressure you into doing something you weren't comfortable. he understands things such as these are private matters, if you don't wanna share it then it's fine—if you do then it won't change how he views and treats you as a friend! he's does feel a little bit happy that you trust him with this information (he's very much happy loll)

➮ he's definitely a lot more perceptive than march so he's more likely to pick up behavior habits or hints that would probably be "normal" in other people's eyes, like i said he says nothing about this to you or anyone, he kinda just- remembers them??? like its stored in his head in case he'll bring it up in the future for unknown reasons cause like march he doesn't wanna assume or jump to conclusions about you sooo he brushes off his curiosity until he sort of buries it deep down??? idk its hard to read the guy okay

➮ there were probably moments wherein you did something that made dan heng raise an eyebrow like this emoji "🤨" EXCEPT its more stoic and less obvious that your action made him A LITTLE suspicious... for the first few times he doesn't think about it too much because those could be coincidences or accidents, everyone has those moments (right? right??? yeah.) but if those "coincidences" and "accidents" happen a bit more often than his gayradar goes off brr

➮ he's very much supportive just not as loud as march is, he does basically everything march does but in a more subtle manner like he's researching all night about your gender/sexuality to make sure he doesn't say anything insensitive or make a wrong assumption about your gender/sexuality, reading materials that contain your gender/sexuality so he can understand how you feel better, etc. he also asks you some of his questions directly but he doesn't really wanna bother you or come off as 'too much' so he got most of his knowledge from other sources

➮ he may be quiet about his support but do not doubt that this man will defend you to hell and back if someone were to ever ever disrespect you and your boundaries, he will fight back and he will not go easy on said person or people, he MIGHT hold back if you tell him very nicely, might okay he doesn't take lightly to those that insult people who are dear to him, no way will he remain a bystander to the sight of people stepping over you like some doormat!!

➮ he doesn't do it often but he'll gift you trinkets that are the colors of your flag, like maybe not exactly the colors but he tries to find the closest one that resembles your colors flag y'know, plus he's not really good with words so this is one of the ways of showing that he loves you and you're important to him no matter what <33

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ :Himeko;

➮ honestly i feel like it's just one reaction, and it's just a soft smile and a expression that screams "i'm glad you were comfortable enough to tell me" LIKE IT'S SO SOFT AND CARING OMGGHDJHSH

➮ sorry guys himeko is just so sweet, caring, understanding, patient, emotional available i feel like she's the one you told way before anyone else because of how comfortable you are with her. SHE'S LITERALLY PERFECT WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY-

➮ i feel as though she doesn't put much thought into your personal matters because she knows that there are things that don't need to be said at all and she understands that, she won't force nor rush anything, she'll let you pick your pace, take your time, and choose when you wanna be vulnerable with her and/or the crew. she also doesn't make any bold assumptions about your gender/sexuality on her end because that's not what defines you, rather she gives her thoughts on what she DOES know about you—as a person, as a nameless, as someone dear to her.

➮ supportive mother all the way!! she does whatever makes you comfortable, like she slowly eases you in how you want to express yourself and how you feel about yourself, how you want to be address, it's just a very slow but caring process with himeko <33

➮ she feels like the type of person you'd gossip with, himeko and her black bitter coffee, you and your (favorite drink), maybe not exactly gossip but you'd tell her about certain incidents surrounding your gender/sexuality (like how you'd tell your friend/s about a new crush you developed, how the new outfit you’ve discovered makes you feel more confident, etc. etc.) like idk how to explain it but you guys see the vision?? you yapping about something and himeko just peacefully listening despite not talking much, idk i find it very sweet <33 she's definitely the type to make you your favorite food and drink if you happen to be in a bad mood because of someone else :((

➮ while she might not fully understand what it's like in your shoes, she can try to sympathize with you and be the shoulder to cry on when you feel overwhelmed with your emotions or need to let those feelings out so they don't eat you up from the inside. sometimes just being by each other's side is enough of comfort, no words are needed, just the presence and the knowledge that someone is there for you at your lowest.

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ :Welt Yang;

➮ dude feels like a old man, i'm sorry i feel like he's the one that's not the most knowledgeable about lgbtq+?? like he knows about it, he doesn't know a lot about it you get what i mean? like he'll look at you a little confused on what you said but still is accepting just needs time for you to explain to him what exactly is your gender/sexuality, he's trying he swears!!

➮ he's the clueless one, i'm not just saying this because he's an old man and stuff but i feel like he's mind is always either on the safety of the crew, the next location, or the current trailblaze mission, if he DOES have the time to not think about those things it's probably to reminisce about the past or something y'know? so he's the one that had absolutely NO IDEA you weren't straight/cisgender!!???

➮ he'll still ask questions about your gender/sexuality just to make sure he hasn't gotten anything wrong or assumed something bad about your gender/sexuality, his approach to gaining more information is kind of like a mix of march and dan heng where he'll ask questions to you and search for sources on his own.

➮ honestly idk what else to add but the fact he's definitely trying his best loll, he's still getting used to addressing you the way you wanted to be address, or he's still surprised by the way you dress yourself up but don't take any of it negative—it's just the change will catch him off guard but nevertheless supports these changes!! if it makes you comfortable and more yourself than do it! if it's not hurting you in any way, why should he stop and ruin your fun?

➮ like himeko, he'll be the listener to your yapping, might have a harder time keeping up with what you're saying sometimes if you're the type to talk really fast or jump from topic to topic but he'll still listen. he'll even surprise you by remembering the stuff you've said, even if you just mentioned it once, he still remembered it.

➮ he tries his best to give the best advice you need in your current situation, he tries not to sugarcoat his words and be as honest as he possibly can—though he can't guarantee he won't hurt your feelings, sometimes advice are words you NEED to hear and not what you WANT to hear.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY, REPOST, SHARE, TRANSLATE OR REUPLOAD ANY OF MY WORKS TO OTHER SITES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION + REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

[woodsfae]

B5 s04e04 Falling Towards Apotheosis previous episode - table of contents 

I had to look up what Apotheosis meant, having only been able to draw up the vague idea of one of itstwo definitions: the highest point smething can reach. And the other, glorifying something, or someone, to the point of godhood. 

Hm, god Sheridan or god Valen?? Surely Valen became a sort of demi-god to the Minbari. Probably Sheridan? But it would be cool to see Sinclair one more time. 

Ivanova updates us on the situation via an emergency broadcast to B5. That's clever, I like that as a method of exposition/don't forget where the plot is. 

Wow, Sheridan parting the stampeding masses just by walking through. Also lol at the 90s fear of trampling. Looks like some early stage apotheosis alright. 

the credits: "The year is 2261 [...]" Partner: "If this doesn't actually happen in 2261 I'm going to be so pissed." 

Personally, I would not.

Garibaldi is suspicious of and investigating a god. Lorien is pretty strange and a very random, new element without much explanation. 

And he's having a weird time. As he says, the captain disappeared for even longer, and just says he's back from the dead and everyone's fine with him running things. But Garibaldi comes back and gets closely monitored and not allowed to return to work without multiple medical examinations despite being seemingly fine.

Well. He's wrong because he is compromised, but yeah, they also have no way of knowing that the captain isn't. More of that being venerated by the people, clearly. 

Sheridan better not get a swelled head over it, is all I'm saying. If he doesn't take his ascension with an aw shucks then is he really a wholesome side of corn-fed Iowa beef? 

Morden's still fucked up. And he's dictating defense policy on Centauri, while Cartagia blithely agrees. 

Cartagia has another secret room which I assume witll be as fucked up as his secret torture-murder chamber.  

Aaaand it is. He has a secret council where he sits in a room with the corpses of deceased members of court. Lovely. A very sane sort of thing to do, to keep oneself grounded. 

A very sane plan, Cartagia. I commend you on the whole "become a god by being the person who caused the end of Centauri while dying too" is a normal thing to want and possible to achieve.  Very unfortunately possible to achieve. And lowkey destined. 

Living the trainwreck he willfully set into motion would be satisfying if it wasn't so horrible and tragic and wide-reaching in scope and loss of life. 

Garibaldi is most likely clean of Vorlon technology impanted in him. But sadly he cannot, or does not, test if he has a secret personality implanted in him by psicorps. 

The Vorlons are going fucking murder-serious, wiping out planets, colonies, and ships. 

I suddenly wish I paid more attention to the types of clothes and colors of clothes that Delenn wears. Her red and blue outfit is vivid, and I feel like I recognize it, and she's worn it before. 

Cute Delenn and John. The sweeping romance feels well earned, and solidly set up, and the actors have really good chemistry. 

Ah! They finally mentions not-Kosh. He's still here. Sheridan wants him gone. 

Lyta! And she's here to help carry out Sheridan's plan to kill not-Kosh! Presumably while Garibaldi is off trying to kick him out without knowing about his plan as not to betray it telepathically. 

Another planet down. With all this destruction the Shadows have certainly won ideologically already. 

Y'know, I don't remember Sheridan saying "force him to leave," but Garibaldi apparently heard "fire guns at him a lot till he kicks your asses." Like, I didn't get the sense that was Sheridan's order. Luckily, no-Kosh didn't kill any of them. 

Sheridan shares information about when the Vorlons might arrive at Centauri Prime freely when Londo asks. 

Operation: Kill A God is underway. Lyta lures him out, with the fragment of Kosh that is/was in Sheridan. I don't know if the fragment of Kosh passed on when Sheridan died or not. 

not-Kosh walks into a trap of an electrical field and a couple dozen soldiers firing plasma guns. 

Although they succeed in discorporating the Vorlon, it still isn't down! 

Ah, it seems that the Kosh fragment survived! It, and a bit of Lorien, join the discorporated Vorlon, and reverberate outwards like ripples on water till they joined the Vorlon ship and exploded. Wow, Kosh literally turning on the Vorlons that are massacring in his name. At least we know Kosh didn't approve of it! Not all Vorlons :P

Londo's assassination plan is to lure Cartagia out to Narn, to have a trial for and "execute" G'Kar on his homeworld. 

John Sheridan is going to die young becase he died already, and Lorien could only give him so much biochemical energy, Yeah, younger death, but like the mildest of death sentences. That would be pretty rough as a member of a long-lived species! Counting on sixty years or more with John and already knowing you'll outlive him by a lot would make the loss of that sixty years pretty heartbreaking. 

Awwww they're being cute again. Sheridan and Delenn are engaged. I wonder what the Minbari custom is - or was that the three nights of sleeping that was interupted by puppet!Anna?

Cartagia is having G'Kar's eye "plucked out" fuck man. That's so augh. C'mon. If he must lose an eye have it be in a fight, it's just overwhelmingly negative. No one else is getting this. 

Also a bummer point to have the episode end on! It does build a sort of dread fascination though. What horrible thing is going to happen to G'Kar next episode. 

onwards!

[adarkroomandawallflower]

Love love love your writing! Do you have any hcs on activities that Data enjoys doing in the holodeck? (besides what we see on TNG)

I'm so glad you enjoy my writing, and thank you so much for dropping this into my inbox!

To be honest, I didn't really think about this before, mostly because the show gave us a decent amount of insight into the kinds of activities Data does in the holodeck. However, now that you mention it, I think there are actually a lot of things we could have (or if I may be so bold to declare, should have) seen Data do in the holodeck. I feel like the show touched on the sort of "obvious" activities he'd do, but not exactly his more hobby-esque/personal activities.

Anyway, long story short, I do have some headcanons about this for you! I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to add on, if you have any more ideas or if you feel I left something out 😊

I think Data would have 3 types of holodeck programs: ones for him to practice his skills and hobbies, ones that he does with his friends, and ones that are a bit more personal and private.

The most obvious hobby-esque programs would be those for practicing plays he would later perform for the other crew members. However, I think he would also have programs for his poetry. I think his cadence and tone when he verbally shared his poetry indicates that he practiced verbal reading before. I believe he developed a program with some poets that he wanted to emulate, and he practiced writing and reading poetry aloud with them.

The same goes for his instrument playing. Although he had all the information about every single instrument, musician, and how to play them in his data banks, I think he still would have needed to actually see someone play an instrument to fully understand how to play it himself. So, I think he definitely would have needed to make a few programs of the best musicians for each instrument he wanted to play.

I think he'd also do this with painting, and his favorite painters.

Honestly, I'm surprised TNG never had Data paint a "live" scene in the holodeck because he definitely would do that!

I think he loves nature, so he'd probably have several nature programs to paint. Things like an ocean/beach, a forest, a desert, etc.

I also thought it was kind of odd that Data did all his hobbies in his quarters. Even though he can't exactly get distracted, I feel like everyone always needs him/lowkey interrupts him, even (read: especially) when he's off duty. I think at some point, he'd realize that sometimes, he'd want to do his recreational activities uninterrupted, and that's when he'd create holodeck programs that he can have a little bit more peace and freedom in.

For the holodeck programs for his friends, I think he'd also have at least one program per each of his friends, that he individually does together with them.

For Geordi, we saw that they solved Holmes mysteries together. I couldn't really think of any other activities they might do together, so I'm going to say that this is their main one.

They might change it up a bit and solve other mysteries together, but that's all I can really see them doing together in the holodeck.

Because Data is well-revered in the Klingon empire for his strength, and I'm sure Worf also admires this about him, I think Data would have some type of fighting program that he does with Worf.

I don't think he'd participate in the fighting program Worf did with K'ehleyr (I feel like it's a bit too violent for Data's taste), but I think he does like the teamwork aspect of it, so he'd probably construct a program that involved them fighting enemies together.

Every once in a while, usually when Worf is in a really bad mood, he'll want to do some hand-to-hand combat with Data to blow off steam, so Data might try to incorporate that into the program, as well (i.e. maybe the last level is they have to fight each other, as only one can win the game).

Also, I just want to say that it's a CRIME we didn't have more Worf and Data friend interactions. I'm not sure why they made Worf sort of apprehensive and not very friendly with Data because I personally think they are great friends and get along well!

For Riker, I think Data would have a program of a little jazz bar where they'd play together.

Riker, of course, would play his beloved trombone, and I think Data would love playing the clarinet or the harmonica.

They'd be their own little duo, and call themselves The Lady Killers (per Riker's suggestion).

They'd invite the other crew members every once in a while to the program to come watch them play.

Data would also have that classic hat and a pair of those classic sunglasses lots of jazz musicians wear that he'd have on when he played.

For Picard's designated program, I think it would be the same as the theatrical programs Data did with him in the show, except instead of doing them for Picard and asking his opinions on his performances, they'd perform together and provide critiques/advice for each other.

Most of them are Shakespeare plays, of course, and the programs would be an equal mix of both Picard's and Data's favorite ones.

Personally, I think Data's favorite Shakespeare plays would be The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Comedy of Errors, and The Tempest (I will spare you all from my in-depth analysis of why I think he'd enjoy these in particular because this post is already too long 😅)

For Beverly, I think Data would have a dancing program. Although she doesn't want to be known as "The Dancing Doctor" again, I think she still loves and sometimes even misses dancing. So, I think Data would try to remedy this dilemma by making a program for them, in which she can teach him new dances, and they can both learn new dances together.

She's very touched by this, and is always happy to dance with him and/or teach him a new dance!

I think Data's favorite dances would be ballet (it's a great way for him to practice his strength and balance) and the tango (he loves the fast pace and I feel like the moves are bit stiffer than other dances, which would work in his favor).

I think this could also technically be considered as one of Data's private and personal programs, since Beverly likely would prefer if he didn't tell others about it.

For Deanna, I feel like she's always wanted to have her very own proper tea party. So, I think he'd make a program for her so they could have a little tea party together!

The first time they tried out the program, Data had misunderstood that she wanted a child's tea party, so everything in the program was very small.

Additionally, she showed up dressed in regal clothes (including a fancy feathered hat), while he showed up in big goofy sunglasses and a pink, sparkly feather boa.

After she laughed for a good 10 minutes, leaving the poor baby so confused, she explained that she had wanted an English-esque, adult tea party. He adjusted the program and his wardrobe accordingly (but she insisted he keep the boa and sunglasses).

Riker also sometimes joins them in this program (he's also a big fan of the boa and sunglasses).

I have to point out that it was also a crime that Data and Deanna's friendship wasn't developed more in the show. I think they both have equal amounts of intrigue and curiosity for one another. Data would want to learn so much about human emotions and behavior from her, and she wants to learn more about his emotions and how she can help him realize they're real and valid. As a result, I think they'd be very good friends.

For Spot, Data would have a "feline enrichment" program, consisting of a large pond with lots of koi fish, trees with lots of birds, and tall grass/shrubbery with insects for her to play with and chase.

He'd take her to this program at least once a week, to help her get her excess energy (and anger) out.

She absolutely LOVES it, and he accidentally Pavlov-ed her because whenever he brings out her leash and harness, she knows exactly where they're going. This leads to her meowing very loudly and excitedly, and aggressively rubbing against his legs.

Lastly, for his more personal and private programs, I think they'd be programs that are for his eyes/participation only, and he wouldn't share them with anyone else.

Despite his stoicism, I think Lal's death really had an effect on him, and he'd make a hologram of her in the holodeck to help cope with the loss.

Whenever he especially "misses" her, like when he rescued another child/orphan or spent his day around children, he'd go to the holodeck to see her afterwards.

I think this program would just be a replicate of his quarters, and he'd mostly just sit and talk with her.

Sometimes he'll do activities with her, like teaching her to play an instrument or make art.

This program he would especially keep to himself, and wouldn't talk about or show it to anyone.

The only person I can think of him maybe showing it to would be his significant other, if it ever got to the point in their relationship where he'd want them to meet Lal.

Otherwise though, it's his little secret.

I think he'd also have a private program with a hologram of Noonien in it.

I think he partially blames himself for his father's death, and he barely got to know him or ask him everything he wanted to ask, so I think that would be the main purpose of this program.

He just wants some closure and a better understanding of himself, as well as his father, and I think this is the way he'd seek both of those things.

He wouldn't show this program to anyone either, except maybe his significant other, if their relationship progressed that far.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A lot to talk about today: there are replies about some of our previous posts, Leech parents, headcanons, antis, random stuff, and in general we are all over the place today.

Starting with the most important question though.

Anonymous asked:

Do you think Todd’s tits are big?

Yes, your honor. They are indeed of considerable size. Yes sir. Those sure are substantial.

But not the biggest ones of the cast though, Lucas is bigger 💪😔

Now that we’ve figured that out, let’s talk about antis and other things…

Anonymous asked:

On the subject of antis, I find it terribly ironic in a sad sort of way how many antis are being busted for victimizing, you know, ACTUAL, REAL LIFE children not fictional characters…

This is super ironic and honestly very disgusting, both in terms of them attacking kids online for their interests and straight-up grooming the younger antis in their own groups. Teenagers are very impressionable  and easy to manipulate, so of course someone is going to take advantage of that. What makes the manipulation easier is the fact that if you pretend to be against “those filthy weirdos proshitters”, it implies that you would never hurt a kid, and it makes these people feel even more trustworthy to them... Whenever I block a bunch of antis and see a random adult in their friend group, I always get this feeling of “god I hope you are just some pathetic harmless loser”.

But even without taking this particular shitty possibility into account, participating and promoting harassment of actual real people (kids included!!) over fictional characters is always going to be one of the most disgusting manifestations of their hypocrisy.

Anonymous asked:

Hey um so this twst server I'm in apparently has antis and they found your Twitter and they started hating on your shroudcest art and I left as soon as they did

Ik it probably won't be helpful if they do decide to target you but be careful please

Well yikes lol Thank you so much for telling us and for your concern, Anon! Unfortunately, it’s not something that we never experienced before; we just figured that even if we block every person who is speaking out publically against us, there are going to be certain people who discuss our stuff on discord. After all, why would they talk about the game and its characters and make something they would actually enjoy? Now that’s just silly. When people have nothing to do or to discuss, they’re going to gossip, pearl-clutch and complain about someone out there actually creating content and being good at it.

The only thing that bothers me about this whole thing is that these people aren’t supposed to be here. This isn’t a place for minors, even if they really really really want to see some disgusting smut to giggle with their friends about. But oh well, as recent events show, even locking your account doesn’t help to keep them away.

I am glad you are out of there though; I guess your intuition was right. I hope you find people to share your stuff with.

Thank you again for your support!

Phew, with all that out of the way… let’s talk about sillier stuff!

Anonymous asked:

Hiii, I'm the Anon who asked about the Leech parents. I didn't expect to see a sketch. Even if it's just their silhouettes, i got lowkey excited, so i was wondering if you're going to finish that sketch one day or post it?

The young leech twins are so cute! they're probably chaotic, too. I also find it interesting that Papa Leech has a cane, and Mama Leech looks like she's wearing a kimono!

That being said, I think it's very interesting that Twisted Wonderland not only has a bunch of interesting characters, but so are their parents/family! Besides the Leech parents, I find Mama Rosehearts and Mrs. Ashengrotto also very interesting despite only being mentioned a few times! I genuinely like that they include a little bit of information about each characters family instead of doing the typical anime trope of "Dead parents" or "Parents are overseas", it's very refreshing.

(this is related to this post!)

Hi Anon <3 I am very happy you liked the sketch! I’m not sure if I’m going to finish this one, but I would love to draw the Leech parents properly and in colour one day. Let’s hope for the best!

Little tweels used to be little spoiled shits lol I mean they still are, but you’re right, they were very chaotic at that age too. And I’m glad you liked the kimono and the cane! The moment we started thinking about the Leeches being yakuza, I couldn’t stop picturing Mama Leech as a sly woman in a kimono, so I am actually especially excited to draw her properly one day. I am not sure if Papa Leech even needs a cane, but it makes him look more impressive I guess… similarly to Azul lol, but maybe he does need to use a cane, maybe he isn’t as good at using his human legs, maybe he used to be better at it but it’s more difficult for him now.

I also absolutely agree with you. I am so glad that we have so many different type of families and parents in Twst. I feel like every character has a story to tell about how they were raised, and it always affects their personalities, motivations, and values. Even just comparing Mama Rosehearts and Mama Ashengrotto is very interesting, I would honestly love to learn more about every single Twst parent or sibling lol

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

Based off this, what are some things you think could get Riddle flustered or excited over his partners?

Hmmm, let’s see!

Floyd – probably whenever he is being more or less serious and focused?? If he just sits there, writing something down, thinking about the test and stuff. Granted, Riddle only experienced a sight like this once, but the butterflies in his stomach he felt that day were unforgettable.

Trey – whenever he handles the dough or cooks in general, but maybe this is just Riddle being excited about the fact that he’s going to eat a cake soon lol But also whenever Trey tries to discipline someone. He likes it when he gets a bit strict with others.

Chenya – this one is easy, whenever he winks at Riddle. Whenever he does it, Riddle gets very flustered. It’s been years and he still can’t get over it and get used to it.

Ace – this one is also rare, but when he does something… handsome and confident and not annoying at the same time? When he shows him a magic trick, hides all the cards somehow and goes “ta-daa” with a smug smile. Nevermind, this one is still annoying LOL but if he took a coin out of behind of Riddle’s ear, Riddle would probably blush a little.

Anonymous asked:

Bows before you. Today I bring with me Ortho/Malleus propaganda 🥰

1. Consider that Ortho has the ability to just absolutely flabbergast Malleus. Leave him totally speechless with his technology powers. Malleus has not a single clue how this little guy works

2. Consider Rollo... if Malleus was thinking he was a top and got met with DISAPPOINTMENT. Now imagine the opposite... If he's convinced that Ortho is probably a bottom, and is in for a very pleasant surprise!!

3. Not only does Ortho have the ability to flabbergast Malleus, but ALSO Malleus shoots out lightning when he gets frustrated, and Ortho is afraid of lightning.... I just think that's a little hot. And very interesting <3

4. For two characters that are both super OP they are surprisingly on very equal footing, but I can imagine both of them getting that NRC mindset that they're still definitely better than each other, flirting with each other about it even ( flirting = fighting to the death for fun)

5. Consider Malleus in a muzzle. This is irrelevant to my case. Consider it anyway 🤤

6. Their longevity..... Malleus is going to live for, what, another thousand years or so? He's going to outlive everyone at NRC for sure, and we have no idea how long Ortho will live, but assuming he can manage his own repairs, he could live for... Basically however long he wants, give or take. They are sort of the only ones who can "grow old" with each other.... extremely interesting to me

That is all, thank you for your time :^)

Anon, this is VERY IMPRESSIVE, you really made me think about these two. It’s a very good ship on so many levels, and every point that you made is 👌👌👌 Come to think of it, the vignette in which Ortho helped Malleus to come up with the Halloween costume idea was very fun. They are so different with how bad Malleus is at technology and how bad Ortho is at… lightning and stuff lol

Malleus is absolutely going to be surprised to learn that Ortho is a top, but then he’s probably going to start noticing how Ortho is similar to Lilia in a lot of ways. And this is absolutely going to amuse him.

The longevity is also a good point. I think this is the only character combo that could stay forever for hundreds of years?? (Sebek, about whom I forgot, is crying in the corner somewhere...) Which is very fun, considering how much both of them would hate to say goodbye to their loved ones.

The 5th point was very sneaky lol but very much worth considering. I nod in agreement. Yes.

Anonymous asked:

do you think that in the Seven's time, instead of by the sevens they said oh my Toboso or by Toboso! and stuff

That would be a funny 4th wall breaking lol Is Toboso the God of this universe? I mean technically she is. The great cult of Toboso.

By the way, is “the Sevens” the thing that only the EN version has? I might be wrong, but I think it wasn’t really in the original game. Which would make sense, it’s not like the Great Seven are a deity or something…

Anonymous asked:

My moe fall is my shoe flying in one direction, my weave flying in another, and then I backflip out a window.

Anon!! This is incredibly adorable, but you should really be careful! 😱 Such acrobatics!

Anonymous asked:

Passionately, animalistically, and roundly is how I eat my cereal

The only correct way to do it….

[exantivancrow]

Hi!! A bit late rip but 2, 3, 6, 11 from the pride asks for hanna, fen, and anyone else you'd like! c:

laya, the light of my life, tysm!!! quick rundown of the bg3 ocs:

fen's my non-tav half drow halsin romancer, nature domain cleric of yondalla (listen, the underdark sucked) guild artisan

hanna's my witcher oc i borrowed for my first run when i got decision paralysis on the cc; human battlemaster fighter outlander who is also romancing halsin in her run bc he's eskel-coded

alecto's my gith oath of vengeance paladin soldier romancing astarion (and probably also halsin...... we're not gonna talk about it)

2. What's your oc's orientation? (Romantic, sexual, platonic, alterous, etc.) Do they have opinions about it?

Fen: Pansexual, bisexual, no matter your opinions on what label works best, if you're hot she's into it. She thinks it's kinda fascinating that this isn't the consensus on attraction. On the aromantic spectrum somewhere, because I'm incapable of making allo characters.

Hanna: She's pretty sure she's heterosexual; she has slept with more than just men, but she finds herself primarily focusing on men. She leads a busy stressful complicated life so if someone offers, that's all that matters, she'll take it, but she's not as into it as she could be. She's never really dedicated time/effort to figuring out more because she's got a busy stressful complicated life, but she is demiromantic.

Alecto: Their perception of sexuality (whoever is strong is attractive) is the only correct way. Astarion is strong in spirit, and in combat, if not in body, and he's not helpful in explaining how it works for people not raised in a creche, he's also drawn to strength.

3. How did your oc discover themselves? Did something cause them to question or have they always known?

Fen: She's always known. She's been through a lot of different cultures, and understood from her beginning how she worked.

Hanna: Was hit on by a gorgeous tiefling woman within her first year on the road, and thought "oh I can't pass up this opportunity", and then didn't enjoy it as much as she figured she would. Spent the next couple years finding the pattern before realizing she just wasn't as into women as she originally thought.

Alecto: The gith way is the only right way. Everyone born in the creche knows this.

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

Fen: Likes learning new ones! Both for herself and others. She thinks they're neat.

Hanna: Doesn't mind labels, but doesn't use them herself; does her absolute (hehehe) best to respect others'.

Alecto: Thinks labels are restrictive until someone tries to explain otherwise, and they just find that more confusing. Why say you fit into a category if that's not always true, then you're lying about it? Zheir friends mark it a lost cause. She isn't rude about it on purpose though, he's just genuinely confused.

11. Is your oc open about their identity? Are they more blunt or lowkey? Why or why not?

Fen: Has a thing about sharing personal information needlessly, is not open about it.

Hanna: Is blunt if asked, has no problem with being open about it, but non-maliciously considers it to be a waste of conversation. We could sit around and talk about objective statements about each other, or we could go take care of someone who needs help. She has a preference.

Alecto: Is, in fact, too blunt about it. Karlach once made the mistake of saying that talking to people about it is a way of showing you trust them, and listening to people about it is a way of showing you care, and now she brings it up (in too much detail) when she's trying to make friends. Her existing friends have to explain "it means she likes you".

looking at this, glad to see they're all as autistic as I am, lmaoooo; my new bg3 blog @lastlightinternet will feature more of these kiddos eventually! thanks for the ask laya!!

[golddustdyke]

im starting emdr soon! if you're comfortable, could you share a bit about the effects? i wanna know what i should be preparing myself for and how hopeful i can be that it'll help. i get it if you don't wanna air out this information though

Hi!!! So i've been preparing for it since January I think? And we were supposed to do the actual eye movement part yesterday but my therapist wants my medical records from last year and we've both been trying for months to get them but the hospital hasn't sent them yet lol so we're just waiting for that!

Idk if you're starting the actual eye movement part or you're like. about to start the whole process. but the first part of the process for me was narrowing down what some of my negative cognitions are that impact my life. And then I had to think about where those negative cognitions stemmed from. Like, what memory was attached to it, and it was important that I went all the way to the memory where it first originated. And as my therapist and i were working on that, we were also working on creating a Safe Space for me. So, I had to envision a place in mind while meditating. And for a month I had to practice going there every day in my mind. This is a safety precaution so if I ever get triggered after emdr, I can go to safe space in my mind without actually having to go to a physical place.

As for what you should prepare yourself for? A lot of emotions will be upturned. For me, it's emotions and starting a few days ago, blocked out memories that are being upturned. I feel like I've been hit by a bus lol. I don't think I've ever been in this much pain in my life and this is coming from someone who was in psychosis last year and it was truly a horrific experience.

But there's also relief that I've never felt before throughout every traumatic memory being exposed. Things are clicking into place. I'm understanding why I made certain choices or believed certain things and said certain words. And though it's incredibly painful and it lowkey feels like my insides are dying, there's a part that just. feels okay for the first time since I was 3 years old. because i'm finally getting the truth that's been evading me. i'm finally feeling the darkness that's been haunting me and i'm seeing it for what it is.

so i think basically what i'm saying is that. i think you should prepare to be in pain. or experience hurt. or feel not great. but through that comes something really beautiful and healing. you'll see things for what they were and not the destructive belief that you developed about yourself or the world. I'm constantly being hit with memory after memory i had blocked out and they're the most horrible things i've ever experienced and they are things that no person should ever have to go through. Going through these things as a kid made me believe i was dirty and bad and disgusting and worthless and i didn't deserve love or to be helped. but with every upturned memory, i see how untrue that is. because with each memory, i see the truth. i was a little kid. and i was a really great one. and the truth is worth this pain. and then with emdr, we'll be replacing these negative cognitions with better ones; with the truth. So, that I'm not dirty and I'm not at fault and I'm not evil, etc. So it'll be even more healing.

sorry for the rant lmao but i wish you all the best! feel free to send more questions!

[flowerslut]

17 & 23?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

I know people probably want me to answer this for roots but roots is so canon-compliant that getting into the little details really doesn’t add much to the story. instead, I’m gonna answer this one about call of the night!!!

what’s fun about call of the night is that imo it is canon-compliant, technically, if you squint, up until the late 18th century when I introduce cotn!Esme (who is honestly just a completely different character at this point). her presence, and her gift, is what alters the timeline and creates that canon divergence and why all the other tiny little details diverge as well. when vampires live alongside humans then suddenly (almost) everyone’s backstory has to change to fit that narrative!! so I love that most the cullens’ origin stories are so different—I think edward’s is the only one that hasn’t been talked about, but if it doesn’t come up in later stories then I’ll definitely share that one day—because I get to be more creative in that fun way that writing AUs allows!

I’ve been asked lots of little lore-related questions over the years, and since there’s going to be such a long gap in between books two and three, and there’s so many goddamn details in the first two fics, I’m going to put a little guide together at some point this or next year. it’ll basically be a CotN wiki when it’s done. that way, people who don’t feel like rereading before the novella or 3rd installment can just click around and refresh their memory. (I’ve also been told that a lot of Esme Details™️ are quite unclear, and that’s from people who’ve read CotN multiple times 💀)

hmmmm details details. I’m trying to think of things I can share that won’t spoil later stuff. I feel like so many people over the years have really asked all the right questions so far; if you browse through that link enough you'll get plenty of mindless bonus information! one thing that adds nothing to the story and that will never be mentioned in the text is that a few months ago lilia and I decided that instead of 9/11 never happening (boring, predictable) the same thing just happens on 9/12 (hilarious, galaxy-brained). so no, 9/11 isn't canon in the cotn!verse, but 9/12 is

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

I probably do most of my writing in my bed even though, for the sake of my back, I try to sit at my desk more now as an adult. but alas, old habits die hard, yknow? I enjoy writing at night more and I love love love having the lights dimmed, candles lit, and some sort of ambient music playing in the background. I can’t listen to music with lyrics bc it distracts my brain too much, and I am not the type of person who can just “sit down and write for 20 minutes each day.” I struggle a lot with transitions when I don't have a strict plan/schedule for my day and that’s REALLY bad with writing. so when I DO write, I lowkey need to have at least a few hours of time set aside because I will write nonstop for that entire chunk of time. once I get going, stopping is something I only do because I have to, and rarely because I want to or because I just can’t go any longer. that's one of my weird superpowers: the ability to write for hours on end and get all the words out that I need to say. (and often times, too many words that aren’t even Needed)

but with all that said, now that I have a living room and a kitchen I can sit in (first time since 2019) I’ve been able to write in both!!!! which has been nice and refreshing!!!! unfortunately I haven’t been able to write too much since moving (even answering these asks has eaten into my carefully budgeted time) but i'm hoping to be able to get a few stories churned out (yes, including the cotn novella) this summer before the semester starts in the fall and podcast resumes!

weird questions for writers!

[moe-broey]

AAAUGH OOUGHHH.... (also some spoiler-ish things???? Nothing major, just referencing/discussion of supports)

Céline and Sharena friendship. Actually. ESPPPP after seeing her supports w Hortensia, like. I was actually wondering if she even would get along w Sharena, if they'd have any common ground personality-wise, beyond family and social status, but. I understand now. That literally wouldn't even matter to Céline. She just loves cute girls. She would find Sharena to be SO delightful. And the thing about Céline, is that, yes, she's very much a high society girlie, she's very much a princess and everything that comes with that, but. She's not really stuck up about it? She knows her worth, for sure, she knows she's desirable, absolutely. But like. She doesn't think she's better than anyone else. She doesn't have an ego. She's like. Grounded. And also, the littlest things entertain and delight her sometimes! Probably because she likely was a bit sheltered and secluded growing up, and likely also doesn't have a lot of the "average" life experiences one would have if like. They grew up in a village or something (actually, this is shown in her supports w Lapis, a bit! And what stuck out to me was just how excited Céline was to learn about Lapis and her resourcefulness -- both as a way to learn more about Lapis as a person, and a genuine curiosity and interest in what Lapis was teaching her!)

ALSO. BEYOND JUST THE FUN OF IT. I think Céline would really appreciate Sharena for who she is. Maybe there would be some bumps here and there, as Céline is assessing her -- I think, either Céline is the perceptive type (can tell if Something is off, if someone's words don't seem to match their emotions), or, that's actually a weak area for her. I know. Two complete opposite reads LMFAOOO BUT. I just don't know yet? But I am thinking about, how she is very emotionally intelligent. And I'm also thinking about, esp if it's someone she's just starting to get to know, she needs to study them. She needs information. Especially to determine how she feels about that person, measuring them up, seeing if they're someone she can be comfortable with. Sometimes, she's able to determine this quickly -- pretty much all the girls, she's quick to trust, and Alcryst, she's quick to trust as well -- I think, because she understands him almost immediately. Like, his M/O. His whole deal. He's fine, he's just haunted by endless horrors and ailments 👍 Passed the vibe check 👍 Also Jean passes the vibe check on account of being just a baby boy LMFAOO

But I think, how this relates back, is that. Maybe Céline would notice some Off things about Sharena, but not in a way that makes her seem untrustworthy or even insincere. It's a bit of a conundrum for Céline, actually. Trying to pinpoint it. But she likes Sharena, so she keeps talking to her, and makes it a goal to figure out what's going on. Eventually she does, realizing Sharena just has a rough mirroring, people pleasing and Getting a Good Grade In (insert any interpersonal interaction here) streak LMFAOOO

ALSO..... THINKING...... funny interactions between Alfonse and Alfred. Literally lowkey what happens in a few of Alfred's supports (I think it's a reoccurring thing?) where someone is up Way Too Late and Alfred. Is starting his day.

I think, on a more serious note, it would take some time for them to actually connect. Esppp bc of the opposite personalities. But Alfred is absolutely the perceptive type. He knows a lot more than he tends to let on. In a way, he has his own walls up, too. I think he'd be able to see through Alfonse very quickly, and given how Alfonse Is, just give him a little time to share way too much, be nice to him, and bam. Unintentional besties now. Alfonse head in his hands curled into himself dying in a chair "How does this keep happening" (<- GENUINELY does NOT understand How This Keeps Happening LMFAOOO)

ALSO. I SWEAR TO GOD I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP??? BUT. I THINK. IT IS CANON that Alfonse has some body image issues as well??? It's EXTREMELY obscure, I feel like it's only referenced in Kozaki's Bruno comics where it's shown that Alfonse is envious of Bruno's body type? Like. I swear to god I feel it SO strongly I'm not making this up but also I. Don't have any evidence to back this up. And also maybe I did make this up. I could be completely wrong. I could have just invented this as a core memory.

BUT. As obscure as it is, that could be an interesting thing to explore. ESPPP given. How. Alfred's whole deal is, a desire for strength and to have that strength SHOW, on a physical level, to prove he's all better now and that he can live a long life. And, how. Alfonse himself doesn't seem to be able to put on muscle beyond like, being nicely toned, but Lif. Is fairly muscular. And that. Presents an interesting... scenario.

Espppp thinking about like. When Sharena was telling him about the endless possibilities for all kinds of different Alfreds in all kinds of different worlds, maybe there IS one who's buff as hell. Have you considered selling your soul to The Devil from The Bible and getting yassified in the process? It would solve! At least two problems!! 😬👍

(ALSO. FOR THE RECORD I still haven't finished Engage and I'm still filling out supports, and trying to avoid spoilers 😅 So if anything is missing, or some things seem off or inaccurate, that's why!)

[spiteless-xo]

Hi! The last ask about looking to your writing for inspo had me thinking how do you manage the dialogue to writing background and emotions ratio? When I’m writing I feel like my weakness is dialogue and I get too caught up in descriptive writing rather than using the dialogue to move the story along and I worry it can be burdensome to read. I also feel like I struggle with over explaining every detail in a story to make it comprehensive and I wanted to know how you deal with that since TBAW deals with accounting stuff that not much people would know about so how do you cut back and make sure you don’t over explain if that makes sense?

oooo thank you for the question!!

long response below the cut -- i hope this answered your question? sorry if i was rambly!

also check out the 2023 summer cringefest writing challenge!! cool opportunity to just let go and have fun with your writing instead of trying to make a masterpiece

this is going to sound so stupid, but in my early days of writing, i used to over-describe things because i wanted the scene to look exactly the same way as it did in my head. with one fic that i was writing, one of the characters was eating a piece of cheese. literally, for no reason, i just thought it would be weird if he was just sitting there, so i gave him a piece of cheese to munch on.

IMMEDIATELY, in the comments, people were like "why is x eating cheese? what does that mean?" because i mentioned it so many times and i was like oh shit, because it doesn't mean anything!!!

that was sooooo embarrassing for me that now i only write what's important in a scene because that piece of cheese haunts me 💀💀💀

in all seriousness, readers are very perceptive and they can fill in the scene even if you don't describe every single detail. it can be hard to determine what's "important" in a scene, and that's still something i struggle with, but i try to stick to:

change in tone - if someone's having a normal conversation but the other person pisses them off, I'll say like "Jean snapped" or "Eren hissed" or w/e 💀 otherwise i like to stick to "said/says" because it doesn't interrupt the flow of reading.

body language/movement - instead of saying "Jean was angry" to set the scene, i could describe instead how he "clenched his fists down at his side and you could see the muscle in his jaw twitching" or smthn like that.

internal dialogue - sometimes I'll "pause" dialogue so a character can have an internal crisis, but i try to keep it short -- or if not, I'll have the other character comment on the long pause 💀 "snapping you out of your thoughts" type thing.

dialogue is fun because i think you can convey a lot through conversation. like the pauses in conversation, what words people use when they're talking, or what they decide to share. dialogue sets the scene just as much as emotions and descriptors do, in my opinion.

(also, lowkey writing physical scenes like smut/fighting/kissing really helps with this??? i think it's because you have to keep track of the character's body parts/clothes while also moving forward the dialogue and also not getting lost in the details? idk maybe it's just me 💀)

in terms of over-explaining in relation to the accounting stuff in tbaw..... honestly, i just try to give the bare minimum information necessary to the story.

i could ramble for pages about what the characters are doing, but it's not really important to know that reiner and reader are doing detail testing on the client's expense accounts to confirm completeness, accuracy, etc. ete. 💀 so i strip away the technical details and just say that they're looking at invoices -- because really, that's all you need to know to understand that they're working.

i actually worry that im not giving enough information, sometimes. like when i talk about queries and review notes, i worry that people don't understand what that means, but i hope with context they can get a general idea.

idk i'm still pretty new to writing too! it helps to read other peoples work and see how they do things to help improve your own writing!! not just fanfiction, but published books too.

i like to read YA/NA novels to help improve my writing. i know that genre gets a lot of flack for being too "simple" or "easy reads" or whatever, but i don't think that's a bad thing??? i'm not trying to write the next game of thrones, i'm just looking to write a little love story about some of my favourite anime boys, so i like keeping it simple.

HOWEVER, some people like writing with more descriptors or using more complex language, and there's nothing wrong with that either! at the end of the day, i think that you should write for yourself the way that you like stories to be written.

if you like scenes to be described to the minute detail, do it! if you want to get into the nitty gritty about accounting, write it!!

writing is my fun little hobby so i try not to stress about perfection too much. i know that's easier said than done, but you're your own worst critic so i guarantee even if you think something is too burdensome to read, someone else out there is eating up every single word!!

[emmythespacecowgirl]

hi emmy!! ♡ I hope you're doing well !! I wanted to ask for a ship, preferably for the Pacific :) um so here's some information on me!

Brief description of my looks; Curly hair that's brown with highlights of blonde and red. It's like a mixture of my parents hair colours. I am tall, 175cm. Fashion wise; Starting to get into more of some sort of punk fashion. I like fashion in general but punk fashion has been especially cool as of late, imo. Band tees!! I wait for the day a pretentious man asks me for songs by the hand; I'll list a whole album to spite the man. My friend calls me her scary dog privilege !! The same friend (I love her sm) labeled my eyes sea glass. My facial expressions are either sorrowful or a bit stand-offish. No in-between.

Personality; As you can tell I can be talkative but in that same sense, I am very quiet. I enjoy observing rather than speaking. I am a bit shy and tend to blush rather easily. Oftentimes, people find me to be therapeutic which has its ups and downs. I have the tendency to act like a leader, it just comes naturally? Especially if there are people much younger than me in a group setting. I love making jokes. I love seeing people smile and enjoy the moment, that's the most beautiful sight. I have photoshopped cowboy hats onto pictures of my friends & set those photos as their contact pictures. I don't think this is a personality trait but I'll say it; I am Jewish. Oh! So important thing to me; Music!! I listen to music all the time. Some bands I enjoy include; the pogues, the clash, second thoughts, the ramones, joy division, stone roses. The list goes on, actually here's a band name that'll make you laugh; "The nipples erectors" um, don't ask me lmao. Anyway!! I'm an equestrian, english discipline. Oh, I love geography!! I'm trying to memorize the world map. I write. Like a lot. I'm passionate about a lot... oh yeah, I suppose I need to mention I struggle with depression & have a baggage that I'd rather not say out loud... but it exists and greatly distorts how I view my body. also if this helps; I'm an infp and type 3 enneagram.

Anyway, thanks!! Mwah!!

Hi babe!! honestly i feel like you and i would be fashion twins irl!! your style sounds so cool ngl <3

I ship you with:

Bob Leckie from The Pacific!

ship theme song: She's My Religion by Pale Waves

okay Leckie lowkey needs and craves a punk bitch gf!!

the man tries so hard to be an edgelord stg

he needs a punk queen in his life!!!

i feel like he would just see you walking down the street one day

and he's just like

"god damn... this girl is my QUEEN"

is it your sea glass-colored eyes that captivated him first?

or your ripped fishnets and doc martens??

who can say???

dude probably writes romantic emo poetry about you at 2am in his bedroom

literally pining after you and he works up the nerve to finally ask you out

like Leckie, you're either very quiet or a chatterbox

no in between

he appreciates your quietness and conversation equally

Leckie thinks its so dang cute when you blush

so he tries to make you blush often

over the most stupid stuff, too!

he loves going on double dates with you and Runner and his gf

or Chuckler and his gf

and your natural leadership tendencies take over

he'll just smile at you stupidly

but inside he's just like

"oh yeah... that's my dang gf >:)"

he's so intrigued by your Jewish heritage

he loves going to Passover at your family's place each year

your parents are totally smitten with him

but his most favorite thing to do with you is to go to the record store on Saturdays

he'll let you pick out as many records as you want

and will gladly buy them for you

depend on Leckie to fuel your music addiction >:)

he loves how passionate you are about everything you do

he considers himself really lucky to know a girl like you <3

also, Leckie is deals with his own certain type of baggage

so he's no stranger to anxiety and depression

he hopes that you'll share your worries and doubts with him

and he'll be open and truthful with you as well :)

[ughmyreality]

do you have any tips to share on writing?

Hey, thank you for asking. I'm no stickler for grammar or a linguistic expert, so keep that in mind. This will also be a lowkey long post because I genuinely appreciate that you asked! It makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. I will say however, just start writing. Don't worry if something isn't "correct" because the reality is many of the so-called rules of grammar aren't even rules, but rather suggestions. People who truly enjoy what you write aren't going to be in utter shock because you made mistakes. I'm sure this post is littered with mistakes but it's the thought that matters.

I think it's also important to develop your own writing style. For example, I personally don't like wasting time writing things like, This person said "this" or "blah blah blah" she said. Because if you know who's in the conversation, I feel there's no point and it gets overly redundant repeating who's speaking. Decide what you like to do and stick to it. Others, much to my dismay, might not put quotations around anything. I think as long as someone can tell you know what you're doing then everything else can be put on the back burner.

If your goal is to be a professional writer on the other hand, just know that there are certain things you'll need to know and others that are irrelevant. Try not to get bogged down by the endless information you'll find. Like how 'dog' is the morpheme of 'dogs', how they advise that you don't end a sentence with a preposition, or don't split an infinitive even though it's done all the time (to quickly go) which is not inherently incorrect. Instead, I'd suggest looking at someone else's work and analyzing that. If you can detect things then you will be able to write them. Try identifying the parts of speech and how it's being used. You might even find that somethings come naturally, especially if what you're reading is in your native tongue, because it's apart of your innate grammar.

As far as coming up with ideas, don't shy away from getting inspiration from else where. I feel like there's a lowkey negative connotation to the idea of getting inspired by other's work but that doesn't equate to flat out stealing. If not that, despite how cliche it is, try listening to music. Often music can invoke such strong emotions, that the ideas will come naturally. If all else fails, gain inspiration from your own life. Even the most mundane things can sound extraordinary if you have the will to write it correctly. For instance, if you've never read the poem "We are Seven", its a girl explaining that there are seven siblings including herself despite the fact two are dead. Just hearing that on it's own sounds boring but I personally think it's really thought provoking when you read it. It makes you question whether or not you agree with the girl or the man. What becomes of you in the eyes of society when you die?

Lastly, don't worry too much. Your average Joe probably won't notice a problem in your writing and those who are "highly" skilled writer's won't mind. Everyone has to have a starting point so even if in your head it sounds bad, it might be someone's Roman Empire. I find that a lot of the people who harshly criticize are have a warped perspective. They simply want to say something under the guise of being constructive to be mean. All in all, the most important thing is that you enjoy what you've written and the process of writing. Don't write for the people, write for you.

[dearweirdme]

“If Tae were to post a selfie of them together on his Insta... I would certainly reconsider”

I am a bit confused by you saying this. So leaked pictures off her private insta are pr but tae officially posting her on his ig… isn’t?

Hi anon!

I get why this would confuse you. I think it's important to realise that we probably (because I don't think you believe in Tae and Jk?) have different perspectives on this matter. To me, it wasn't an accidental leak, I believe those pics were leaked on purpose and I believe those pics are staged. To you, it was an accidental leak and you really believe those pics are out of Jennie's private footage.

If Tae were to post a pic of them together it would automatically make me revisit my thoughts, because it would be under less shady circumstances. Sharing a pic that way shows strong intent. I'm not saying it will change my mind, but seeing him post a pic like that would mean new information and will make me look at things from another perspective more. We always work with what we've got, so if new information were to occur we amend, or solidify our thoughts because of that. It would also hugely matter what the image would actually portray and wether it would be an Insta-story (temporary) or an Insta-post. Context matters also.

You've made me think a bit harder on if I am prone to change my mind about things or not. And honestly, I don't think I will. There is certainly some things that would make me change my mind, but all of those include me being able to see genuine, loving, adoring interactions between Tae and Jennie. I just don't think we will get to see those (to keep things real: not only because I don't think they are in love, also because if they were, I think Tae would prefer to be lowkey). That leaves me with everything I have seen transpire between Tae and Jk. Those moments that made me believe in them in the first place do still excist and I do still think my interpretation of those moments is right.

I have always stated that I don't think it's possible for anyone to be a 100% sure about the realness of their ship (this goes for any ship). We just don't know enough of their actual lives to be sure of anything about them. Humans in general deal with uncertainty badly, that's why a lot of people try to come up with the craziest explanations to make sense of something, or why others scream their lungs out about being a 1000% certain. It's to ease their own feelings. I personally have no problem with this slight uncertainty, because even if i'm only a 90% sure, that's still a whole lot, and being wrong is not a bad thing. Being wrong about things is something that will happen uncountable times in live, it teaches us something and we will take those lessons with us.

[skaruresonic]

Instead of cussing them out, maybe just calmly explain and show examples of Shadow being more vulnerable in other games and/or comics like a normal person rather than spouting idiotic solutions like resorting to gatekeeping?

I mean, I do that regularly, both on here and Twitter... and in response, I get blocked, my reblog hidden, or told that I'm an illiterate "idiot" on top of other lovely insults.

So it's definitely not for a lack of trying lol. People just like to stick their fingers in their ears.

---

I assume some (keyword: SOME) of the people saying that might just be newer fans who haven't gotten to know all the older lore, go easy on them. Not everyone is a trend hopper, there are people who genuinely just don't know or have been informed wrong (accidental misinterpretation is a common issue, especially when sharing thoughts on social media).

This argument might hold water if SA2 were more obscure or abandonware, but it's never been easier for fans to play the game if they wanted to. Problem is they don't want to. Facts ruin The Vibes(tm).

Old media being old is still not grounds to make shit up. And it's not like SA2!Shadow's teardrop is some out-of-the-way detail you'd only notice on subsequent playthroughs; it happens during a cutscene at the exact moment of his heel-face turn.

It'd be like saying "Why do you expect new Star Wars fans to know that Luke Skywalker got his hand chopped off when Darth Vader told him he was his father?" ...Because it's a plot point? Because it's an emotional highlight? Because it represents a turning point in the narrative, and pretending it's some trivial detail given this context is lowkey disingenuous?

---

Obviously SEGA hasn't given Shadow a whole lot of room to properly express his emotion in the recent games up until now, so "Shadow is allowed to cry again" isn't the completely nonsensical take you are making it out to be.

I feel the need to unpack this sentiment because I've been seeing it crop up a lot lately and it really bugs me.

Not every character needs to cry in order to be considered complex and "deep." Not every character needs to cry to experience emotional catharsis. The idea that crying automatically equals depth is rather dismissive towards characters that process the world differently.

The idea that people cannot conclude that Shadow has attained emotional closure unless he specifically engages in the act of crying is... Man, I don't know how to describe it. Bordering on voyeuristic, almost? Refusing to meet the character where he's at, unwilling to engage with previous subtext? It's as though like folks are shaking their heads, going "Nope, none of his previous journeys were good enough. Just this one because it's Deeper(tm) and more Mature(tm)."

---

My only exception to this is obviously when people PURPOSEFULLY misinterpret the source material just to shit on it and spread a false narrative for content sake. (tiktok commenters yapping for the sake of yapping)

What's your solution for addressing this problem when it is, actually, fandom-wide?

Fandom basically invented the idea of Shadow mandates based on a secondhand Reddit story with no sources and spread that idea throughout every corner of the internet. So.

"they let Shadow cry omg Shadow is allowed to cry again" Shadow was always allowed to cry he cried in SA2 what the fuck are you talking about?

literally just making shit up x3

I honestly don't understand what even goes through their minds

They're fucking tourists, honestly

Like way to advertise you're just here cuz it's trendy and not cuz you actually know or care about the franchise

These people are literally the equivalent of fucking JoJo "fans" who think Jotaro originally drew The World tarot card but was given Star because it was already taken

Chuds and posers who just gobble up the memes and never actually engage with the source material

Honestly there's so much shit that people say about Sonic that reminds me of that one in particular

Like fucktards are watching Snapcube or Jehtt videos and acting like that's a substitute for actually playing the games

This is why gatekeeping is important

The thing that gets me is they're obviously not even interested in getting into the series or playing the games at all

it's like, why tf are you here then???

[sevikitty]

🖇 MY RAN HEADCANONS (finally)

hi, do you guys remember how like four days ago i said "oh i'll post some ran hcs tomorrow !!" and then i never did? well, i'm here now, so don't fucking judge me. please ♡

☆ Gives me Gemini, Sagittarius, and Scorpio vibes, their MBTI type is definitely INTP (I’m not reflecting on her but yes, I am).

☆ Uses she/them pronouns, with a preference for they/them pronouns. She’s demiromantic and is usually not bothered by their s/o’s gender, but is slightly more attracted to girls GNC people.

☆ FLAWS: lazy, sadistic, forgetful (when it’s a piece of information she doesn’t consider important, otherwise their memory is flawless), cynical, insensitive, reclusive.

☆ STRENGTHS: honest, trustworthy, patient, clever, adaptive, calm, sincere, witty, chill, funny.

☆ SKILLS/HOBBIES: ghost hunting with Dustin (name that a good part of the fandom gave the blond guy that is usually with her, the one that got that completely unnecessary beating from Silco after Cait and Vi escaped), swordplay, arts, dual spades, martial arts, parkour, people watching.

☆ I think her height’s around Vi’s height, or slightly taller (around 5’9/1.75m).

☆ I believe she has a unilateral hearing loss caused by a traumatic brain injury, which itself was probably caused by their fall in Act I. Call me blind or stupid but I highly believe that what they have on their left ear is not a piercing but a hearing aid.

- Talking about body modifications, she does have piercings anyways (which is actually canon), she has a lobe one on each ear. Other than the canon ones, I hc she has tongue and nipple piercings because I can and she’d look amazing with them.

- She likes cats and rats. She has a two-year-old cat named Bebe, and three rats that were named Silly Coco, Lockitty, and Vivika by Dustin.

☆ And on the subject of Dustin, as some other people I hc they are childhood friends, they’re almost inseparable to the point where they have to share an apartment/room at the Last Drop or they’ll start feeling anxious. Silco caught up on this pretty early and decided to let them indulge in their own habits since it makes them work better. I’m not saying they always need to be physically attached to the other, but it does make them feel safer.

☆ But being alone doesn’t affect her as much as it sometimes does to Dustin, actually, she enjoys it from time to time.

☆ Their love language is quality time, they also like physical affection but only when they’re the one initiating it.

☆ It's really not easy to get them mad, they’re an extremely calm person with great control of their own feelings and expressions.

☆ They don’t talk much either, not even when it comes to Dustin or the rest of Silco’s gang, they prefer to wait and observe. They believe that if they don’t have anything important to say, then they just won’t say anything at all. But sometimes a comment or two escapes their own self-control, and they’re effortlessly funny when it happens.

☆ Because of the “wait and observe” thing, she can remember extremely specific things about a lot of people. Maybe they won’t remember your birthday or the thing you were just telling them five seconds ago, but she’ll remember that time when you told her you preferred to be blind but have a really nice smile than to have no nose but have really good smelling fingers.

☆ I’m not reflecting on her (I am) but I believe she’s the type to be lowkey competitive but also pretty unmotivated at the same time. She just lets it go but still has the salty feeling when she doesn’t win/isn’t the best at what she’s doing.

☆ There’s something a Twitter user noticed (please send me their @ if you find it) and it was this:

☆ The user mentioned how she possibly lost her arm in this way, I thought it was pretty interesting and I haven’t seen other people talking about it.

☆ Now to the more random stuff, their favorite colors are purple and black.

☆ Most of the time, they’re sleep-deprived and their sleep schedule is extremely disorganized because of both being part of Silco’s main team and having trouble with it in general. When they do sleep, they do so with a shit ton of pillows around them (this may or may not a few random plushies here and there)

☆ Powder taught them and Dustin how to read and write (since Vi taught her how to read growing up), she doesn’t care that much about writing or about making her calligraphy nice-looking, but once Jinx started reading bedtime stories and cautionary tales with them, they were hooked. They love to read in their free time, even when they can get easily bored. I feel like in our world, their favorite books would be 1984 (George Orwell), The Stranger (Albert Camus), Animal Farm (George Orwell), The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger), Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) and Lord of the Flies (William Golding).

☆ These are totally not my own favorite books.

☆ I think she’d be very interested in human behavior, she enjoys psychoanalyzing people, making obscure comments about it to the person, and then not elaborating on them.

☆ She’s also into art, but she’s never put much thought into it. She does some sketches from time to time, even more now that Sevika gave her a small notebook after seeing them doodling on a wall while laying on the floor with Dustin one day, but she doesn’t really consider herself an artist.

☆ Now, about her relationship with Sevika, I’m so sure that at some point she had the “I’m not sure if I want to be you or date you” type of crush on Sevika. She probably was their first crush, even though nowadays she sees her more as an older sister figure.

☆ As both of them are usually busy because of Silco, they don’t hang out as much as both would like to; besides as I mentioned before, Ran enjoys being alone when she isn’t with Dustin. From time to time, when they’re both finally able and comfortable enough to hang out, they have a great time, just chilling and drinking. Sevika appreciates Ran because they seem like a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the chaos.

☆ Ran’s always wanted to go to Piltover’s museums, she's never told anyone about it though. And if she wasn’t part of Silco’s gang, she’d consider being a tattoo artist.

☆ My theory is that her family came from Ionia at least two or three generations before her, which is why she can speak basic Ionian. She doesn’t take much part in their culture since she was never taught much about it while growing up, but they do keep some trinkets here and there from their family.

thank you guys for reading! feel free to dm me, comment or send an ask if you want to share your thoughts about this. also please give us more ran content ♡ ♡ ♡

[halfusek]

Since the new Chris Portal documentary showed the true and nasty side of KB/Mike and TheMeatly, are you still gonna Say "we don't know the full story"?. We as a fanbase were treated as shitty as the employees they fired and abused, they don't deserve respect anymore.

uh i dont know where you've been but that video hasn't uncovered much new to me aside from some details from the two interviews near the end of the vid but like all of that stuff has already been known, it is just the first instance of someone compiling it into a coherent video (like the stupid games for kids said by mike we already knew in 2019 which i would not exactly say is the same as experiencing work abuse lol)

and idk why you're being so hostile at me, i've never been one to defend mike nor meatly but tried to find and share as much of the information as i could find about their wrongdoings, like dude i was fucking there pointing out that a lot of employees dont have "kindlybeast employee" in their twitter bios which then got screenshot and that post went on reddit where actual ex employees started sharing stuff (which freaked me out cuz i didnt want to have my "face" on the post dedicated to that) so like maybe turn that down a little

i feel like there's a lot of people new to some things unraveling in this controversy but as for me i've already made up my mind what i think of it, so i'm not so up in arms to scream about things that we already screamed about 2-3 years ago and that might make people think that i don't care or wanna brush it off which is not true

kindly beast / joey drew studios inc / mike and meatly deserve all the criticism aimed towards them, and on the day it was known about the lawsuit i laughed that karma finally got to them because i had thoughts "for all the shit they did to people, they deserve to fail and lose everything, to start over"

but i also think this is an opportunity for them to improve, learn and do better, sooooo i'm just kind of waiting for the next thing to happen i guess

in case they don't improve, welp, they can honestly fuck off

death of the author, whatever, it is anyone's personal call if they wanna keep on supporting some creators or not, and well as for me i think there's so much more and worse stuff that we (we as... gaming community... fandoms...?) tolerate that this seems just... small in comparison. i'm NOT saying it's not a big deal, it has me wishing lowkey that i just wasn't into batim lmao so i could just go. like for example i'm much more disgusted at sc/ott caw/thons wrongdoings cause they actually influence politics so i'm actively trying to keep myself away from engaging with fnaf or that one pirate gay show that i was like holy shit a cool gay couple but then read some yikes things about a character being based on actual real life guy who was a slave owner and that just had me nope out. i guess what i'm saying is i try not to support problematic things but if i were to suport only those purely unproblematic thatd kinda leave me with nothing idk society capitalism something something so you know i just try to weigh if something is actively harmful to people or if there is something that happened that i absolutely cannot forgive and based on that i get into something or not

does that make me a hypocrite? maybe but if i focus on boycotting what matters in the grand scheme of things and indulge a little in indie game fandom that's rapidly losing popularity i think i can personally live with that

sorry for going off about this, truth be told there's a lot of things happening in the world right now that put me in a very doomer mode lmao i mean we all see whats happening, shits pretty fucked and it was hard for me to even spare some focus on this, its really not good to get so desensitized so i also apologize for the harsh tone but yeah

anyways, i agree that we should make them feel like they need to apologize and do better, meatly still havent said a word publicly about anything that has happened and that fucking sucks

i still do not like harassing them over releasing batdr, thats part of crunch culture and all that jazz and i think we shouldnt lower the standards for that for anyone because [insert that image of you doing something bad to someone you dislike but it deflecting into someone you like]

but we should keep them on their toes and not let them think that we will just forget and let them get away with it because wow they've been massive assholes

[serpenteve]

I'm having the horrible realization that Aleksander never actually did any serious wooing of Alina in the books. It's all just Alina her self being horny attracted to him. But this is supposedly???? His grand scheme???? Of manipulation???? Implications! It seems like the girls in these books wasn't the only one slut shamed. I'm- ☠

Leigh wrote a man sexy and captivating and said "it's his fault, actually, that Alina got a crush on him. He shouldn't of.... uh.." Flips through papers. "Ah, had such pretty eyes."

Okay! 👀Yes, we are finally doing this!

I'm flipping through my copy of Shadow & Bone and noting down all the interactions between the Darkling and Alina which I've put in chronological order beneath the cut.

First of all, the Darkling and Alina are only alone together in about a handful of scenes. Most of the time, the are surrounded by other Grisha or Baghra or are in a public place. A lot of the Darkling's actions and words are clouded by Alina's own insecurities. She constantly voices how she feels like she's not good enough, not pretty enough, not strong enough and he takes it in stride and gently encourages and placates her. There are a few lies he does tell her (that the Black Heretic was his ancestor, that he wants to destroy the Fold, and he doesn't know what Baghra's power is, etc) but if we extrapolate the trajectory of her ill-fated romance arc, I think even book!Darkling would have told Alina about his real plans if she seemed like she'd accept them.

A lot of speculation has been made about the Darkling's seduction of Alina and honestly???? Aleksander literally just exists and Alina is thirsting for him because she's desperately looking for validation and re-assurance. I initially head-canoned his first kiss by the lake as being pure calculation and the kiss at the Winter Fete being 100% accidental (because Dark Lord Sasha played himself lmao) but on this re-read, I don't even know anymore. He already came close to almost kissing her after they have a tender moment, catches himself and then immediately leaves before he can catch feelings. Then when they share another tender moment at the lake, he kisses her and then is surprised by it and before he can really process it, Ivan comes by to cockblock.

Like, even Leigh (as much as she has shit on this ship) said at one point that the Darkling has strong feelings for Alina, even if he may not necessarily quantify them as love. So looking back, I don't read anything the Darkling did as manipulative seduction. He obviously lied about some stuff and wasn't transparent about his real plans for the Fold, but as a military commander who sees Alina as an opportunity for a coup, it makes sense that he'd play that a little close to the chest---especially when Alina has proved to be wary of his powers and has a very black-and-white sense of morality. If anything, this is less "the Darkling seduced Alina to manipulate her into being used!!11" and more "local dark lord tried to encourage his protege and accidentally caught feelings and it was a mASSIVE FUCKING INCONVENIENCE TO HIS EVIL PLANS"

But you know who does slut-shame Alina a lot? Baghra. Seriously, Baghra makes Alina feel like shit for her crush on the Darkling numerous times. She has all these lines:

"You want to be [his pet]...Don’t bother lying to me. You’re like all the rest. I saw the way you looked at him."

"Dreaming of dancing with your dark prince?"

"Foolish girl." (After Alina shamefully admits the Darkling might come to her that night)

At one point Baghra creeps on Alina and the Darkling's interactions and even though literally nothing happens between them and when the Darkling leaves, Alina catches Baghra giving her a snooty look. ("For no reason at all, I blushed")

She is determined to shame Alina for her feelings and make her feel like a lovesick idiot for daring to crush on him and this is in addition to all the slut-shaming Mal does. The narrative revealing the Darkling is the bad guy all along while leaving Alina no compelling arc to discover this on her own feels very much like Leigh hitting us all with Baghra's stick, like "Foolish girls! You thought he cared about Alina just because he has a sexy jawline??? HAHA HE LIED YOU SLUTS"

Scenes with Alina and the Darkling in Book 1

Their first scene together is in the Grisha tent. Based on Alina's description of him, she already thinks he's hot as barely any other character in this godforsaken series gets so many descriptions of their grey/smoke/slate/quartz eyes as Aleksander does 😏

The next time they're together he saves her life. Alina is traumatized from seeing a man sliced in half and the Darkling instructs her to keep her eyes on him instead. She is disturbed that he killed the person about to murder her and this aversion seems incredibly contrived and arbitrary on behalf of the author. It's almost like she wants Alina to be vindicated and shamed for not trusting her initial bigotry against him or something 🤔The Darkling admits even he can make mistakes and then he touches the back of Alina's neck (with some secret Heartrender/Healer abilities?) and she falls asleep riding on his horse.

They spend the next few days traveling. Alina notes that the Darkling hasn't spoken to her (probably because he's focused on getting her to the Little Palace without any more assassination attempts) but Alina is a paranoid she's offended him somehow. Again, this is just Alina's insecurity painting a narrative that simply doesn't exist based on what actually happened so far.

They exchange a few words by the stream and Alina fishes for pity points by saying she's ugly and can't possibly be Grisha. Aleksander appears 100% done with her stupidity and says she doesn't understand but he's not in the mood to explain at the moment and walks off ☠️

Alina joins the Darkling and his men for a meal. She notes that the grouse they've killed is meager shared meal but that the Darkling doesn't want to put his men in danger by sending them out to hunt in the forest at night 😌He also sits on the floor to eat like they do and he doesn't take more than the regular portion than they do 😌. Sorry, how is this man the most ~evil~ wizard on the planet? He is obviously a good and fair commander and beloved by the Grisha.

Alina has been checking Aleksander out the entire time so when he catches her, he walks over to talk. He fishes around for information on what Alina has heard about him. He seems sad when Alina mentions she has heard that Darklings are born without souls, though not surprised. He then spins the story about the Black Heretic being his ancestor and how the Fold was a mistake and how every Darkling since then has tried to undo it and how Alina is "the first glimmer of hope" he's had in a long time.

Because Alina is still on that "Grisha are unnatural monsters" agenda, she asks him about the Cut and he explains it but she's still distrubed. He asks her if it would have been better if he used a sword and she replies: "I don't know". The Darkling gets offended and leaves. Alina tries to convince herself she can't have possibly hurt his feelings (because Darklings don't have souls or feelings?) and then feels paranoid that she's failed some secret test. Yeah, the test you failed is called "empathy", Alina 🙄

Two days later, they arrive at Os Alta. Aleksander roasts the Grand Palace as the ugliest effing building he's ever seen. He leaves immediately after dumping Alina at the Little Palace and Alina actually seethes that he isn't paying more attention to her? I understand that it's overwhelming to go to a brand new place, but Alina expecting him to constantly hold her hand and explain everything to her after she basically insulted him is a bit strange.

The next time Alina sees the Darkling, they are scheduled to appear before the King and Queen. The demonstration is a surprise for Alina and Aleksander's lack of transparency of what's expected of her means she's forced to rely on him and trust his instincts. This might be his underhanded way of getting Alina to see that she can trust him; that he will not make her look like a failure or humiliate her; that they are in this together and it will only work if she trusts him.

After the demonstration, Genya and the Darkling trash the monarchy for a bit (Alina is horrified) and then the Darkling orders Genya to get a black kefta for Alina, to which Alina infamously wants a blue one. The Darkling doesn't really put up much of a fight, merely wanting to know why. Alina decides he doesn't approve of her choosing blue and wonders to Genya if he's angry.

After Alina's first day, the Darkling calls her to his quarters to ask her how her day was. Alina is surprised that this is all he wanted to know because she was paranoid he was going to torture her??? She says: "Why shouldn't I be afraid of you?...You can cut people in half. I think it's fair to be a little intimidated." If the Darkling is offended or angry about this, he doesn't show it and merely indulges her. He notes that she has a habit of running her hand across a scar on her palm and asks her about it, tracing the scar himself. Alina gets distracted by his touch but manages to answer his questions: she got the scar at Keramzin, Mal is also an orphan, he is good at tracking. He shows her a secret passage back to her rooms to avoid the main hall.

Alina starts her training and at one point laments that the Darkling is rarely at the Little Palace and when he is, he never speaks to her or barely looks her way and she is convinced it's because she's a failure and can't summon light on her own. It could also be because, you know, he's the commander of the Second Army and is usually seen in talks with other military advisors and the fact that Alina kinda lowkey insulted him with her wariness about his powers???

The next time they are together, Alina interrupts him and Baghra arguing. He politely asks her how she is. Baghra antagonizes her. The Darkling defends her. They talk about amplifiers and because Baghra is being a snarky little shit about it, they take their conversation outside.

Aleksander complains about how annoying his mom is and then asks Alina what stories she's heard about Morozova's herd. At one point he laughs for the first time and Alina practically creams her pants at the sound. Alina expresses her concerns that she can't summon any light and the Darkling says he's not worried and it will happen when it happens and worse case scenario, it will happen once she has the stag. They have a quiet intimate moment, gazing softly into each other's eyes and then suddenly Aleksander realizes he's catching feelings and steps back suddenly like "GoodLuckWithYourLessonsOKayBYE". Baghra watches this interaction from her hut and gives Alina a slut-shaming look.

Alina eventually does learn to summon light on her own. Baghra gives her grief about how it's not enough. The Darkling shows up during one of these lessons and says as much. Alina says she's useless. The Darkling corrects her (“I don't think you're useless, Alina....No Grisha is powerful enough to face the Fold. Not even me”) and then he apologizes for letting her down ("I've asked you to trust me and I haven't delivered"). He wonders if his mother is right and he's crazy to hunt the stag. They have a nice bonding moment, Aleksander lies about Baghra's power, and then he asks if Alina would think him crazy for still wanting to find the stag. She asks why he cares what she thinks, he seems genuinely surprised himself that he cares. Then he kisses her. He seems not to have meant to kiss her because then Ivan shows up for his 5 o'clock shift of cockblocking and the Darkling immediately pretends like nothing happened and walks away with him. Like dude is acting like a fucking dork who's allergic to feelings at this point. I should note here that Alina practically has an orgasm from how giddy she is about this moment. She can barely think of anything else.

The next time they're together, it's at the Winter Fete. They do their demonstration and Alina accidentally reveals her insecurities about how he had kissed her and then disappeared. He responds, "Did you really think I was done with you?" and then they enjoy some steamy kisses and thigh grabbing in an empty room before a random round of Grisha show up for their 6 o'clock shift of cockblocking. Aleksander is annoyed at his own attraction to Alina. He asks if he can come to her that night but Alina doesn't get a chance to respond.

and then the Darklina romance arc falls off a giant cliff and dies a terrible death 😭😭😭